| RefNo | EC/1998/44 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Smithies, Oliver: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1997 |
| Description | Certificate of Candidate for Election to Foreign Membership. Citation typed |
| Citation | Smithies is distinguished for his contributions to advancing the knowledge of recombination events in humans, and for applying this knowledge to innovate gene targeting in mammalian cells. In the mid-1950s Smithies devised the first high-resolution electrophoresis system using starch gel. He defined the hereditary variations of serum proteins such as haptoglobin, transferrin, and gamma-globulin. His studies on haptoglobins showed how homologous and non-homologous crossing over events played important roles in the evolution of genes. Later, his sequence of the human gamma-globin genes emphasized the importance of homologous recombination and gene conversion events in maintaining similarities in sequences of duplicated genes. His second ground-breaking technique in 1985 demonstrated that homologous recombination can be used to modify a given gene in living cells. Application of this technique to embryonic stem cells by Smithies, and independently by Mario Capechhi, led to the now world-wide use of gene targeting to knock out and knock in genes in experimental animals by homologous recombination. It also provided a powerful tool for examining gene functions and a novel way of creating animal models of human diseases. Through insightful studies and ground-breaking techniques, Smithies has contributed to the deep understanding of genetic processes and their applications. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA4202 | Smithies; Oliver (1925 - 2017) | 1925 - 2017 |