Colin Munro MacLeod

American geneticist and physician

Colin Munro MacLeod (January 28, 1909 – February 11, 1972) was a Canadian-American geneticist and physician known for his role in the discovery of DNA as the material of genetic inheritance.

Early life and education

Colin MacLeod was born in Port Hastings, Nova Scotia, Canada. He attended Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he earned his undergraduate degree. He then pursued medical studies at McGill University in Montreal, where he received his M.D. degree.

Career

MacLeod began his career in medical research at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York City. It was here that he joined the laboratory of Oswald Avery, where he worked alongside Maclyn McCarty on groundbreaking experiments that would lead to the identification of DNA as the substance responsible for heredity.

Discovery of DNA as genetic material

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Colin Munro MacLeod

In the early 1940s, MacLeod, Avery, and McCarty conducted a series of experiments using the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. They demonstrated that DNA extracted from a virulent strain of the bacterium could transform a non-virulent strain into a virulent one. This work, published in 1944, provided the first clear evidence that DNA was the molecule responsible for genetic inheritance, a discovery that laid the foundation for the field of molecular genetics.

Later work and contributions

After his work at the Rockefeller Institute, MacLeod held various academic and administrative positions. He served as a professor at the New York University School of Medicine and later became the chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

MacLeod's contributions to science extended beyond his research on DNA. He was involved in the development of antibiotics and contributed to the understanding of bacterial resistance.

Personal life

MacLeod was married and had children. He was known for his dedication to science and his mentorship of young researchers. He passed away in 1972, leaving behind a legacy of scientific achievement.

Legacy

Colin MacLeod's work was instrumental in the development of modern genetics. His contributions to the understanding of DNA as the genetic material have had a lasting impact on the fields of genetics, medicine, and biotechnology.

Related pages

• Oswald Avery
• Maclyn McCarty
• DNA
• Molecular genetics