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Professor Kathryn Wood has been honoured by The Transplantation Society (TTS) for her lifetime contributions in the field of transplantation with its highest distinction, the Medawar Prize.

The Medawar Prize, named after TTS co-founder Sir Peter Medawar, is recognised as the world's highest dedicated award for the most outstanding contributions in the field of transplantation. It has been awarded at each of The Transplantation Society's biennial Congresses since 1990.

The award recognises the outstanding investigators whose contributions have had such a profound influence on the field of organ transplantation, and is universally considered to be commensurate with the most outstanding world prizes for scientific achievement.

Kathryn Wood is Emeritus Professor of Immunology in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, where she collaborates with the Transplantation Research Immunology Group and the Oxford Transplant Centre. She is also a Fellow of The Academy of Medical Sciences and is currently the Khoo Oon Teik Visiting Professor at the National University Centre for Organ Transplantation, National University Hospital in Singapore (2015 – 2020).

Professor Wood's current research focuses on immune regulation at the molecular and cellular level, mechanisms of rejection and immune modulation and interactions between the immune system and stem cell derived tissues. Together with her scientific and clinical collaborators, her team has recently completed a Phase 1/2a trial investigating the safety and feasibility of using regulatory T cell therapy in living donor kidney transplant recipients translating the extensive laboratory work carried out by her own team and other groups internationally.

She has a strong interest in providing support and opportunities for the development of scientists and clinicians to enable them to achieve their full potential. To this end, she was instrumental in setting up the New Key Opinion Leaders meetings within TTS and was the founding Chair of the Women in Transplantation, a TTS initiative.

Her research achievements have been recognised internationally, including receiving a Gold Medal awarded by The Catalan Society of Transplantation (2011), The Maharshi Sushruta Award (2012), The Transplantation Society for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Sciences (2012), The Federa Prize (2014), and the Thomas E Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology (2017). She was President of The Transplantation Society (2004-2006) and Editor of Transplantation (1992 - 2014).

Professor Wood was presented with the Medawar Prize at the 27th International Congress of The Transplantation Society, held in Madrid, Spain from 30 June to 5 July. Find out more about the Medawar Prize and view past winners on the The Transplantation Society website.