Anne O'Garra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne O'Garra
FRS FMedSci
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| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) |
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| Website | www3 |
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| Thesis | Adhesion of coagulase negative staphyloccoci to human ephithelial cells (1983) |
| Website | www |
Anne O'Garra (born in 1954) is a brilliant British scientist. She is an immunologist, which means she studies how our bodies fight off sickness. She made very important discoveries about a special protein called Interleukin 10 (IL-10). This protein helps control our body's defense system.
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About Anne O'Garra
Anne O'Garra was born in Gibraltar in 1954. Her parents were Louis and Theresa O'Garra.
Her Education Journey
From 1977 to 1980, Anne studied at Chelsea College, University of London. She earned a top degree in microbiology and biochemistry. This means she learned about tiny living things and the chemicals in living things.
She then went to the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). There, she earned her Ph.D. in microbiology. A Ph.D. is a very high university degree. After that, she stayed at NIMR for four more years. She worked as a post-doctorate researcher, focusing on immunology.
Her Career in Science
In 1987, Anne O'Garra moved to Palo Alto, California, in the United States. She started working at the DNAX Research Institute. By 2000, she had become a main scientist in the immunobiology department.
In 2001, she returned to London. She became the head of the Immunoregulation Division at the Medical Research Council NIMR. Since 2015, she has been a research director and group leader. She works at the Francis Crick Institute, which took over from NIMR.
Anne O'Garra's Discoveries
Anne O'Garra is famous for helping us understand how our immune system works. She studied how different cells and proteins talk to each other. This communication helps our body fight off diseases.
Understanding Interleukin-10
She was the first to find out that Interleukin-10 (IL-10) can stop some immune responses. IL-10 stops certain cells, like dendritic cells and macrophages, from showing harmful things to other immune cells. It also lowers the amount of proteins that cause inflammation.
How Immune Cells Work Together
Anne O'Garra also found that dendritic cells make another important protein. This protein is called interleukin-12 (IL-12). IL-12 is needed to activate T-cells. T-cells are special immune cells that help get rid of germs inside our body. She showed that IL-10 helps control how much IL-12 is made.
Awards and Honors
Anne O'Garra has received many important awards for her work. She is a fellow of the Royal Society. This means she is one of the top scientists in the United Kingdom. She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
She is an honorary member of the British Society for Immunology. In 2020, the International Cytokine and Interferon Society gave her a special award. It was an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award. This award recognized her amazing and original contributions to the field of immunology.
