By Bob Chai
This year, Columbia University awarded its prestigious Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to two immunologists, John W. Kappler and his wife, Philippa Marrack. The award was presented on Jan. 19, 1995 in the Rotunda of Low Library by President George Rupp for the couple's achievements in their research to further the understanding of how the immune system works. Along with the prize is a generous gift of $22,000 for their exceptional work done at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver. The award was established in 1967 in memory of Louisa Gross Horwitz to reward extraordinary research in the field of biology or biochemistry. For the 1994 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize Lectures, Dr. Marrack spoke about "T-Cell Tolerance" and Dr. Kappler talked about "The T- Cell Receptor and its Ligands."
Previously, researchers only understood that the human body suppresses T-cells, which are cells responsible for recognizing and attacking foreign particles, that recognize the body's own proteins. However, the cause was unknown until Drs. Kappler and Marrack found that T-cells having the capability of recognizing the body's proteins are normally eliminated before these cells become active and destroy the body's organs.
Realizing how the body's immune system functions lead to wider applications such as minimizing rejection of transplanted organs. The traditional method of preventing organ rejection requires the use of organ implants and skin grafts to suppress immune responses to the transplanted organ. However, these methods simply reduce the body's level of immune responses leaving the body vulnerable to other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and hemolytic anemia. Kappler's and Marrack's research provides a method to specifically bind the T-cells responsible for organ rejection and deactivating them. The impact of their discovery has already been felt as pharmaceutical companies have started to do research to find substances able to suppress only specific T-cells rather than the whole human immune system.
With hopes of transplanting organs safely without reducing the body's immune system, as well as fostering a deeper understanding of the human immune system, it is no wonder that Drs. Kappler and Marrack received the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize.