| Citation | Geoffrey Smith is distinguished for his research on vaccinia virus, especially for his analyses of its genome structure in relation to enzymes involved in its replication, and to the processes by which it modifies immune responses to infection; and for his contributions to the development of recombinant?vaccinia vectors and their use in immunological research. His initial construction of vaccinia recombinants containing genes from hepatitis B virus and from influenza viruses was important in defining, in collaborative experiments, the antigens recognised by immune T?cells. Subsequently his observations that vaccinia encodes an enzyme involved in steroid formation and a family of serpin protease inhibitors contributed to an understanding of the mechanism of suppression of inflammation in virus infections. Most importantly his discovery that the virus encodes a soluble type 1 interferon receptor with high affinity for IFN _/_ and broad species specificity, and a similar soluble IFN_ receptor, were important demonstrations that pox viruses employ cytokine receptors to evade immune processes and emphasised the importance of interferons in the response to virus infections. |