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“We will miss Bill Catterall, long time IDDRC affiliate, brilliant researcher, mentor, and friend to many at the UW during his long career.”
Dr. Sandra Juul, M.D. Ph.D., Director, IHDD and IDDRC
William A. “Bill” Catterall, a leading figure in studies of electrical signals in living cells, died Feb. 28 at age 77.
He was a professor and former chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. His sudden passing occurred while he was in the Philippines attending an international calcium ion channel conference, where he was among the speakers.
As news of his passing spread, social media filled with former students and scientific colleagues around the world remembering Catterall as an excellent teacher, a collegial individual and a giant in his field.
Catterall is credited for discovering the voltage-gated sodium channel and calcium channels. These tiny pores in cell membranes are gatekeepers for the flow of charged particles. Different channels exist for different ions. They produce electric signals for brain, nerve, heart, and muscle cells to rapidly send information.
He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, his son, Douglas, and his wife, Tina.
Read the full article: Remembering Bill Catterall, ion channel research pioneer
