Gregory Winter

Greg Winter EM1B5921 (31295405977)

Sir Gregory Paul Winter (born 14 April 1951) is a British biochemist renowned for his pioneering work in the field of therapeutic antibodies. His research has significantly contributed to the development of monoclonal antibodies for both the treatment of diseases and in diagnostic applications. Winter's innovative strategies for humanizing antibodies have led to the creation of some of the first monoclonal antibodies to be approved for patient treatment, revolutionizing the field of medicine and leading to the development of numerous therapeutic agents.

Early Life and Education

Gregory Winter was born in Leicester, England. He pursued his undergraduate studies in Natural Sciences at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, where he later completed his PhD in molecular biology under the guidance of George Brownlee. Winter's doctoral research focused on the then-nascent field of nucleic acid sequencing, laying the groundwork for his future contributions to the science of antibodies.

Career and Research

After completing his PhD, Winter continued his research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. It was here that he began his groundbreaking work on monoclonal antibodies. In the early 1980s, Winter and his team developed techniques for humanizing mouse antibodies, making them suitable for therapeutic use in humans. This work addressed the major problem of immune rejection, where the human immune system would recognize and destroy foreign mouse antibodies.

Winter's method involved grafting the antigen-binding regions of a mouse antibody onto a human antibody framework. This process, known as "CDR grafting," significantly reduced the immunogenicity of the therapeutic antibodies, making them more acceptable to the human immune system. The first antibody humanized using Winter's technique, Campath-1H, was approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

In addition to humanizing antibodies, Winter also pioneered the use of phage display technology for antibody engineering. This technique involves using bacteriophages to evolve new antibodies with high affinity for specific antigens. Phage display has become a cornerstone in the development of antibody therapeutics and was the basis for Winter's founding of Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT), one of the first biotech companies focused on antibody engineering.

Awards and Honours

For his contributions to the field of antibody engineering, Gregory Winter has received numerous awards and honors, including:

• The Royal Medal in 2011
• The Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 2018
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, shared with Frances H. Arnold and George P. Smith for the phage display of peptides and antibodies

Winter was knighted in 2004 for his services to science.

Legacy and Impact

Sir Gregory Winter's work has had a profound impact on both science and medicine. His techniques for antibody humanization and the development of phage display technology have paved the way for the creation of numerous therapeutic antibodies, many of which are now standard treatments for a variety of conditions, including autoimmune diseases, cancers, and infectious diseases. His entrepreneurial spirit, exemplified by the founding of Cambridge Antibody Technology, has also inspired a new generation of scientists to translate their discoveries into therapies that can directly benefit patients.

Selected Publications

Winter has authored numerous influential publications in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology. Some of his most cited works include papers on the humanization of antibodies and the use of phage display for antibody engineering.

See Also

• Monoclonal antibodies
• Phage display
• Cambridge Antibody Technology
• Nobel Prize in Chemistry