Anne McLaren
Encyclopedia
The Hon. Dame Anne Laura Dorinthea McLaren, DBE
, FRS, FRCOG
(26 April 1927 – 7 July 2007) was the daughter of Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
and Christabel McNaughten. She became a leading figure in developmental biology
. Her work helped lead to human in vitro fertilisation
(IVF). She received many honours for her contributions to science, including being made an officer of the Royal Society.
at Oxford University, gaining entrance to Lady Margaret Hall and obtaining an MA
. Researching mite infestation of Drosophila
under J. B. S. Haldane
, she continued postgraduate studies at Oxford, first under Peter Medawar
on the genetics of rabbits and then on neurotropic murine viruses under Kingsley Sanders. She obtained her D.Phil in 1952 and married fellow student Dr Donald Michie
on 6 October 1952.
worked together at University College, London 1952–1955, and afterwards at the Royal Veterinary College
, on the variation in the number of lumbar vertebrae
in mice as a function of maternal environment. Dr McLaren would later take up research on fertility in mice, including superovulation and superpregnancy. During this period, three children were born to the couple:
However, the marriage ended in a divorce in 1959, and McLaren moved to the Institute of Animal Genetics in Edinburgh
to continue her research. The couple remained on good terms; Michie also moved to Edinburgh. The experience of raising children as a single career parent made McLaren a strong advocate for government assistance towards childcare
.
, immunocontraception
, and the skeletal characteristics of chimera
s. In 1974, she left Edinburgh to become the Director of the MRC
Mammalian Development Unit in London. In 1992, she retired from the Mammalian Development Unit and moved to Cambridge
, joining the Wellcome/CRC Institute, later the Gurdon Institute. She was made a Fellow-Commoner of Christ's College, Cambridge
in 1991.
In 1975, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and from 1991 to 1996, she held the position of Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, the first female officer in the society's 300-year history. In 1986, she was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
for her pioneering work on fertility. In 1989 she presented the Ellison-Cliffe Lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine
. In 1993, she was created a DBE
. From 1993 to 1994, she was president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
.
McLaren was a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics
1991-2000. In 2002, she was awarded the Japan Prize
with Andrzej K. Tarkowski for their contributions to developmental biology and in 2007 she was awarded the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRS, FRCOG
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is a professional association based in the UK. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is, pregnancy, childbirth, and female sexual and reproductive health...
(26 April 1927 – 7 July 2007) was the daughter of Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
Henry Duncan McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway CBE was a British politician, horticulturalist and industrialist. He was the son of Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway and Laura Pochin.- Education :...
and Christabel McNaughten. She became a leading figure in developmental biology
Developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...
. Her work helped lead to human in vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed...
(IVF). She received many honours for her contributions to science, including being made an officer of the Royal Society.
Early training
She studied zoologyZoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at Oxford University, gaining entrance to Lady Margaret Hall and obtaining an MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
. Researching mite infestation of Drosophila
Drosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
under J. B. S. Haldane
J. B. S. Haldane
John Burdon Sanderson Haldane FRS , known as Jack , was a British-born geneticist and evolutionary biologist. A staunch Marxist, he was critical of Britain's role in the Suez Crisis, and chose to leave Oxford and moved to India and became an Indian citizen...
, she continued postgraduate studies at Oxford, first under Peter Medawar
Peter Medawar
Sir Peter Brian Medawar OM CBE FRS was a British biologist, whose work on graft rejection and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance was fundamental to the practice of tissue and organ transplants...
on the genetics of rabbits and then on neurotropic murine viruses under Kingsley Sanders. She obtained her D.Phil in 1952 and married fellow student Dr Donald Michie
Donald Michie
Donald Michie was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve "Tunny," a German teleprinter cipher.-Early life and career:Michie was born in Rangoon, Burma...
on 6 October 1952.
Early career and married life
As a couple, McLaren and Donald MichieDonald Michie
Donald Michie was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve "Tunny," a German teleprinter cipher.-Early life and career:Michie was born in Rangoon, Burma...
worked together at University College, London 1952–1955, and afterwards at the Royal Veterinary College
Royal Veterinary College
The Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949...
