Herman Waldmann
FRS FMedSci (born 27 February 1945) is a British
immunologist known for his work on therapeutic
monoclonal antibodies
A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a Lineage (evolution), cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell.
Mon ...
. As of 2013, he is Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
Career and research
Waldmann grew up in north-east London, and was a student at the
Sir George Monoux Grammar School,
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
and
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...
. He worked in the Department of Pathology of the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
from 1973, becoming head of the Immunology Division in 1989. In 1994, he took up the position of head of the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. He is a fellow of
Lincoln College.
Waldmann's research has focused on
immunological tolerance
Immune tolerance, also known as immunological tolerance or immunotolerance, refers to the immune system's state of unresponsiveness to substances or tissues that would otherwise trigger an immune response. It arises from prior exposure to a specif ...
and the harnessing of tolerance mechanisms to treat autoimmune diseases and enable transplant acceptance. He is best known for his work on therapeutic
monoclonal antibodies
A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a Lineage (evolution), cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell.
Mon ...
and their use to achieve tolerance, particularly Campath-1, now licensed as Lemtrada for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.
Awards and honours
Waldmann was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in 1990. He delivered the 1992
Bradshaw Lecture
The Bradshaw Lectures are lectureships given at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and reg ...
at the Royal College of Physicians. In 1998, he was a founding fellow of the
Academy of Medical Sciences
The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academy, National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.
Its ...
. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate ScD(Hon) by the University of Cambridge. In 2010 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP). In 2005 he received the Jose Carreras award from the European Hematology Association and also, the Excellence in Clinical Research Award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 2007 he was awarded Thomas E Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology, and also, the Scrip Lifetime Achievement award from the Pharmaceutical industry. He is an honorary fellow of Queen Mary Westfield College, and of both King's College and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
He is an honorary member of the
British Society for Immunology. In 2023 he was awarded the
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society. Two are given for "the mo ...
of the Royal Society.
Royal Medal 2023
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References
External links
Biography at ISI Highly Cited Researchers
��photo, links to CV & publications list
From laboratory to clinic: the story of CAMPATH-1 (Geoff Hale and Herman Waldmann)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldmann, Herman
1945 births
Living people
Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
British immunologists
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)
Fellows of Lincoln College, Oxford
Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford