John Sulston
Spouse |
Daphne Edith Bate (m. 1966) |
---|---|
Children | 1 son, 1 daughter[6] |
Awards |
|
Scientific career | |
Fields | |
Institutions |
|
Thesis | Aspects of oligoribonucleotide synthesis (1966) |
Doctoral advisor | Colin Reese[4][5] |
Website | sanger |
Sir John Edward Sulston
Early life and education
Sulston was born in
Career
Between 1966 and 1969 he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.[20] His academic advisor Colin Reese[4][5] had arranged for him to work with Leslie Orgel, who would turn his scientific career onto a different pathway. Orgel introduced him to Francis Crick and Sydney Brenner, who worked in Cambridge. He became inclined to biological research.[21]
Although Orgel wanted Sulston to remain with him, Sydney Brenner persuaded Sulston to return to Cambridge[
Sulston played a central role in both the C. elegans
In 2000, after the 'working draft' of the human genome sequence was completed, Sulston retired from directing the Sanger Centre. With Georgina Ferry, he narrated his research career leading to the human genome sequence in The Common Thread: A Story of Science, Politics, Ethics, and the Human Genome (2002).[29]
Awards and honours
Sulston was elected a
One of Sulston's most important contributions during his research years at the LMB was to elucidate the precise order in which cells in C. elegans divide. In fact, he and his team succeeded in tracing the nematode's entire embryonic cell lineage.[9]
In 2004, Sulston received the Golden Plate Award of the
He was appointed a
On 23 October 2017 he was awarded the Cambridge Chemistry Alumni Medal.[36]
Sulston was a leading campaigner against the patenting of human genetic information.
Personal life
John Sulston met Daphne Bate, a research assistant in Cambridge.[19] They got married in 1966[19] just before they left for US for postdoctoral research. Together they had two children. Their first child, Ingrid, was born in La Jolla in 1967, and their second, Adrian, later in England.[37] The couple lived in Stapleford, Cambridgeshire where they were active members of the local community:[citation needed] John regularly volunteered in the local library and in working parties at Magog Down; he was a Trustee of Cambridge Past, Present and Future.[38][verification needed]
Although brought up in a Christian family, Sulston lost his faith during his student life at Cambridge, and remained an atheist.[5][20] He was a distinguished supporter of Humanists UK.[39] In 2003 he was one of 22 Nobel Laureates who signed the Humanist Manifesto.[40]
Sulston was in favour of free public access of scientific information. He wanted genome information freely available, and he described as "totally immoral and disgusting" the idea of profiteering from such research. He also wanted to change patent law, and argued that restrictions on drugs such as the anti-viral drug
In December 2010, Sulston backed Julian Assange by acting as a bail surety for him, according to Assange's attorney Mark Stephens.[41] Sulston forfeited £15,000 of the £20,000 pledged in June 2012, as Assange had entered the embassy of Ecuador to escape the jurisdiction of the English courts.[42][43]
Sulston died on 6 March 2018 of stomach cancer, aged 75 years.[18]
References
- ^ a b "John Sulston EMBO profile". people.embo.org. European Molecular Biology Organization.
- ^ a b Anon (1986). "Sir John Sulston FMedSci FRS". London: Royal Society. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. --"Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ PMID 11370623.
- ^ EThOS uk.bl.ethos.648083.
- ^ a b c d e John E. Sulston on Nobelprize.org , accessed 11 October 2020
- ^ doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.36669. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- S2CID 21450455.
- ^ PMID 4858229.
- ^ PMID 6684600.
- PMID 838129.
- PMID 2838135.
- ^ Kolata, Gina (15 March 2018). "John E. Sulston, 75, Dies; Found Clues to Genes in a Worm". The New York Times.
- S2CID 186212646.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Professor Sir John Sulston - personal details". The University of Manchester. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- PMID 17196043.
- PMID 14580111.
- ^ a b Ivan Oransky, Adam Marcus John Sulston. obituary 7 April 2018, The Lancet
- ^ a b c Ferry, Georgina (11 March 2018). "Sir John Sulston obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d "John E. Sulston". NNDB. Soylent Communications. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ a b "John Sulston Biography Nobel Prize in Medicine". American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- S2CID 73076704.
- PMID 838129.
- PMID 10098407.
- PMID 9851916.
- ^ "Caenorhabditis genome sequencing". Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- PMID 11237011.
- S2CID 86297413.
- ISBN 978-0-309-08409-3.
- ^ "Certificate of Election EC/1986/35: John Edward Sulston". London: The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019.
- ^ John Sulston: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2002
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Nobel Laureate, Dr John Sulston, Receives the TCD Dawson Prize in Genetics". 18 October 2006.
- ^ "Rutherford Memorial Lecturer". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B26.
- ^ "Nobel Laureate awarded our Alumni Medal". Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ISBN 978-0309084093.
- ^ "Our achievements".
- ^ "Distinguished Supporters". British Humanist Association. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "Notable Signers". Humanism and Its Aspirations. American Humanist Association. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "Wikileaks' Julian Assange tells of 'smear campaign'". BBC. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Booth, Robert (8 October 2012). "Julian Assange supporters ordered to forfeit £93,500 bail money". The Guardian.
- ^ "Julian Assange's backers lose £200,000 bail money". 4 September 2012.
External links
- Freeview Video of Fredrick Sanger in conversation with John Sulston by the Vega Science Trust
- John Sulston profile from the Medical Research Council lab for Molecular Biology
- John Sulston interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 16 September 2008 (video)
- John E. Sulston on Nobelprize.org
- The public servant: John Sulston
- British Scientists share 2002 Nobel Prize
- John Sulston: One man and his worm from The Guardian
- John Sulston profile on the Stapleford Cambridge website where he lives