Andrew N. J. McKenzie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew McKenzie
FRS FMedSci
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McKenzie in 2017
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| Born |
Andrew Neil James McKenzie
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| Education | University of London (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology Autoimmunity Molecular biology |
| Institutions | Laboratory of Molecular Biology University of Cambridge National Institute for Medical Research |
| Thesis | Cellular and humoral aspects of the immune response of the larval stages of Calliphora vomitoria L. (Insecta: Diptera) (1988) |
Andrew Neil James McKenzie is a British scientist who studies molecules inside living things. He is a leader of a research group at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). This laboratory is a famous place where scientists do important research.
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Education and Early Research
Andrew McKenzie studied at the University of London. There, he earned his PhD, which is a high university degree. For his PhD, he researched how the immune system of the bluebottle fly (a type of fly called Calliphora vomitoria) fights off sickness. He looked at both how cells in the fly's body fight germs and how special liquids in the body do the same.
Understanding the Immune System
Andrew McKenzie's main research focuses on the immune system. This is your body's defense system that protects you from infections. He studies two main parts of the immune system:
- The innate immune system is like your body's first line of defense. It reacts quickly to any threat.
- The adaptive immune system learns to recognize specific germs and remembers them for the future.
How the Immune System Works
McKenzie investigates how these two parts of the immune system work together. He looks at how tiny networks inside our bodies control how we respond to pathogens (germs that cause disease). Sometimes, these networks don't work correctly. When this happens, it can lead to problems like inflammation (swelling and redness) or other diseases.
Discoveries in Asthma and Allergies
One of McKenzie's big discoveries was finding a special protein called Interleukin 13 (IL-13). He found that this protein plays a very important role in asthma and allergys. Asthma makes it hard to breathe, and allergies are when your body overreacts to harmless things like pollen.
His work on IL-13 led him to discover a new type of immune cell. These cells are called type-2 innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2s for short. ILC2s produce a lot of proteins like IL-13. Scientists now think that ILC2s could be a new target for medicines to help people with inflammation and infections.
Awards and Recognition
Andrew McKenzie has received important awards for his scientific work.
- In 2011, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). This means he is recognized as a leading expert in medical science.
- In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). The Royal Society is one of the oldest and most respected scientific organizations in the world. Being a Fellow is a very high honor for a scientist.
