Blue plaque unveiled in Oxford to honour leading scientist

The plaque created in honour of Sir Anthony Epstein was unveiled at 19 West Street, Osney, at the weekend, where Sir Anthony lived from 1986 until his death at the age of 102 earlier this year.

The ceremony took place on Saturday, November 2, at 11.30am and was a joint effort by the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board and the Osney Island Residents’ Association.

The blue plaque honouring Sir Anthony Epstein (Image: Blue Plaques Board) Sir Anthony's interest in the link between viruses and cancer began in 1948, when he worked as a pathologist researching a virus that could induce cancer in chickens.

This led him to a lecture in 1961 by David Burkitt about a new cancer seen in African children.

Sir Anthony, who was knighted for services to medicine in 1991, suspected a virus could be the cause.

Sir Anthony Epstein's grandson, Ben Holmes, unveiling the plaque, with speaker Alan Rickinson, Professor Emeritus of cancer studies at Birmingham University and a former colleague of Sir Anthony, to the right (Image: Blue Plaques Board) After two years of research, he identified a new herpes virus, now known as the Epstein-Barr virus, with the help of Dr Bert Achong and Pauline Barr.

Sir Anthony devoted his life to developing a vaccine for the virus, an ambition which is on the brink of being realised.

He served as professor of pathology at Bristol University from 1968 to 1985 and as extraordinary fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, from 1986 to 2001.