Sir John Gurdon—An “Unlikely” Pioneer of Cloning, Nuclear Transfer, and Stem Cell Research

Regarding cloning, many people are familiar with the famous sheep, “Dolly”, who was the first mammal to be cloned using somatic cell nuclear transfer.  However, what were the origins of these nuclear transfer techniques?  In 1958, Sir John Gurdon successfully cloned a frog by transferring the nuclei from somatic cells to the enucleated eggs of a Xenopus tadpole.  Surprisingly, the tadpole fully developed into an adult frog, implying that the genome of a mature cell contains all the information necessary for full development of an organism.  This had major implications on cell and developmental biology:  it was previously thought that the genetic material of cells is altered irreversibly when they differentiate.  However, with Gurdon’s successful cloning of a frog, he showed that this hypothesis was incorrect.  Thus, Gurdon’s work provided the backbone for the techniques of nuclear transfer used to eventually clone Dolly in 1996.  Moreover, many of Gurdon’s experimental techniques are still used today.

Based on Gurdon’s remarkable discovery, we may naturally assume that he was academically gifted at an early age.  However, this was not at all the case as Gurdon was last in his classes in biology and other science subjects.  One of Gurdon’s schoolteachers remarked:

 "I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing this is quite ridiculous, if he can't learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a specialist, and it would be sheer waste of time, both on his part, and of those who have to teach him."

Time told a different tale, as Gurdon went on to alter our understanding of cell biology by his iconic frog cloning.  Additionally, he recently shared a Nobel Prize in 2012 with Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."  To me, Gurdon serves as an inspiration and a classic example of academic success in the face of sheer doubt.  Although he was projected to fail as a scientist, he took the criticism as motivation to succeed (perhaps by the fact that "[he] keeps [the teacher report] above his desk for amusement").  Thus, Gurdon's achievements remind us that numbers and test scores do not always equal success later in life, but rather that true passion and drive for a discipline dictate the degree of professional success.  Additionally, Gurdon's story also implies that a rough academic start is not the tell tale sign of disaster in the professional world.  As long as you are passionate and dedicated to your work, you have as much a shot as anyone at success.

Francis Collins: Physician, Researcher, and Christian

NIH Director

Francis Collins, MD, Ph.D.

In today’s society, science and religion are seen as two opposing forces, which cannot be expressed in the same individual at the same time. However, Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project and current director of the NIH is a prime example the two can coexist – and even thrive! This blog will shed light on how Collin’s residency affected his religious viewpoints, how he explains the difficult relationship between God and evolution, and what political implications have developed from his stance.

 Throughout his undergraduate and graduate school career in the physical sciences, Collins was quick to dismiss religion as an explanation to phenomena that came about before the dawn of science, and therefore was not applicable in the modern scientific world. However, during his medical school education, everything began to change. As a resident, confronted each day with life and death, Collins began to question his then atheist beliefs. One day, after reading C. S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity, which explains belief in God as a rational decision process, Collins came to the conclusion that he too, wanted to become a Christian.

But how do these decisions relate to his work as a physician scientist? Even Collins himself has been asked, “Doesn’t your brain explode?” referring to the coexistence of evolution and religion in his life. As he is still alive and functioning, the answer is obviously no, and here’s how. Collins, like many Christians, sees no conflict between what he has studied in science and found in Christianity. Referencing a non-literal translation of Genesis and the creation story, he finds no issue with saying that descent from a common ancestor is true. For that matter, evolution could have been God’s plan for the creation of species. During an interview with PBS, Collins spoke regarding religion and evolution, calling the evolution versus creation argument one of the great tragedies of the past 100 years:

“On the one hand, we have scientists who basically adopt evolution as their faith, and think there's no need for God to explain why life exists. On the other hand, we have people who are believers who are so completely sold on the literal interpretation of the first book of the Bible that they are rejecting very compelling scientific data about the age of the earth and the relatedness of living beings. It's unnecessary. I think God gave us an opportunity through the use of science to understand the natural world.”   (Collins, Francis. The Question of God. PBS. WGBH, Boston. Television.)

Throughout the book, The Genome War by James Shreeve, Collins’ beliefs become apparent. However, it is important to note that neither during his direction of the Human Genome Project nor during his time at the NIH, has he ever deviated from the scientific goals of his job. Some were concerned after President Obama appointed him as director of the NIH in 2009 that his religious beliefs might hinder the NIH’s scientific progress. But, it was soon discovered there is a benefit to having a Christian in control of one of the most influential health organizations in the country. As pointed out in a Washington Post article, Collin’s status as a “born-again Christian… may help him build bridges with those who view some gene based research as a threat to religious values.”

Without a doubt, Francis Collins has been and continues to be at the forefront of genetic and medical research, becoming in my opinion an extremely successful scientist because of his unique experiences and the applications of knowledge gained from those experiences to direct the program to decode the book of life. When I began reading The Genome War, I was definitely surprised to find out about Collin’s faith and his openness to discussion of his opinions. However, I feel he does so in a way to not impede on anyone’s beliefs while simultaneously challenging the reader to contemplate the way he has found religion and science to be intertwined.  The statements he makes and stances he takes in response to very touchy topics in today’s society shows how established he is in his beliefs and his work that he has done and continues to do.

To read more about Collins and his experiences regarding how the Human Genome influenced his life, he has published a book entitled Language of God: A Scientists Presents Evidence for Belief.