Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D.

Nobel Laureate Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D., was an investigator at Wistar from 1975 to 1982. Today he remains affiliated with Wistar as a member of its Board of Managers. He is currently Laureate Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the Michael F. Tamer Chair of Biomedical research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The immune system requires a sophisticated recognition system. The white blood cells include a category of “killer” lymphocytes that function to destroy dangerous cells, such as those infected with viruses or modified by changes leading to cancer. In the early 1970s at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra , Australia , Doherty and colleague Rolf M. Zinkernagel M.D., Ph.D., elucidated the recognition system that allowed these “killers” to distinguish between normal and abnormal cells. While studying viral meningitis, they discovered that even though one mouse’s T-lymphocytes could kill virus-infected cells in a test tube, they were not able to kill virus-infected cells from another strain of mice because of a difference in histocompatibility antigens. This finding, for which the scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996, laid the foundation for understanding how the cellular immune system recognizes both foreign and self molecules. It led to major breakthroughs in treating viral infections and cancers and in developing organ-transplant procedures and vaccines. Doherty continues to pursue research in this area.

Doherty joined Wistar as an associate professor in 1975 and was later promoted to professor. He returned to the Australian National University John Curtin School of Medical Research in 1982 as department chair, became chairman of immunology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 1988, and currently holds professorial appointments at both St. Jude and the University of Melbourne School of Medicine.