- Email: [email protected]
Ian Wilmut—Pioneer of Cloning
STAMP VIGNETTE ON MEDICAL SCIENCE
Ian WilmutdPioneer of Cloning Marc A. Shampo, PhD; Robert A. Kyle, MD; and David P. Steensma, MD
T
he Englishman Ian Wilmut became famous for his cloning of “Dolly,” a lamb born on July 5, 1996. Wilmut’s work paved the way for possibly producing, through genetic engineering and cloning, pharmacologic proteins such as the clotting factors needed by persons with hemophilia. Also, his work could lead to the transplant of animal organs into humans. Wilmut was born on July 7, 1944, in Hampton Lucey (near Warwick) in central England, about 20 miles southeast of Birmingham. He was raised in nearby Coventry. His interest in the outdoors and farming led him to study agriculture at the University of Nottingham (about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham). In 1967, Wilmut received a BSc degree from the University of Nottingham. Summer internships at the university led him to an interest in embryology, and he began to concentrate on animal genetic engineering. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Wilmut entered Darwin College, Cambridge University, and in 1971, he was awarded a PhD degree for his thesis on the freezing of boar semen. During a postdoctoral research fellowship from 1971 to 1973 in the Unit of Reproductive Physiology and Biochemistry at Cambridge University, Wilmut began his work on genetic research. In 1973, he joined the Roslin Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Edinburgh. In 1973, Wilmut was a member of the team that produced the first calf from a frozen embryo. In 1974, he joined the Animal Breeding Research Station of the Roslin Institute. He became head of the Department of Gene Expression and Development, and from 1981 to 2000, he was the principal investigator.
At the Roslin Institute, Wilmut began exploring the possibility of cloning a lamb from an adult sheep. In early 1996, he and his team succeeded in producing a pair of lambs from embryonic cells. Dolly was born on July 5, 1996, and the announcement was made worldwide in February 1997. Unlike previous clones, Dolly was created from the fusion of an ovum with the mammary cell of an adult sheep, creating a genetic replica of the original animal. Wilmut first removed the egg’s nucleus containing its genetic material. The egg took up the genetic material from the adult sheep’s cell and began to grow and divide. Wilmut then implanted the embryo into a surrogate mother. This achievement created a sensation and stirred fear in the general public that the next step would be to clone a human being. The cloning of animals holds the promise of important developments in medicine, in the farming industry, and in the production of milk and wool. Despite misgivings that many may have about this kind of research, it is a discovery of fundamental importance. It proves that cells of an adult animal can be returned to the undifferentiated embryonic state from which a complete animal can develop. In 1999, Wilmut received the Order of the British Empire, and in 2002, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Ian Wilmut was honored indirectly by the issuance of a stamp (Scott No. 563) by Palau in 2003. The stamp illustrates the sheep Dolly, the first cloned animal. Because of progressive lung disease, Dolly was euthanized on February 14, 2003, at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland; she was 7 years old.
Mayo Clin Proc. n May 2013;88(5):e41 n http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.01.028 www.mayoclinicproceedings.org n ª 2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
From the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (M.A.S., R.A.K.); and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA (D.P.S.).
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Ian WilmutdPioneer of Cloning Marc A. Shampo, PhD; Robert A. Kyle, MD; and David P. Steensma, MD
T
he Englishman Ian Wilmut became famous for his cloning of “Dolly,” a lamb born on July 5, 1996. Wilmut’s work paved the way for possibly producing, through genetic engineering and cloning, pharmacologic proteins such as the clotting factors needed by persons with hemophilia. Also, his work could lead to the transplant of animal organs into humans. Wilmut was born on July 7, 1944, in Hampton Lucey (near Warwick) in central England, about 20 miles southeast of Birmingham. He was raised in nearby Coventry. His interest in the outdoors and farming led him to study agriculture at the University of Nottingham (about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham). In 1967, Wilmut received a BSc degree from the University of Nottingham. Summer internships at the university led him to an interest in embryology, and he began to concentrate on animal genetic engineering. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Wilmut entered Darwin College, Cambridge University, and in 1971, he was awarded a PhD degree for his thesis on the freezing of boar semen. During a postdoctoral research fellowship from 1971 to 1973 in the Unit of Reproductive Physiology and Biochemistry at Cambridge University, Wilmut began his work on genetic research. In 1973, he joined the Roslin Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Edinburgh. In 1973, Wilmut was a member of the team that produced the first calf from a frozen embryo. In 1974, he joined the Animal Breeding Research Station of the Roslin Institute. He became head of the Department of Gene Expression and Development, and from 1981 to 2000, he was the principal investigator.
At the Roslin Institute, Wilmut began exploring the possibility of cloning a lamb from an adult sheep. In early 1996, he and his team succeeded in producing a pair of lambs from embryonic cells. Dolly was born on July 5, 1996, and the announcement was made worldwide in February 1997. Unlike previous clones, Dolly was created from the fusion of an ovum with the mammary cell of an adult sheep, creating a genetic replica of the original animal. Wilmut first removed the egg’s nucleus containing its genetic material. The egg took up the genetic material from the adult sheep’s cell and began to grow and divide. Wilmut then implanted the embryo into a surrogate mother. This achievement created a sensation and stirred fear in the general public that the next step would be to clone a human being. The cloning of animals holds the promise of important developments in medicine, in the farming industry, and in the production of milk and wool. Despite misgivings that many may have about this kind of research, it is a discovery of fundamental importance. It proves that cells of an adult animal can be returned to the undifferentiated embryonic state from which a complete animal can develop. In 1999, Wilmut received the Order of the British Empire, and in 2002, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Ian Wilmut was honored indirectly by the issuance of a stamp (Scott No. 563) by Palau in 2003. The stamp illustrates the sheep Dolly, the first cloned animal. Because of progressive lung disease, Dolly was euthanized on February 14, 2003, at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland; she was 7 years old.
Mayo Clin Proc. n May 2013;88(5):e41 n http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.01.028 www.mayoclinicproceedings.org n ª 2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
From the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (M.A.S., R.A.K.); and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA (D.P.S.).
e41