Mary-Claire King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary-Claire King
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Mary-Claire King in 2016
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| Born | February 27, 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Carleton College University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Francisco |
| Known for | Breast cancer gene discovery Forensic genetics for human rights |
| Awards | Gruber Prize in Genetics (2004) Heineken Prize (2006) Weizmann Award (2006) Pearl Meister Greengard Prize (2010) Lasker Award (2014) National Medal of Science (2014, awarded 2016) Shaw Prize in Medicine (2018) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Human genetics |
| Institutions | University of Washington, University of California, Berkeley |
| Thesis | Protein polymorphisms in chimpanzee and human evolution (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Allan Wilson |
Mary-Claire King (born February 27, 1946) is an American geneticist. She is a scientist who studies human genetics, which is how traits are passed down through families. She was the first person to show that breast cancer can be inherited. This happens because of changes, called mutations, in a gene she named BRCA1.
Mary-Claire King also discovered that humans and chimpanzees are almost identical genetically. They share 99% of their genes! She is also famous for using DNA to help find victims of human rights abuses. For example, in Argentina, she helped identify children who were taken from their families. She has won many important awards, like the Lasker Award and the National Medal of Science.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Becoming a Scientist
Mary-Claire King was born on February 27, 1946, in Wilmette, Illinois. When she was 15, her best friend died from cancer. This sad event made Mary-Claire want to study science. She hoped to learn how to prevent and treat illnesses like cancer.
College and Early Studies
Mary-Claire King went to Carleton College. She earned her first degree in mathematics in 1967. After that, she went to the University of California, Berkeley for graduate school.
While at Berkeley, she became involved in protests. She helped organize events against the Vietnam War. She even took a short break from university to work for Ralph Nader. She investigated how pesticides affected farm workers.
Switching to Genetics
When she returned to Berkeley, her advisor, Allan Wilson, convinced her to study genetics. She had learned about genetics from a great professor named Curt Stern.
For her PhD, Mary-Claire King studied the genes of chimpanzees and humans. She found that they are 99% genetically the same. This discovery supported the idea that humans and chimpanzees separated from a common ancestor about five million years ago. She finished her PhD in genetics in 1973.
Work in Chile
After Berkeley, King went to Santiago, Chile to teach. This was part of a special exchange program. However, her time there was cut short. The government in Chile was overthrown by a military coup in 1973. Mary-Claire King and her husband returned to the U.S.
In 1974, she started working at the University of California, San Francisco. Here, she began to research why breast cancer often runs in families.
Family Life
Mary-Claire King married Robert K. Colwell in 1973. They had a daughter named Emily King Colwell in 1975. Emily later studied how languages change over time. Mary-Claire and Robert divorced in 1983.
Career Highlights
Mary-Claire King became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1976. She taught genetics and epidemiology there until 1995. Then, she moved to the University of Washington. There, she became a professor for the American Cancer Society.
Important Research
Finding the Breast Cancer Gene
From 1974 to 1990, Mary-Claire King worked very hard. She was looking for a specific genetic marker. This marker would show if breast cancer was likely to appear in families. At that time, many scientists thought cancer was caused by viruses. They didn't believe that genes played a big role in common diseases.
However, King kept going. Her team found that breast cancer could be linked to a major gene. This gene made some people much more likely to get breast cancer. They looked at many genetic markers. They noticed that families where cancer appeared at a young age showed a stronger link to this gene.
In 1991, King officially named this gene BRCA1. Her discovery was a huge step forward. It helped other scientists find the exact sequence of the gene. Later, another gene, BRCA2, was also found.
These two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are like cleanup crews for your cells. They help fix cells that are damaged. If these genes don't work properly, cells can grow too fast. This can lead to certain types of cancer.
King's discovery changed how scientists study many diseases. Her methods helped researchers understand other illnesses too. Thanks to her work, people can now get genetic information. This helps them make informed choices about their health.
Understanding Hearing Loss
Since 1990, King has also studied hearing loss and deafness. She works with scientists around the world. They found the first gene linked to deafness that doesn't involve other health problems. This gene is called DFNA1.
King works with scientists in Israel and Palestine. Hereditary deafness is common in some communities there. This allows them to study the genetics of this condition. Their work helps understand the many different genes that can cause hearing loss.
Studying Schizophrenia
Mary-Claire King is also very interested in schizophrenia. This is a complex brain disorder. She and other scientists have found that schizophrenia might be linked to changes in genes. These changes are called copy number variations (CNVs). They happen in parts of the genes that affect brain development.
Human Diversity and History
King has also worked on the Human Genome Diversity Project. This project studies the genetic differences among people. It helps us understand human evolution and how people moved around the world long ago.
Solving Historical Mysteries
King is known for using DNA to identify people. She uses DNA from teeth, especially mitochondrial DNA. She helped identify the remains of the Russian royal family, the Romanovs, in 1991.
Human Rights Work
Finding Missing Children in Argentina
Mary-Claire King first used her genetics skills for human rights in 1984. She worked with a group called Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo) in Argentina. During a difficult time called the "Dirty War" (1976–1983), many children were taken from their families. Their parents were often people who disagreed with the government and later disappeared. These children were then illegally adopted by military families.
The "grandmothers" marched every week to demand their grandchildren back. King's technique used DNA from dental samples. This helped prove who the children's biological families were. In 1984, Argentina's highest court accepted King's DNA test. This set a precedent for reuniting many families with their stolen children.
Identifying Victims of Violence
Since 1984, King's DNA identification method has been very important. In 1993, she used it to identify victims of a massacre in El Mozote, El Salvador. More than 750 people, including children, were killed and buried in mass graves.
King has worked with many human rights groups. She has helped identify missing people in countries like Argentina, Chile, and Rwanda. Her lab has also helped the U.S. Army and the United Nations.
King also believes that genes should not be patented. She thinks that genes are natural products and should be available to everyone. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with this in 2013.
Awards and Honors
Dr. King has received many awards for her scientific and humanitarian work. Some of these include:
- 2021, Canada Gairdner International Award
- 2020, William Allan Award
- 2018, Shaw Prize in Medicine
- 2016, National Medal of Science
- 2014, Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science
- 2006, Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Medicine
- 2004, Gruber Prize in Genetics
She has also received many honorary degrees from universities around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Mary-Claire King para niños
