John Gurdon, the British biologist known as the «godfather of cloning,» has died at 92, according to United Press International, citing the Gurdon Institute.
«John was a visionary in the field of developmental biology whose pioneering work on nuclear transfer in frogs addressed one of the most fundamental questions in biology — whether genetic information is retained or lost during development — and paved the way for ground-breaking advances in biomedical research, from stem cell biology to mouse genetics and IVF,» the institute said in a statement.
Although Gurdon did not invent nuclear transfer, his animal studies revealed the technique’s remarkable potential. His research demonstrated that the nucleus of an adult cell could be reprogrammed to generate a new organism. This discovery revolutionized modern biology and paved the way for cloning research and advances in regenerative medicine.
