Donald W. Mason (1934 – 13 January 2021) was a British immunologist and professor of immunology in the

MRC MRC may refer to Government * Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) * Medical Reserve Corps, a US network of volunteer organizations * Municipalité régionale de comté (regional county municipality), Quebec, Canada * Military Revolutionar ...

Cellular Immunology Unit at the

Sir William Dunn School of Pathology The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology is a department within the University of Oxford. Its research programme includes the cellular and molecular biology of pathogens, the immune response, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It teaches undergra ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Professor Mason is best known for his work on regulatory T cells and their role in preventing autoimmunity. His distinction was recognised by his election in 2017 to honorary life membership of the British Society for Immunology.

Notable work

Although Mason began his research career as a physicist studying controlled thermonuclear fusion, he is best known for his work on cellular immunology, summarised in outline here. Mason's most important contributions to immunology were his studies defining the existence, cell surface phenotype and function of regulatory T cells. Mason's research identified the immuno-regulatory capacity of a population of CD4+ T cells that express low levels of OX22 (an

isoform A protein isoform, or "protein variant", is a member of a set of highly similar proteins that originate from a single gene or gene family and are the result of genetic differences. While many perform the same or similar biological roles, some isof ...

of CD45: CD45RC in rats and CD45RB in mice) and their capacity to prevent the pathogenic activity of the OX22hi subset. While he carried out studies into

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

, the work for which he is most recognised focused mainly on the role of

Tregs The regulatory T cells (Tregs or Treg cells), formerly known as suppressor T cells, are a subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system, maintain tolerance to self-antigens, and prevent autoimmune disease. Treg cells are immunosup ...

in the prevention of diabetes and thyroiditis and highlighted the role for the thymus in the development of

. These were among the earliest demonstrations of the requirement for Treg in restraining the pathogenic activity of CD4+ T cells and prevention of autoimmunity. Mason retired from research in 1999.

Personal life

Mason was a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

and a Quaker. He became a vegan in 1977. In 2006, he authored ''Science, Mystical Experience and Religious Belief: A Personal View''. This contains his reflections on the scope and limitations of science, and his contemplations of "The Broader View". Mason died aged 86 on 13 January 2021.

Selected publications

*''Science, Mystical Experience and Religious Belief: A Personal View'' (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Don 1934 births 2021 deaths British immunologists British Quakers Medical scholars of the University of Oxford Writers about religion and science