Our History

First teaching of Pathology

The first course in Pathology at the University of Oxford was organised by Prof John Burdon Sanderson, who was appointed in 1882 as the first professor of Physiology at Oxford, and became Regius Professor of Medicine in 1895. The first Pathology classes were taught at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The first Pathology building

An early pathology student at Oxford, Australian Ewan Frazer, was so appalled by the cramped conditions offered to students that he donated £5,000 to establish a new laboratory of Pathology. Built behind the Museum of Natural History, the now demolished building included areas for teaching, research and a museum. The department was led by Dr James Ritchie, who was appointed in 1897 as the first Lecturer in Pathology at the University of Oxford.

Georges Dreyer is appointed Professor of Pathology

Georges Dreyer is appointed as the first Full Professor in Pathology at the University of Oxford, taking over the leadership of the department. Originally from Denmark, he worked on a variety of topics over his life, including immunology, bacteriology, virology and even, during WWI, designing an apparatus for automatically controlling the supply of oxygen to pilots, according to altitude.

Dreyer was instrumental in persuading the trustees of Sir William Dunn to make a gift to the University to establish a new home for the Department of Pathology.

The opening of the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology

In 1922 the Trustees of Sir William Dunn bequest £100,000 to the University to erect a new building for the Department of Pathology. Officially opened in 1927, the building was designed by Edward Warren who, as noted on the official opening on the 11th of March, “succeeded admirably in reconciling the claims of art and the workaday needs of medical science”. The department officially became the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, in honour of this transformative gift.

Howard Florey becomes Head of Department.

Originally from Australia, he initially came to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar for his undergraduate studies. Later he moved from the University of Sheffield to take over as Head of the Dunn School.

First systemic administration of penicillin

During the Second World War, Howard Florey assembled a team of individuals from different expertises that went on to develop penicillin as a therapeutic agent. The team were the first to purify penicillin and to demonstrate its anti-bacterial effect in vivo. In 1941, PC Albert Alexander was the first patient to receive the drug as a therapeutic. Although he initially improved, supplies of penicillin ran out and he succumbed to his infection.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1945 was awarded to Howard Florey and Ernst Chain at the Dunn School (jointly with Alexander Fleming)

The dedicated work of the team of Florey, Chain and Heatley ushered in the age of modern medicine, and paved the way for drug discovery. It has been estimated that over 500 million lives have now been saved by penicillin.

Lymphocyte circulation

James Gowans demonstrated that lymphocytes, a key component of the immune system, recirculate from blood to lymph led to intense research to define the underlying mechanisms and the relevance of this phenomenon to immunisation and immunity against infectious agents.

Purification of cephalosporins

Cephalosporins were first purified at the Dunn School by E.P. Abraham and Guy Newton, from a fungus originally isolated by Giuseppe Brotzu in Sardinia. Cephalosporins are now the most prescribed antibiotics world-wide. Charitable trusts established by Edward and Guy still benefit a variety of institutions in the UK.

Henry Harris becomes Head of Department.

Henry Harris, also from Australia, did his PhD with Florey at the Dunn School, but subsequently worked on distinct topics including RNA metabolism and the pathogenesis of cancer. He returned to the Dunn School in 1963 to become Head of Department.

Cell fusion and tumour suppression by Henry Harris

One of Henry Harris’ key discoveries was that an inactivated form of a virus responsible for a respiratory tract infection in mice could fuse cells together very efficiently, even when they differed widely in type and species of origin. He showed that this remarkable finding could be exploited to reveal how the expression of genes was controlled, how they could be assigned to specific chromosomes and, of central interest to his later research, that some could suppress the growth of cancer cells.

Celebrating 50 years

The 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Dunn School included talks by Sir Peter Medawar, Sir E.P. Abraham and Norman Heatley.

Expression of recombinant Factor IX by George Brownlee.

Recombinant factor IX is used for the treatment of certain forms of haemophilia (Haemophilia B), an inherited condition that that leads to excessive bleeding. Affected individuals are now treated with the purified factor instead of blood products which might contain dangerous infectious agents.

Alan Williams was appointed Professor-elect of Pathology and Head of Department, having directed the MRC Cellular Immunology Unit in the Dunn School since 1977. Leading his team in biochemical studies of leukocytes, he pioneered ways of classifying their many different surface molecules. He researched their functions, thus illuminating how immune cells converse with their neighbours. He purified and sequenced Thy-1 antigen (CD90) and discovered its glycolipid tail. He was the first to find and use monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to artificially influence such molecular conversations. The worldwide present-day value of mAbs in clinical diagnosis and therapy is partly built on his foundational, rock-solid research. Sadly he died of cancer in 1992.

Herman Waldmann becomes Head of Department.

Waldmann defined the mechanisms of immunological tolerance, which is critical for successful transplantation. He identified antibodies that can be used to manipulate the immune system.

Establishment of reverse genetics for Influenza virus by George Brownlee.

The establishment of a genetic system for influenza provided a breakthrough for rapidly generating vaccine strains that are needed to make the flu vaccine. The vaccine has to be made every year, based on up-to-date knowledge of circulating strains, so speed is of the essence.

Opening of the EPA Building.

The EPA building was opened by Sir Tim Hunt and is named in honour of Edward Abraham, who led the team that purified cephalosporin. The building contains the library, the EP Abraham Seminar Room, and cafeteria as well as laboratories and offices.

Opening of the OMPI Building.

This building offers state-of-the-art facilities for around 200 scientists over four floors.

Matthew Freeman becomes Head of Department.

Matthew Freeman works on the mechanisms by which cells signal to each other, and how this fundamental process influences development and immunity.

FDA approval of Alemtuzumab developed by Herman Waldmann for use in multiple sclerosis.

This antibody targets a molecule of lymphocytes which are an important component of the immune system. Alemtuzumab is now used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, certain forms of leukaemia, and during transplantation.

Blue Plaque Commemorating Penicillin

The department marked the 75th anniversary of the 1941 Lancet paper that presented the main findings on the work on penicillin by unveiling a Blue Plaque that commemorates this world-changing research. The plaque reads: “In this building Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, Norman Heatley & colleagues first isolated and purified Penicillin for the treatment of bacterial infection 1938-1941.”

A year of celebrations is planned to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology