Allan Struthers is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Dundee. He is a leading clinical pharmacologist whose original observations on the mechanisms and therapeutic options for heart failure have had major international impact and altered clinical practice. His work has focussed on the renin/angiotensin/aldosterone system and its manipulation in cardiovascular disease. More recently, studies on the mechanism of action and potential use of allopurinol hold promise to alter significantly the treatment of myocardial ischaemia. His work has made a real difference to the lives of a large number of patients with heart failure, and his most recent discoveries hold out promise to alter the management of angina.