Anita Harding

Anita Harding
Born	(1952-09-17)17 September 1952
Died	11 September 1995(1995-09-11)(aged 42)
Nationality	Irish-British
Education	King Edward VI High School
Alma mater	UCL Medical School
Occupation	Neurologist
Known for	The first identification of amitochondrial DNAmutationin human disease, and the concept of tissueheteroplasmyof mutant mitochondrial DNA
Spouse	P.K. Thomas ​ (m.1977⁠–⁠1995)​

Anita Elizabeth Harding(17 September 1952 – 11 September 1995) was anIrish-Britishneurologist,and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the Institute of Neurology of theUniversity of London.She is known for the discovery with Ian Holt and John Morgan-Hughes of the "first identification of amitochondrial DNAmutationin human disease and the concept of tissueheteroplasmyof mutant mitochondrial DNA ", published inNaturein 1986.In 1985 she established the first neurogenetics research group in the United Kingdom at theUCL Institute of Neurology.

Biography

Born inIreland,Harding was educated at theKing Edward VI High School for Girlsand theRoyal Free Hospital Medical School,where she qualified in 1975.She married neurology professorP.K. Thomastwo years later, and trained as a neurologist.She pursued further clinical training atHammersmith Hospitaland theNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery,and worked with laboratories in Cardiff and the United States to learn the burgeoning field of neurogenetics.In 1985 she established the first neurogenetics research group in the United Kingdom at theUCL Institute of Neurology(UCLIN) inQueen Square, Londonwhile still a lecturer at that institution.In 1986 she was a senior lecturer at the UCLIN; a position she held for nine years.

In 1988 Harding played an instrumental role in the establishment of theEuropean Neurological Society.She died ofcolorectal cancer,6 days before her 43rd birthday and shortly before she was to take up the chair in Clinical Neurology at the UCLIN.A person with great charm and wit, she referred to herself as the "wobbly doctor".On learning of her terminal condition, she is reported to have said "[A]t least I won't have to buyWindows 95".

In 1996, she was posthumously awarded the ABN Medal by theAssociation of British Neurologists.In 2019, the journalNaturenamed their custom typeface in her honor.

Work

Harding made several significant contributions in the field of inherited neurologic disorders. Her major achievements were:

• Classification of theperipheral neuropathiesandhereditary ataxias,the first identification of amitochondrial DNAmutationin human disease (inKearns–Sayre syndrome)
• Identification oftrinucleotide repeatsin degenerative neurologic diseases (e.g.Huntington's disease).

She also worked extensively on thepopulation geneticsof disorders with ethnic distribution.She has published over 200 articles, and edited 3 books.Together with Dr. Mary Davis, Anita Harding established one of the biggest service labs for molecular analysis of neurogenetic disorders in the UK.

External links

• Anita Harding (1952-1995)Archived2 November 2011 at theWayback Machine
• Remembering my first Boss, the great Clinical Neurologist Anita Harding