Well hello, Dolly
TWENTY-FIVE years on, this is the revolutionary story of the men and women who created the sheep that changed the world forever – Dolly.
Told by the scientists who created her, it takes us through how Dolly was made, using controversial research and techniques previously thought impossible.
It combines unprecedented access and archive to tell the human story behind the sheep that became the rock star of science.
It all begins in the early 90s, on a small Scottish sheep farm, where a handful of the world’s best genetic scientists had been working in secret for over a decade, to crack cloning.
Roslin Institute is now one of the top research labs in the world, but in 1997 it was largely unknown.
However it did have a rising star in animal breeding, Ian Wilmot. He worked alongside Keith Campbell, a specialist in cell technology who had a crazy theory that could bring Dolly to life.
When Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, research centres like this were asked to prove their economic contribution – so, having just made the cut, they decided to explore genetic engineering.
In the 80s, scientists had taken a growth gene from a rat and injected it into a mouse egg. The result? Giant mice.
Dr Alan Colman, Roslin research director and molecular biologist at the time, says: “What would happen if we manipulated human eggs? Everyone could be a great basketball player. People said ‘You’re playing God’.”
But being able to pinpoint specific genetic mutations meant being able to combat disease, and the institute decided to get on board.