Elizabeth Simpson (biologist) facts for kids

Elizabeth Simpson is a famous British biologist. She is known for her important work on how our bodies accept or reject new organs, like in a transplant. She is currently a special professor at Imperial College London. Her research has helped us understand how our immune system reacts to new cells, especially in organ transplants.

Her Early Life and Studies

Elizabeth Simpson was born in London, England. She studied at the University of Cambridge. There, she earned two degrees in veterinary medicine.

After finishing her studies, she worked as a vet in Canada for two years. Then, she worked in Ottawa, Canada, studying viruses for the Department of Health. In 1966, she went back to Cambridge. She taught animal pathology there for three years.

Working Around the World

Later, Simpson moved to Delhi, India. She worked as an immunologist for the World Health Organization (WHO). At the same time, she also worked for the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in London.

After her time in India and with NIMR, she worked at several other places. She led the Transplant Biology Group at the Medical Research Council's Clinical Research Centre. She also worked at the Clinical Sciences Centre at Hammersmith Hospital.

Simpson also contributed to the National Cancer Institute. She was the Deputy Director of the Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College, London. She still spends many summers at the Jax Laboratory in Maine, USA. Even though she is British, her work has made a big difference in both the United States and England. Since 2004, she has been an Emeritus Professor at Imperial College, London. This means she is a retired professor who still keeps her title because of her important work.

Her Amazing Research

Simpson is an expert in cellular immunology. This is the study of how our body's cells fight off diseases. She started working with Peter Medawar in the late 1960s.

Together, they studied why the body sometimes rejects new organs or tissues. This is called graft rejection. They looked at special markers, called antigens, found on tissues from male mice.

Discoveries in Immunology

Through their research, Simpson and Medawar found out about the role of genes on the Y chromosome in rejection. The Y chromosome is what makes males, well, male!

Simpson's work helped us understand how special immune cells, called T cells, react to these Y chromosome antigens. She showed that male-specific T cells recognize these markers. They also recognize parts of our own body's main immune system markers.

She also found the exact parts of the Y chromosome genes that cause this reaction. Her discoveries have made organ transplantation much safer and more successful for patients.

Today, Simpson uses her knowledge to answer big questions about how our immune system learns and reacts. She also creates ways to study how to control stem cells in the body. Stem cells are special cells that can turn into many different types of cells.

Awards and Honours

• 2000: She received the OBE. This is a special award from the Queen of England.
• 2010: She became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
• 2010: She became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
• 2015: She received an honorary doctorate (HonDSc) from Imperial College. This is a special degree given to people who have done great things.
• 2019: She received an award for "Outstanding Contribution to Science for Lifetime Achievements in Immunology and Inflammation" from Queen Mary University of London.