, on the variation in the number of lumbar vertebrae
Lumbar vertebrae
The lumbar vertebrae are the largest segments of the movable part of the vertebral column, and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse process, and by the absence of facets on the sides of the body...
in mice as a function of maternal environment. Dr McLaren would later take up research on fertility in mice, including superovulation and superpregnancy. During this period, three children were born to the couple:
- Susan Fiona Dorinthea Michie (b. 19 June 1955)
- Jonathan Mark MichieJonathan MichieProfessor Jonathan Michie is a British economist and holds the joint post of Director of the Department for Continuing Education, and President of Kellogg College, University of Oxford, where he is Professor of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange...
(b. 25 March 1957) - Caroline Ruth Michie (b. 1 August 1959)
However, the marriage ended in a divorce in 1959, and McLaren moved to the Institute of Animal Genetics in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to continue her research. The couple remained on good terms; Michie also moved to Edinburgh. The experience of raising children as a single career parent made McLaren a strong advocate for government assistance towards childcare
Childcare
Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
.
Later career and honours
Dr McLaren spent the next 15 years (1959–1977) at the Institute of Animal Genetics, studying a variety of topics related to fertility, development and epigenetics, including the development of mouse embryonic transferEmbryo transfer
Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of assisted reproduction in which embryos are placed into the uterus of a female with the intent to establish a pregnancy...
, immunocontraception
Immunocontraception
Immunocontraception is a birth control method that uses the body's immune response to prevent pregnancy.-In humans:Experiments are undergoing to test the effectiveness of an immunocontraceptive vaccine that inhibits the fusing of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida. This vaccine is currently being...
, and the skeletal characteristics of chimera
Chimera (genetics)
A chimera or chimaera is a single organism that is composed of two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells that originated from different zygotes involved in sexual reproduction. If the different cells have emerged from the same zygote, the organism is called a mosaic...
s. In 1974, she left Edinburgh to become the Director of the MRC
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
Mammalian Development Unit in London. In 1992, she retired from the Mammalian Development Unit and moved to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, joining the Wellcome/CRC Institute, later the Gurdon Institute. She was made a Fellow-Commoner of Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
in 1991.
In 1975, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and from 1991 to 1996, she held the position of Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, the first female officer in the society's 300-year history. In 1986, she was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is a professional association based in the UK. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is, pregnancy, childbirth, and female sexual and reproductive health...
for her pioneering work on fertility. In 1989 she presented the Ellison-Cliffe Lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
. In 1993, she was created a DBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. From 1993 to 1994, she was president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
.
McLaren was a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is a UK-based independent charitable body, which examines and reports on ethical issues raised by new advances in biological and medical research...
1991-2000. In 2002, she was awarded the Japan Prize
Japan Prize
is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind."- Explanation :...
with Andrzej K. Tarkowski for their contributions to developmental biology and in 2007 she was awarded the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
The March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology is awarded once a year by the March of Dimes. It carries a $250,000 award "to an investigator whose research brings us closer to the day when all babies will be born healthy." It also includes a medal in the shape of a Roosevelt dime.- Laureates...
.
Death
Anne McLaren (aged 80) and Donald Michie (aged 83), her ex-husband, were killed in a car crash on 7 July 2007.Trivia
- As a child she also appeared in the film version of H.G. Wells' novel Things to ComeThings to ComeThings to Come is a British science fiction film produced by Alexander Korda and directed by William Cameron Menzies. The screenplay was written by H. G. Wells and is a loose adaptation of his own 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come and his 1931 non-fiction work, The Work, Wealth and Happiness...
. - In her later life, she was a member of the Communist Party of Great BritainCommunist Party of Great BritainThe Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
, which made travel to the USA difficult for a while.
See also
- Beatrice MintzBeatrice MintzBeatrice Mintz is an American female embryologist who has contributed to the understanding of genetic modification, cellular differentiation and cancer, particularly melanoma....
, a contemporary of McLaren's, who also excelled in developmental biology.