Abstract
When he joined the Roslin Institute in 1991, Keith Campbells's previous research experiences fitted him perfectly for the cloning project to which he was appointed for they were concerned with the mechanisms that regulate cell cycle. During the following 6 years he applied his previous experience to the production of mammalian embryos by nuclear transfer. In 1995 this research led to the birth of “Megan” and “Morag,” two Welsh Mountain lambs. These were the first mammals to be “cloned” from cultured differentiated cells. In 1996 these experiments were repeated and extended, resulting in the birth of “Dolly,” the first mammal to be “cloned” from an adult derived somatic cell. Her birth opened up revolutionary new opportunities in regenerative medicine by demonstrating that the future of cells is not rigidly fixed, but can be changed from one tissue type to another.
Keith had an unusual start to a research career in animal science. After first qualifying as a Medical Laboratory Technologist specializing in Medical Microbiology, he attended Queen Elizabeth College London where he obtained a B.Sc. (Hon's) in Microbiology. During these studies he first gained his interests in the cell cycle and cellular growth. Following brief locum positions, firstly as Chief Medical Laboratory Technologist in the Yemen and then on a program to eradicate Dutch Elm Disease in a region of England (The Alfriston Valley), Campbell joined the Marie Curie Institute. The Marie Curie Foundation funds basic research into the underlying causes and mechanisms of cancer. Here his interests in cellular growth and differentiation increased. In 1983 Campbell was awarded a Marie Curie Research Scholarship and took the opportunity to attend the University of Sussex as a postgraduate student to continue his studies on cell growth and differentiation. There he studied the cytoplasmic mechanisms that control the segregation of genetic material during the development of amphibian eggs, early embryos, and during cell growth and division in yeast, in particular the control of nuclear behavior by cytoplasmic factors and the ubiquitous nature of such factors in eukaryote cells. Keith was awarded a D.Phil. for his thesis titled “Aspects of Cell Cycle Control in Yeast and Xenopus.”
On completion of these postgraduate studies, Keith moved to Scotland to continue his work on the control of cell growth and differentiation. Following two brief postdoctoral positions, he joined the Roslin Institute in 1991 where his research blossomed and led to the birth of Dolly.
The aims of all of the cloning studies were twofold: firstly to understand the basic mechanisms underlying cellular differentiation, and secondly to provide a means for the precise genetic modification of farm animal species. In collaboration with PPL Therapeutics, the company that had been spun out from Roslin Institute, the cloning procedure was used to produce “POLLY,” the first transgenic mammal to be produced by nuclear transfer from a cell line genetically modified in culture (Science 278:2130–2133, 1997).
Previously a consultant for PPL Therapeutics, he left the Roslin Institute in July 1997 to become Head of Embryology at PPL. His overall aims were to accelerate the benefits of transgenic technology in the field of human medicine and to further understand the mechanisms underlying embryo development and cellular differentiation, more specifically, the development of methods for gene targeting in livestock and methods for the production of cloned pigs for Xenotransplantation. While at PPL, the cloning procedure and Keith's expertise led to the birth of cloned and genetically modified sheep, pigs, and cattle, including in July 1999 the first gene-targeted lambs (Cupid and Diana) (Nature 405:1066–1069, 2000), and then in March 2000 the world's first piglets cloned from somatic cells (Nature 407:505–509, 2000).
In November 1999, Keith left PPL Therapeutics to become Professor of Animal Development at the University of Nottingham. There he continued his research into the basic mechanisms underlying development and differentiation in order to improve and understand the cloning process and to develop reproductive technologies in farm animals to enhance breeding and maintain food security.
Keith served as an editorial board member for a number of journals and has been on the scientific advisory boards of a number of companies and academic organizations. In 2008 he was awarded the SHAW prize for Medicine and Life Sciences jointly with Ian Wilmut and Shinya Yamanaka.
Much of this research was presented and discussed at the annual meeting of the International Embryo Transfer Society where he will be remembered as an enthusiastic participant in discussions on current topics lasting late into the night. Always cheerful and friendly, with a strong distaste for bureaucracy, he will be sorely missed, but not forgotten.