Keith Campbell (biologist)

Keith HS Campbell ( * May 23, 1954; † 5 October 2012 in Nottingham ) was a British cell biologist and embryologist, who taught at the University of Nottingham since 1999. He was best known for his role in the cloning of Dolly the sheep.

Training

Campbell grew up in Birmingham. After school, he trained as a medical technician with specialization in microbiology. He then earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London. After a stay in Yemen, he earned his doctorate by a Marie Curie fellowship at the University of Dundee in Scotland. The title of his dissertation was " Aspects of cell cycle control in yeast and Xenopus " ( aspects of cell cycle control in yeast and clawed frogs ).

Scientific Work

After two postdoctoral positions Campbell began in 1991 to conduct research at the Roslin Institute, where he conducted along with Ian Wilmut experiments for the production of mammalian embryos by cell nuclear transfer. 1995 succeeded in producing two Welsh Mountain lambs ( Megan and Morag ), which were the first cloned mammals from differentiated cells. In 1996, for the first time succeeded in cloning a mammal from cells of an adult individual, which Dolly the sheep was conceived, which caused worldwide attention in the media. In 2006, Ian Wilmut stated before a committee of inquiry that Campbell zukomme on this success, the largest share. With Dolly the sheep succeeded a little later for the first time the generation of cloned from a genetically modified cell culture in the mammal.

In 1997, Campbell to PPL Therapeutics, a company which specializes in the production of therapeutics from the milk of transgenic animals, where he became head of the embryological department. In 1999 he accepted an appointment as professor of animal developmental biology at the University of Nottingham, where he has since conducted research on the development of biology and the biotechnological manipulation of embryos.

In 2008 he received (together with Wilmut and Shin'ya Yamanaka ) the Shaw Prize.