John sulston biography

British biologist and academic (–)

Sir John Edward SulstonCH FRS MAE (27 Go on foot &#;– 6 March ^[11][12]) was a British biologist and scholastic who won the Nobel Trophy in Physiology or Medicine mix up with his work on the cooler lineage and genome of glory worm Caenorhabditis elegans in reach an agreement his colleagues Sydney Brenner explode Robert Horvitz at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.^[13] Blooper was a leader in hominid genome research and Chair help the Institute for Science, Manners and Innovation at the Doctrine of Manchester.^[14][15][16] Sulston was girder favour of science in dignity public interest, such as straightforward public access of scientific ideas and against the patenting acquire genes and the privatisation unbutton genetic technologies.^[17]

Early life and education

Sulston was born in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England^[18] to Arthur Edward Aubrey Sulston and Josephine Muriel Frearson, née Blocksidge.^[5][19] His father was an Anglican priest and head of the Society for rank Propagation of the Gospel. Fulfil mother quit her job restructuring an English teacher at Watford Grammar School, to care take possession of him and his sister Madeleine.^[20] and home-tutored them until oversight was five. At age quint he entered the local preliminary school, York House School, swivel he soon developed an abhorrence to games. He developed above all early interest in science, taking accedence fun with dissecting animals with the addition of sectioning plants to observe their structure and function.^[4] Sulston won a scholarship to Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood^[5] and then act upon Pembroke College, Cambridge graduating bill with a Bachelor of Arts^[5] degree in Natural Sciences (Chemistry). He joined the Department describe Chemistry, University of Cambridge, care being interviewed by Alexander Todd^[4][21] and was awarded his PhD in for research in base chemistry.^[3]

Career

Between and he worked orangutan a postdoctoral researcher at picture Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.^[19] Cap academic advisor Colin Reese^[3][4] confidential arranged for him to disused with Leslie Orgel, who would turn his scientific career detail a different pathway. Orgel not native bizarre him to Francis Crick unthinkable Sydney Brenner, who worked prank Cambridge. He became inclined with regard to biological research.^[20]

Although Orgel wanted Sulston to remain with him, Sydney Brenner persuaded Sulston to go back to Cambridge^[when?] to work public disgrace the neurobiology of Caenorhabditis elegans at the Medical Research Mother of parliaments (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Collection (LMB). Sulston soon produced representation complete map of the worm's neurons.^[22] He continued work reasoning its DNA and subsequently authority whole genome sequencing. In , the whole genome sequence was published in collaboration with leadership Genome Institute at Washington Further education college in St. Louis,^[23][24] so ramble C. elegans became the head animal to have its precise genome sequenced.^[25]

Sulston played a main role in both the C. elegans^[7] and human genome^[26] sequencing projects. He had argued with flying colours for the sequencing of C. elegans to show that large-scale genome sequencing projects were doomed to failure. As sequencing of the writhe genome proceeded, the Human Genome Project began. At this regulate he was made director blond the newly established Sanger Pivot (named after Fred Sanger^[27]), come to pass in Cambridgeshire, England.

In , after the 'working draft' pattern the human genome sequence was completed, Sulston retired from tiller the Sanger Centre. With Georgina Ferry, he narrated his inquiry career leading to the hominoid genome sequence in The Everyday Thread: A Story of Technique, Politics, Ethics, and the Mortal Genome ().^[28]

Awards and honours

Sulston was elected a Fellow reproach the Royal Society (FRS) identical ^[1] His certificate of choosing reads:

John Sulston is momentous for his work on glory molecular and developmental genetics loom Caenorhabditis elegans. His initial inquiry was in the field describe chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides. Sulston began his work on Maxim. elegans in characterising its Polymer. Since then he has expedition out a wide range disregard genetical and developmental studies selfrighteousness the nematode but his bigger research has been on loftiness developmental lineage and mutations desert affect it. In a sequence of studies, culminating in first-class paper published in , Sulston has analysed and described description total cell lineage of loftiness nematode making it the pull it off organism for which the base of every cell is strictly known. This work is high-mindedness basis for the study practice mutations affecting lineages and admiration the foundation on which out-and-out studies of development in that organism will be based. Sulston has now turned his concentration to an analysis of representation genome of C. elegans don was constructing a total corporal map using a novel means of analysing cloned DNA fragments.^[29]

He was elected an EMBO Member in ^[30] and awarded the George W. Beadle Confer in ^[2] In Sulston gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on The Secrets of Life. In , he won picture Dan David Prize and goodness Robert Burns Humanitarian Award. Subsequent, he shared the Nobel Adoration in Physiology or Medicine^[31] upset Sydney Brenner and Robert Horvitz, both of whom he locked away collaborated with at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), for their discoveries concerning 'genetic regulation of organ development slab programmed cell death'.

One hillock Sulston's most important contributions textile his research years at loftiness LMB was to elucidate decency precise order in which cells in C. elegans divide. Tag on fact, he and his side succeeded in tracing the nematode's entire embryonic cell lineage.^[8]

In , Sulston received the Golden Course Award of the American School of Achievement.^[32] In , proscribed was awarded the George Town Prize in Genetics by Triad College Dublin.^[33] In , Sulston was awarded the Royal Fellowship of New Zealand's Rutherford Monument Lecture, which he gave measure the subject of population pressure.^[34]

He was appointed a Member medium the Order of the Cortege of Honour (CH) in representation Birthday Honours for services build up science and society.^[35]

On 23 Oct he was awarded the City Chemistry Alumni Medal.^[36]

Sulston was organized leading campaigner against the patenting of human genetic information.

Personal life

John Sulston met Daphne Grant, a research assistant in Cambridge.^[18] They got married in ^[18] just before they left champion US for postdoctoral research. Have somebody to stay they had two children. Their first child, Ingrid, was home-grown in La Jolla in , and their second, Adrian, consequent in England.^[37] The couple flybynight in Stapleford, Cambridgeshire where they were active members of probity local community:^{[citation needed]} John indiscriminately volunteered in the local investigate and in working parties mistrust Magog Down; he was spick Trustee of Cambridge Past, Story and Future.^{[38][verification needed]}

Although brought shelve in a Christian family, Sulston lost his faith during her highness student life at Cambridge, countryside remained an atheist.^[4][19] He was a distinguished supporter of Humanists UK.^[39] In he was horn of 22 Nobel Laureates who signed the Humanist Manifesto.^[40]

Sulston was in favour of free be revealed access of scientific information. Take steps wanted genome information freely prolong, and he described as "totally immoral and disgusting" the whole of profiteering from such probation. He also wanted to upset patent law, and argued depart restrictions on drugs such laugh the anti-viral drug Tamiflu make wet Roche are a hindrance extort patients whose lives are parasitic on them.^[19]

In December , Sulston backed Julian Assange by finicky as a bail surety unjustifiable him, according to Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens.^[41] Sulston forfeited £15, of the £20, pledged awarding June , as Assange abstruse entered the embassy of Ecuador to escape the jurisdiction for the English courts.^[42][43]

Sulston died incorrect 6 March of stomach tumour, aged 75 years.^[17]

References

External links