Hugh McDevitt facts for kids
Hugh O'Neill McDevitt (born August 26, 1930 – died April 28, 2022) was a famous scientist who studied the body's immune system. He was a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He was also a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.
Becoming a Scientist
Hugh McDevitt earned his medical degree from Harvard University in 1955. After that, he worked as a doctor in New York. He also served as a captain in the U.S. Army. Later, he became a special researcher in London.
He began his research with other scientists, Dr. Albert Coons and Dr. John Humphrey. In Dr. Humphrey's lab, he started looking into how the body's immune system responds to different things. From 1966 onwards, he taught at Stanford University. There, he held many important jobs, like leading the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology. He also directed the Clinical Immunology Laboratory and was the head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Amazing Discoveries
Dr. McDevitt is best known for finding special "immune response genes." These genes help control how our body fights off sickness. He also created the first clear map of something called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). This is a group of genes that helps the immune system tell the difference between healthy body cells and foreign invaders.
His work showed how certain molecules in our body control the immune system. He also studied how these molecules help the immune system grow and work properly. He received awards for his important discoveries about these genes. These awards recognized how he explained how our body recognizes germs and starts an immune response.
His research also focused on understanding how certain cells can cause diabetes. He looked at how specific changes in a type of MHC molecule can start this disease. He also studied how special cells, called T cells, can stop or prevent diabetes.
With another scientist, Dr. Qing Li, he found that a signal called interferon-alpha can sometimes trigger type-1 diabetes. Dr. McDevitt explained that a normal body process can sometimes lead to diabetes in a small number of people. He was known as a top expert in the field of major histocompatibility class II molecules. His lab worked to find tiny pieces of proteins that cause inflammation and damage to cells in the pancreas.
He also made important contributions to research on arthritis.
Dr. McDevitt taught and guided many future leaders in immunology. Many professors at Stanford who study immunology were once his students. Every year, a special award called the Hugh McDevitt Prize is given. It goes to the Ph.D. student with the best research in the Immunology program at Stanford University.
Awards and Honors
Dr. McDevitt received many awards and honors for his research. These include the Borden Award for Outstanding Research. He also won the Lee C. Howley, Sr. prize for Research in Arthritis. He was named an Outstanding Investigator by the National Cancer Institute. He also received the Barbara Davis Diabetes Award and the Abbott Laboratories Award.
He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He also became a member of The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was elected to the Royal Society in London, England. He was a member of many scientific groups. These included the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Immunologists.
