Gregory Winter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Gregory Winter
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Winter in 2016
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| Master of Trinity College, Cambridge | |
| In office 2012–2019 |
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| Preceded by | Baron Rees of Ludlow |
| Succeeded by | Dame Sally Davies |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gregory Paul Winter
14 April 1951 Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Website | |
| Education | Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge (MA, PhD) |
| Known for | Cambridge Antibody Technology Domantis Bicycle Therapeutics Antibody engineering |
| Awards | Colworth Medal (1986) EMBO Member (1987) Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (1989) Knight Bachelor (2004) Royal Medal (2011) Prince Mahidol Award (2016) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2018) Copley Medal (2024) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology Imperial College London |
| Thesis | The amino acid sequence of tryptophanyl tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Brian S. Hartley |
Sir Gregory Paul Winter (born 14 April 1951) is a famous English scientist. He is a molecular biologist who won the Nobel Prize in 2018. He is best known for his important work with monoclonal antibodies. These are special proteins that help our bodies fight off sickness.
Sir Gregory found ways to make these antibodies useful as medicines. Before his work, antibodies from animals were hard to use in humans. This was because the human body would often reject them. He developed methods to make these antibodies more like human ones.
His research has mostly taken place at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He also served as the head of Trinity College, Cambridge from 2012 to 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Gregory Winter went to the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. After that, he studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1973.
He then earned his PhD degree in 1977. His research was about a specific part of a bacterium called Bacillus stearothermophilus. Later, he continued his research at Imperial College London.
Amazing Antibody Discoveries
After his PhD, Sir Gregory continued his research in Cambridge. He became a group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 1981. He was very interested in how antibodies work. Antibodies are like tiny defenders in our bodies. They find and destroy harmful invaders.
Other scientists, Georges J. F. Köhler and César Milstein, had found a way to make many copies of a single antibody. These are called monoclonal antibodies. But these antibodies often came from mice. When used in humans, the human body would sometimes fight against them. This made them less effective as medicines.
Making Antibodies Human
Sir Gregory Winter found a way to "humanize" these mouse antibodies. This means he changed them so they looked more like human antibodies. This made it much safer to use them in people. One example is a medicine called Campath-1H. It is used to treat diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Today, most antibody-based medicines use Sir Gregory's humanizing technique. Many of these medicines are very successful.
New Ways to Find Medicines
Sir Gregory also started several companies. These companies helped turn his scientific discoveries into real medicines.
In 1989, he helped start Cambridge Antibody Technology. This company worked on making new antibody medicines. One very famous medicine, HUMIRA, was discovered by this company. HUMIRA helps treat diseases like arthritis. It became one of the world's best-selling medicines.
Later, in 2000, Sir Gregory started another company called Domantis. This company focused on making smaller, more active parts of antibodies. These smaller parts are called "domain antibodies." Domantis was bought by a big pharmaceutical company in 2006.
He also founded Bicycle Therapeutics Limited. This company is developing very small protein mimics. These new molecules could lead to even more new medicines.
Awards and Recognitions
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Sir Gregory Winter has received many important awards for his work. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1990. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. In 2011, he received the Royal Medal.
He also won the King Faisal International Prize for Medicine in 1995. In 1999, he received the William B. Coley Award. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1997. In 2004, he was given the title of Knight Bachelor. This means he is called "Sir."
In 2018, Sir Gregory Winter won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared half of the prize with George Smith. They were honored for their work on a method called "phage display." This method helps find new antibodies. The other half of the prize went to Frances Arnold. In 2024, he received the Copley Medal.
See also
In Spanish: Gregory Winter para niños
