Brigitte Alice Askonas. 1 April 1923—9 January 2013

Abstract

Brigitte Alice (Ita) Askonas, immunologist and biochemist, was born in Vienna to Czech parents. After an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at McGill University, Montreal, and a life changing experience as a PhD student in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, UK, she spent 36 years at the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) where she was a founding member of the Division of Immunology there, eventually becoming its head in 1976 until her formal retirement in 1988. Thereafter, until her death 25 years later, she continued to take an active interest in immunology research, advising scientists at all levels and especially in training young scientists, ensuring they were not mistreated, ignored or not properly acknowledged. Her influence came from her six decades of active involvement in research into many aspects of immunology, studying antibody production, the role of macrophages in antigen recognition and immunosuppression and the role of T lymphocytes in viral infection. This unusually wide experience supported by her biochemical training underlay her reputation for rigour in scientific experimentation, eye for detail and an exacting memory. She was renowned as a scientific mentor and many high-profile scientists learnt their craft in her laboratory and were introduced there into areas of immunology where they subsequently became well known. She was simultaneously very critical and a really good friend who looked after people. She had an exceptionally generous attitude to publication and was thoughtful in many personal ways. She especially valued friends and colleagues who amused her, a quality obvious from her earliest days until the very end of her life.