Siamon Gordon’s research focused on macrophage heterogeneity, differentiation and activation in mice, and later humans, during development, infection and metabolic disease. His interest in cell fusion led to the development of a range of monoclonal antibodies, which have been widely used to study macrophages in tissues such as bone marrow, spleen and the nervous system.
Since 2008, as an Emeritus Professor, he has been immersed in the history of macrophage research — from Ilya Metchnikoff’s pioneering work on the immune system to the discovery of dendritic cells by Ralph Steinman and Zanvil Cohn. The functional significance of macrophage receptors and giant cell formation also remains of interest to him.
Siamon received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town, where he has been involved in the work of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine for over a decade. During this period he initiated an AIDS prevention project, publishing an educational cartoon booklet. He is an Honorary Member of the American Association of Immunology and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science.
Professional position
- Emeritus Glaxo Professor of Cellular Pathology, University of Oxford
Subject groups
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Cell Biology
Cellular and humoral immunology, Cellular pathology
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Other
History of science
