Name Brigid Balfour | ||
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Institution National Institute for Medical Research | ||
Dr Brigid Mary Balfour (June 1914 – 1 March 1994) was a British scientist who studied cellular morphology and ultrastructure in relation to immune function. She pushed forward the study of dendritic cells, realising that they were derived from Langerhans cells and played an important role in initiating and promoting immune reactions.
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Early life
Brigid Balfour was born in 1914 in St George Hanover Square, London to Hylda Snow Paget and Archibald Edward Balfour. Her maternal grandfather was Sir Richard Horner Paget, a British politician and baronet.
Career
Balfour began her career at the National Institute for Medical Research working in nutrition, as part of the Division of Biological Standards in 1945. In 1957, she became a member of the newly formed Division of Immunology, under John Humphrey, working alongside Brigitte Askonas and Walter Brocklehurst. She left the institute in 1978.