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RefNoASK
LevelFonds
TitlePapers of Brigitte 'Ita' Askonas
Date1950s - 1980s
DescriptionBrigitte Askonas, widely known as Ita, was born in Vienna in 1923 and educated at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she studied Bio-Chemistry (BSc & MSc). Askonas moved to England in the late 1940s to undertake a PhD in biochemistry at Cambridge University, School of Biochemistry.

The majority of Askonas' career was spent on the staff at the National Institute of Medical Research at Mill Hill where, with a background in Bio-Chemistry, she became a leading figure in the field of immunology. Askonas joined the institute in 1952 and became one of the founding members of the Division of Immunology. In 1973 Askonas was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of her contribution to the work of immunology and in 1976 she became head of the Division of Immunology at Mill Hill.

Askonas' research centred on antibodies and their functions; she studied antibodies found in goat's milk while at Cambridge University. Once she'd moved to Mill Hill her research encompassed work on; antibody synthesis, she showed that antibody cells exist in bone marrow and lung tissue, not just lymph tissue; memory B cells, Askonas discovered the role of B and T cells in the immune system; and the role of macrophages.

This collection comprises of records of Asksonas' research including scientific notebooks, research files and a card index documenting experiments and results. There is also a small number of records relating to Askonas' time as Head of the Division of Immunology at Mill Hill and contains scientific notebooks of scientists working in that department.
Extent93 files
FormatPhotograph
Manuscript
PhysicalDescriptionBoxed material including paper, photographs, and bound volumes.
ArrangementThis collection has been arranged into 2 Subfonds; Research of Brigitte 'Ita' Askonas and Papers relating to the National Institute of Medical Research, Division of Immunology, Mill Hill.
It is then further arranged into 4 Series; Research files, Scientific notebooks, Index cards, Scientific notebooks of colleagues of Askonas.
This arrangement reflects the original order which the collections arrived in and mirrors the arrangement of the 4 others personal papers collections received by the Royal Society at the same time from the same source.
AccessStatusOpen
AccessConditionsAccess through the Royal Society Library, contact: library@royalsociety.org
AdminHistoryThe NIMR was formed in 1913 and moved to Mill Hill Laboratory in 1950. Brigitte 'Ita' Askonas worked at the NIMR from 1952 until 1988.
Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA5318Askonas; Brigitte Alice (1923 - 2013)1923 - 2013
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