Wilmut, the scientist who nurtured the world's first cloned sheep, Dolly, has passed away
According to the German news television channel website on September 11th, his team made history with the first cloned mammal lamb, Dolly: now, British scientist Ian Wilmuth has passed away at the age of 79. The university where he lived announced this news. Peter Matheson, Vice President of the University of Edinburgh in the UK, praised Wilmut as a "scientific leader" whose work has changed scientific thinking.
The team led by Wilmut at the Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh cloned the sheep Dolly in 1996. It is the first mammal to be cloned using only mature somatic cells, marking a breakthrough in animal and medical research.
Marcison explained, "This breakthrough has driven many advances in the field of regenerative medicine that we see today." Bruce Whitelow, the current director of the Roslin Institute, said that Wilmut's departure is "sad news," and "the scientific community has lost a well-known figure.".
Wilmut retired in 2012. In 2018, he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He also stated that he will provide support for research on neurodegenerative diseases that cause gradual death of nerve cells.
Dolly, a cloned sheep, was born on July 5, 1996. It limped due to knee arthritis at the age of 5. In 2003, Dolly, who was only 6 years old, died of lung disease, an incurable disease that usually only occurs in elderly animals. Therefore, Dolly's lifespan was only about half that of the average lifespan of the same breed of sheep.