Women Scientists

Anne Mclaren 1927-2007

At a glance:

distinguished geneticist who made a notable contribution of the science and ethics of fertility treatment

An exceptional scientist, Anne McLaren made fundamental advances in genetics which paved the way for the development of in vitro fertilisation. She also played an important role in discussions on the fraught ethical issues that surrounded IVF in its early days. She was the daughter of a wealthy family of industrialists and read Zoology at Oxford, studying the genetics of rabbits. As a researcher in London she worked with mice, studying the effects of super ovulation on fertility. Working with John Biggers, she produced the first litter of mice grown from eggs that had developed in tissue culture and then been transferred to a surrogate mother, paving the way for embryo transfer in human IVF. She worked at the Institute of Animal Genetics in Edinburgh for 15 years, before returning to London as Director of the MRC Mammalian Development Unit, developing projects on reproductive immunology, contraception and chimeras. Later at the Gurdon Institute she continued research on stem cells. She became the first female officer of the Royal Society in 331 years, when she was appointed as their Foreign Secretary and travelled widely, becoming a role model for women in science. She and her former husband, Donald Michie were killed in a car crash.
Anne Mclaren

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