Oliver Smithies

George W. Bush meets with the American 2007 Nobel Award recipients-20071126

Oliver Smithies (23 June 1925 – 10 January 2017) was a British-born American geneticist and Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, awarded in 2007 for his discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells. His work laid the foundation for the development of gene targeting, a method used worldwide to investigate the function of genes, which has had profound implications for our understanding of genetic diseases and the development of gene therapies.

Early Life and Education

Oliver Smithies was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. He developed an interest in science at an early age, influenced by his father's passion for DIY projects and his own curiosity about how things worked. Smithies attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned a first-class honours degree in Biochemistry in 1946. He completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Oxford in 1951, focusing on the separation of proteins using electrophoresis.

Career and Research

After completing his doctorate, Smithies moved to the United States, where he would spend the majority of his professional career. He held positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and finally at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a faculty member from 1988 until his death in 2017.

Smithies' early work in the 1950s on gel electrophoresis revolutionized the way scientists separated and analyzed proteins and nucleic acids. However, it was his later work on gene targeting in the 1980s that earned him the Nobel Prize. Along with Mario R. Capecchi and Sir Martin J. Evans, Smithies developed a technique to introduce specific gene modifications in mice using embryonic stem cells. This groundbreaking work allowed scientists to create "knockout mice," animals in which a particular gene has been turned off, to study the role of genes in health and disease.

Awards and Honors

Oliver Smithies received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 2001 for his contributions to the understanding of genetic disease and the development of gene therapy.

Legacy

Oliver Smithies' work has had a lasting impact on the fields of genetics, molecular biology, and medicine. His invention of gel electrophoresis and the development of gene targeting techniques have become fundamental tools in biomedical research, enabling scientists to delve deeper into the genetic basis of diseases and to develop targeted therapies. Smithies' legacy is not only in his scientific discoveries but also in his approach to research, characterized by curiosity, innovation, and a commitment to solving complex biological problems.

Selected Publications

Oliver Smithies was a prolific scientist, authoring or co-authoring over 350 scientific papers. Some of his most notable publications include his early work on starch gel electrophoresis and his seminal papers on gene targeting in mice.

Personal Life

Oliver Smithies was known for his humble personality and his passion for flying gliders. He often related his experiences in the cockpit to his approach to scientific research, emphasizing the importance of navigating challenges and exploring new horizons.