Anne McLaren

Dame Anne Laura Dorinthea McLaren, (26 April 1927 – 7 July 2007) was a British scientist who was a leading figure in developmental biology. She paved the way for women in science and her work helped lead to human in vitro fertilisation (IVF). She left an enduring legacy marked by her research and ethical contributions to the field. She received many honours for her contributions to science, including election as fellow of the Royal Society. At the outbreak of World War II, she was 12 years old and her family moved to their estate at Bodnant, North Wales.

Married life and early career On 6 October 1952, she married fellow student Donald Michie. In 1958, she published a landmark Nature paper with John D. Biggers reporting the first successful development and birth of mice embryos that were first recovered from naturally fertilized females at the 8–16 cells stage, then cultured in vitro for two days until the blastocyst stage, and finally transferred back to females' uterus until birth. This paper, "Successful Development and Birth of Mice cultivated in vitro as Early Embryos", has been called "one of the most significant papers in the history of reproductive biology and medicine". This was a highly productive time in her life and she contributed to 28 papers. receiving her first major award that same year. The Zoological Society of London's Scientific Medal, recognized her leading role in developing techniques for blastocyst transfer into recipient mice.

Research While obtaining her doctorate in philosophy, she investigated the mechanisms of virus infection on the nervous system. From 1991 to 1996, she held the position of Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society and from 1992 to 1996 the position of vice-president; she was the first female officer in the society's 330-year history.

In 2001, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Developmental Biology. In 2002, she was the only female recipient awarded the Japan Prize with Andrzej K. Tarkowski for their contributions to developmental biology.

Legacy Anne McLaren's collaboration with Marilyn Monk and Elizabeth Simpson significantly advanced our modern understanding of sex determination and male fertility.

Her book "Mammalian Chimeras," published in 1976, solidified her as one of the world's leading experts in chimeras.

There is a fund in the name of Anne McLaren for encouragement of scientific study. Cambridge University's Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine was opened at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in 2009.

On 26 April 2021, Google celebrated her 94th birthday with a Google Doodle.

There is an Anne McLaren Award for scientific excellence and associated lecture at Kellogg College Oxford. The college also has a guest accommodation building named in her honour.

Obituaries