The Dolly Experiment: The First 20 Years

Abstract

Public lecture by Sir Ian Willmut who, in 1996, lead the team that cloned Dolly the sheep. Sir Ian traced the influence of early cloning innovators such as Hans Spemann, and showed how thinking about cell plasticity and reprogramming evolved over the 20th century. He discussed the limitations of somatic cell nuclear transfer, the technique used to produce Dolly, and elucidated how researchers like nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka continue to drive forward our understand of cell fate and the therapeutic potential of these technologies. An embryologist and chair of the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Wilmut will speak about the legacy of his work to clone a Finnish Dorset lamb named Dolly. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) in Regenerative Medicine, and the Department of Science and Technology in Society.