Elwira Lisowska


Elwira Lisowska is a Polish biochemist. In 1989 she was awarded the Parnas award of the Polish Biochemical Society. She was the first to identify the difference between the M and N antigens.

Early life and education

Lisowska was born in Przemyśl. She studied chemistry at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. As a student she became interested in biomedical research, and worked with Tadeusz Baranowski in the Department of Physiological Chemistry. She moved to the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy where she started to work on blood group antigens. She earned her doctoral degree in 1962, and in 1969 she spent one year at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she worked with Roger W. Jeanloz.

Research and career

Lisowska worked on the M and N antigens. She identified that these antigens were carried by the glycosylated protein of the erythrocyte membrane called glycophorins. At first it was understood that the M and N antigens had carbohydrate character, but later it emerged that there were differences in amino acid sequence of polypeptide chain. Lisowska was the first to show that there was a difference between the amino acid residues at positions 1 and 5 of M and N antigens.
She obtained and described several monoclonal antibodies recognizing glycophorins and used them to characterie antigenic properteis of human glycophorins. Beyond her work on M and N antigens, Lisowska studied NOR polyagglutination and elucidated the structure of NOR antigen, which is a member of the human P antigen system.   In addition, she showed that carcinoembryonic antigen forms dimers in solution and was the first to demonstrate that human Band 3 anion transport protein is degraded during the lifespan of erythrocyte. She described several methods of lectin modifications and used them as tools for glycoconjugate research. She was made Head of Laboratory in 1973 and full Professor in 1986. Lisowska served as editor of the journal Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis, Acta Biochimica Polonica and Advances of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. In 2001 Lisowska retired from the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy.

Awards and honours