Oliver Smithies: Born Inventor

Abstract

> This profile of Oliver Smithies highlights many of the qualities of a great scientist: a down-to-earth, unassuming style (remember “the smaller the mind, the greater the conceit” as I wrote last year in my preamble to Eric Olson's profile); simplicity; an enduring passion for discovery and invention; and total commitment to the work. > > Smithies' statement that there is no substitute for hard work is one of the absolute truisms of life, as I elaborated last year in my preamble to Robert Lefkowitz's profile. No matter how smart you are, if you don't work hard, you will never make it. He is a living testimony of this concept. All of us should be astounded and inspired by the fact that this 85-year-old scientist, a Nobel laureate who has contributed so much to human knowledge, still works in the lab every day of the week, runs experiments, and exudes the same passion for science that he exuded 60 years ago. What a marvelous role model for young scientists. > > Smithies has used wisely the talent that he was given. Isn't that one of the most important things that we should be able to say about ourselves? > > Roberto Bolli In the 1980s, the work of Oliver Smithies, together with that of Mario Capecchi and Martin Evans, led to a whole new approach to studying mammalian genetics. These three scientists developed the necessary gene-targeting techniques that gave rise to knock-out mice.1,–,5 They were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work in 2007. Gene-targeting is a technique used by many modern molecular biologists. But a technique used by practically every molecular biologist, often several times a day, is running gels. Again, a large part of the thanks for developing this technique goes to Smithies who, in the 1950s, invented starch gel electrophoresis as …