Professor Peter Parham FRS FMedSci

Peter Parham is Professor of Structural Biology at Stanford University. A major contribution of his research was to define the molecular basis of the polymorphism of HLA class I molecules. HLA polymorphisms are the principal genetic factors associated with human disease. Another major contribution of his research was the development of a new field of human immunogenetics, defined by killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors. In pioneering studies, he showed the KIR locus varies in gene content, forming distinctive KIR A and B haplotypes. From extensive species and population comparisons, Parham showed that this KIR haplotype difference is uniquely human and is an essential feature of all human populations.