Who is Peter Doherty?
Peter Doherty is an Australian immunologist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Swiss scientist Rolf Zinkernagel for discovering how T cells recognize virus-infected cells.
Doherty was born in Brisbane in 1940 and studied veterinary science at the University of Queensland. His background in animal health led him into research on infections and the immune system.
In the early 1970s, Doherty and Zinkernagel worked together at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University in Canberra.
MHC restriction
Their experiments with mice showed that T cells must recognize two signals: a fragment of the virus and the body's own MHC molecules. This concept, called MHC restriction, transformed understanding of how the immune system works.
Their discovery has helped in developing vaccines and in understanding transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases.
Doherty was named Australian of the Year in 1997, the year after his Nobel Prize. The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne is named in his honor and played an important role in COVID-19 research, including growing the virus outside China early in the pandemic. Doherty has written several popular science books.
Did You Know?
Doherty's popular books include The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize.