Ian Wilmut, the father of cloned sheep, passed away
Ian Wilmuth, a British scientist who led the cultivation of the world's first somatic cloned animal sheep, Dolly, passed away on the 10th at the age of 79.
This is an exhibition held by British scientist Ian Wilmut in Edinburgh, UK on July 29, 2015.
The University of Edinburgh, where Wilmut worked during his lifetime, announced his death on the 11th, stating that he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for a long time before his death.
The research team led by Wilmut cultivated the world's first somatic cloned animal, Dolly, at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in July 1996, earning him the nickname "Father of Cloned Sheep".
On July 5, 1996, Dolly, the world's first somatic cloned animal, was born. This is a photo of Dolly's profile. Shen Jizhong
The gene for cultivating "Dolly" comes from an adult sheep. Researchers extracted the mammary gland cells of this sheep and transferred their nuclei to the egg of another sheep that had removed the nucleus, allowing it to fuse, divide, and develop into an embryo. Then, the cells were transferred to the body of a third sheep, where they gave birth to Dolly after maturation.
The birth of Dolly is considered one of the most important scientific achievements of the late 20th century. The President of the University of Edinburgh, Jefferson, stated in a statement that Wilmut is a "leader in the scientific community" and his related research "continues to promote diverse progress in the field of regenerative medicine.".
The birth of "Dolly" has sparked a wave of scientists around the world researching cloning technology, and has also led to a large number of technical and ethical debates. Today, cloning technology is becoming increasingly mature. Researchers have not only achieved somatic cloning of mammals such as pigs, cows, horses, and sheep, but also cultivated cloned monkeys, overcoming the challenge of cloning non-human primate experimental animals in the world. They have also achieved cross-border integration and promoted the application and development of multiple fields. For example, promoting crop breeding and livestock and poultry variety improvement, and providing animal models in bulk in the pharmaceutical field.
This is a biological rhythm disorder somatic cloned monkey captured on January 22, 2019 at the Conservation Room of the Non Human Primate Research Platform of the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang
BBC journalist Parab Ghosh, who interviewed Wilmut back then, recalled that despite suddenly becoming the focus of attention, Wilmut still maintained his gentle and humble nature. He explained at the time that studying and cultivating "Dolly" was for human progress, not to replace it. He said that his ideal is to ultimately find a way for humanity to cure stubborn diseases.
Wilmut later devoted himself to stem cell research that could be used in regenerative medicine. Wilmut's work is particularly crucial for research aimed at curing genetic or degenerative diseases by restoring damaged tissue in the body. He was knighted in 2008 and retired from the University of Edinburgh in 2012. Wilmut announced in 2018 that he would invest in new research on Parkinson's disease and admitted to suffering from this neurodegenerative disease.
