sir ian wilmut
Dr. Wilmut and Bonnie
Ian Wilmut was born on July 7, 1944 in Hampton Lucey, England. He grew up around farming and eventually received a Doctorate in Animal Genetic Engineering at the University of Cambridge in 1971. His determination in cloning a sheep began in 1986 at a pub. In February of 1997, he and his colleague Keith Campbell announced the birth of a lamb they named Dolly after Dolly Parton. She died in 2003 due to respiratory complications.
There were several clones before her, but she was the first animal to ever be cloned from an adult mammal. She was created by the fusion of an ovum and the mammary cell of one adult sheep, making it an exact genetic replica of the animal because it took both components from the same DNA. "I see nothing wrong ethically with the idea of correcting single gene defects [through genetic engineering]. But I am concerned about any other kind of intervention, for anything else would be an experiment."
This discovery opened the door to therapeutic cloning, meaning the replication of animal embryos for medicinal development. For example, the proteins in pig cells and human cells are identical, and could be used to make medicines or in the synthesis of transplant organs (with human organ transplant made possible by Joseph Murray.) With this discovery, another breakthrough that could treat Parkinson's disease, stroke, and heart disease is on the horizon. Producers of dairy products and wool products could also benefit by making the best possible strain of their animal. The birth of Dolly sparked public debate about the ethics of cloning, and the possible future cloning of humans. He said to this, "The pressures for human cloning are powerful; but, although it seems likely that somebody, at some time, will attempt it, we need not assume that it will ever become a common or significant feature of human life."
In 2008, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his major contribution to the engineering of modern science.
There were several clones before her, but she was the first animal to ever be cloned from an adult mammal. She was created by the fusion of an ovum and the mammary cell of one adult sheep, making it an exact genetic replica of the animal because it took both components from the same DNA. "I see nothing wrong ethically with the idea of correcting single gene defects [through genetic engineering]. But I am concerned about any other kind of intervention, for anything else would be an experiment."
This discovery opened the door to therapeutic cloning, meaning the replication of animal embryos for medicinal development. For example, the proteins in pig cells and human cells are identical, and could be used to make medicines or in the synthesis of transplant organs (with human organ transplant made possible by Joseph Murray.) With this discovery, another breakthrough that could treat Parkinson's disease, stroke, and heart disease is on the horizon. Producers of dairy products and wool products could also benefit by making the best possible strain of their animal. The birth of Dolly sparked public debate about the ethics of cloning, and the possible future cloning of humans. He said to this, "The pressures for human cloning are powerful; but, although it seems likely that somebody, at some time, will attempt it, we need not assume that it will ever become a common or significant feature of human life."
In 2008, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his major contribution to the engineering of modern science.