British Scientist Who Cloned Dolly the Sheep, Ian Wilmut, Dies at 79
Ian Wilmut, the renowned British scientist who led the groundbreaking project that cloned a mammal for the first time, Dolly the sheep, passed away on Sunday at the age of 79. The Roslin Institute, a research center near Edinburgh where Dr. Wilmut had worked for many years, announced that the cause of death was complications related to Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Wilmut and his team made waves in the scientific community when they announced the birth of Dolly the sheep in February 1997 through an article published in the journal Nature. Up until then, cloning from embryonic cells was known to work. However, Dr. Wilmut and his research partner Keith Campbell took a major leap forward by successfully cloning an animal, Dolly, using adult cells.
The breakthrough discovery by Dr. Wilmut’s team challenged the previously held belief that cloning animals using adult cells was impossible. The researchers found that by taking a differentiated cell and starving it, they could essentially put it into hibernation. This state tricked a receiving embryo into accepting the cell, allowing for successful cloning.
The road to Dolly’s birth was not easy, with only one out of 300 attempts resulting in a viable embryo. Dr. Wilmut kept the news of Dolly’s birth a secret until he was confident about her survival. When the announcement was eventually made, it became one of the biggest news events of 1997, alongside the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China and the tragic death of Princess Diana.
Despite his groundbreaking work in cloning, Dr. Wilmut firmly believed that human cloning should never be permitted. He toured the United States in 1997, advocating against human cloning and testifying before Congress. He considered the very idea of human cloning offensive due to the associated risks of birth defects and the fact that a clone would never be accepted as a complete human being.
Dolly’s life also demonstrated some risks associated with cloning, as she developed early-onset arthritis and other traits commonly found in older animals. She was euthanized in 2003 after acquiring a viral lung infection. Her stuffed body was later put on display at the National Museum of Scotland.
Born on July 7, 1944, in Hampton Lucy, England, Ian Wilmut initially intended to become a farmer but switched to academic research after a summer internship at Cambridge University. He obtained a doctorate in embryology from Cambridge and continued his work at the Roslin Institute, where he achieved significant milestones such as breeding a calf from a frozen embryo in 1973.
Driven by a personal tragedy involving his father’s diabetes, Dr. Wilmut focused on the medical applications of his work. He and Dr. Campbell chose to work with sheep due to their prevalence and low cost in Scotland. They aimed to produce milk containing proteins for treating human diseases and to create stem cells for regenerative medicine.
Following Dolly’s birth, Dr. Wilmut continued his research on cloning. In 2005, he obtained a license from the British government to clone human embryos for stem cell production. However, he abandoned this work after scientists in Japan found a more efficient method of developing stem cells without using embryos, building upon Dr. Wilmut’s earlier research.
Dr. Wilmut received a knighthood in 2008, although the honor was met with some criticism from medical ethicists and former colleagues who believed others deserved more credit. He retired from the University of Edinburgh in 2012.
He is survived by his second wife, Sara, his son Dean, his daughters Naomi Wilmut and Helen Wilmut, and five grandchildren. Dr. Wilmut revealed his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2018, a condition that he had hoped his work would eventually address. He expressed his hope for similar benefits in ongoing research programs aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease.
Ian Wilmut’s legacy in the scientific community will forever be tied to his groundbreaking work on cloning and the birth of Dolly the sheep. His contributions have opened up new possibilities and sparked important ethical discussions, ensuring his status as a pioneer in the field of biology and genetics.