Peter Medawar

Peter Medawar was a British biologist whose research on acquired immunological tolerance helped establish the biological basis of organ transplantation. He shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Frank Macfarlane Burnet.

Acquired immunological tolerance: Specific unresponsiveness of the immune system induced by exposure to an antigen. Medawar’s transplantation experiments established that tolerance to foreign tissue could be acquired.
Oxford University: A university in Oxford, England, founded in the medieval period. Medawar studied zoology there and later returned as a professor.
Rupert Billingham: A British biologist who studied skin grafts, transplantation, and reproductive immunology. Billingham worked with Medawar on the experiments that demonstrated acquired tolerance in mice.
Organ transplantation: The transfer of an organ from a donor to a recipient to replace a failing organ. Understanding immune tolerance helped establish the scientific foundations of transplant medicine.
The Limits of Science: A 1984 book by Peter Medawar examining what science can and cannot explain. Medawar used this book to distinguish scientific questions from problems beyond scientific method.
Neonatal tolerance: Immune tolerance induced by exposing an immature immune system to an antigen early in life. Medawar’s mouse experiments showed that exposure during development could shape later graft acceptance.
Howard Florey: An Australian pathologist who led the Oxford team that developed penicillin into a practical treatment. Florey supervised Medawar’s doctoral work on tissue culture and directed his wartime research.
Leslie Brent: A British immunologist who helped demonstrate acquired tolerance through mouse transplantation experiments. Brent joined Medawar and Billingham in the landmark tolerance research.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: An annual international award recognizing major discoveries in physiology or medicine. Medawar and Burnet received the 1960 prize for discoveries concerning acquired immunological tolerance.
Advice to a Young Scientist: A 1979 book by Peter Medawar offering reflections on scientific research and careers. It presents his practical account of how scientists choose problems and conduct research.

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