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| Bjorkman, Pamela Jane |
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Max Planck Research Award for Biosciences and Medicine |
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Mechanisms of the Immune System |
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The mechanisms of the immune system are Pamela Jane Bjorkman’s research field. In order to set into motion the processes of fighting against disease agents, the human immune system needs to differentiate precisely between endogenous and alien – that is dangerous – proteins. Pamela Jane Bjorkman has contributed greatly to elucidate these mechanisms with the help of molecular immunology – particularly by determining the crystal structure of the MHC complex. It is the differences between the MHC molecules in each individual person which are responsible for the rejection reaction occurring in organ transplantations. And these differences also play a role in the detection of diseased cells. Pamela Bjorkman was able to show that the MHC molecules not only present alien but also endogenous peptides. If the latter are misidentified by the T cells as alien peptides, healthy cells and tissues are destroyed. Thus it became clear where the reasons for autoimmune diseases may be found. Bjorkman has been working at the California Institute of Technology and at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, both situated in Pasadena, U.S.A., since 1989. |
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