Sally Ward is currently Director of Translational Immunology at the University of Southampton. She obtained her B.A. and Ph.D. (Biochemistry) in Cambridge, and subsequently held the Stanley Elmore Senior Medical Research Fellowship at Sidney Sussex College prior to joining the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas.
Sally is recognised for her pioneering research related to the biology of the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn, and the development of therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action.
Sally identified FcRn as the receptor that regulates the levels and persistence of antibodies of the IgG class in the body. This was followed by extensive mechanistic studies of FcRn function at the molecular and cellular levels. The insights gleaned from these analyses led to the generation of biotherapeutics that exploit FcRn biology. Specifically, Sally has developed approaches to extend the longevity of prophylactic/therapeutic antibodies and to reduce the levels of (pathogenic) antibodies. These technologies have had major impact in biopharma, leading to several first-in-class antibody-based therapeutics that address significant unmet medical needs for the treatment of autoimmunity and infectious disease.
Professional position
- Director in Translational Immunology, Cancer Sciences Unit, Centre for Cancer Immunology, University of Southampton
