Till & McCulloch
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Working together, biologists James Till and Ernest McCulloch made significant contributions to stem cell research. While studying the effects of radiation on the bone marrow of mice at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto, they demonstrated the existence of multipotent stem cells in 1961, helping lay the foundation for modern stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
Collaboration
[edit]Till & McCulloch first published their findings of the discovery of stem cells in the journal Radiation Research.[1][2] In later work, joined by graduate student Andy Becker, they cemented their stem cell theory and published the results in the journal Nature in 1963.[3]
Till & McCulloch then expanded their research activities and mentored other young scientists, some notable. Scientists that were under the direct supervision of Till or McCulloch were members of their research group, or were co-authors of papers, including the following:
Both Till & McCulloch continued their research.
Till's focus shifted increasingly towards the evaluation of cancer therapies and quality of life issues in the 1980s. He has positions in organizations including the Stem Cell Network, Project Open Source, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and others. Among them, Till is:
- University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto
- Editorial member of the open access journal Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Founding Board member of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation
McCulloch's later research had an emphasis on cellular and molecular mechanisms affecting the growth of malignant blast stem cells from the blood of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. McCulloch died on January 20, 2011, shortly before the 50th anniversary of the publication of the 1961 paper in Radiation Research.
Recognition
[edit]Till & McCulloch have received many awards for their collaborative and ground-breaking research. Together, James Till and Ernest McCulloch were:
- Awarded the Gairdner Award in 1969[4]
- Recognized with the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 2005
- Inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2004
Their scientific work has also earned them many individual awards including:
- James Till
- 1993, awarded Robert L. Noble Prize by the Canadian Cancer Society
- 1994, made an Officer of the Order of Canada
- 2000, made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
- 2004, inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
- 2005, awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research along with Ernest McCulloch
- 2006, made a member of the Order of Ontario
- Ernest McCulloch
- 1974, made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- 1988, made an Officer of the Order of Canada
- 1999, made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
- 2004, inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
- 2005, awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research along with Jim Till
- 2006, made a member of Order of Ontario
References
[edit]- ^ McCulloch, E. A.; Till, J. E. (July 1960). "The Radiation Sensitivity of Normal Mouse Bone Marrow Cells, Determined by Quantitative Marrow Transplantation into Irradiated Mice". Radiation Research. 13 (1): 115. Bibcode:1960RadR...13..115M. doi:10.2307/3570877. hdl:1807/2782. JSTOR 3570877.
- ^ Till, J. E.; McCulloch, E. A. (February 1961). "A Direct Measurement of the Radiation Sensitivity of Normal Mouse Bone Marrow Cells". Radiation Research. 14 (2): 213–222. Bibcode:1961RadR...14..213T. doi:10.2307/3570892. hdl:1807/2781. JSTOR 3570892. PMID 13776896.
- ^ Becker, A. J.; McCulloch, E. A.; Till, J. E. (2 February 1963). "Cytological Demonstration of the Clonal Nature of Spleen Colonies Derived from Transplanted Mouse Marrow Cells". Nature. 197 (4866): 452–454. Bibcode:1963Natur.197..452B. doi:10.1038/197452a0. hdl:1807/2779. PMID 13970094. S2CID 11106827.
- ^ "1977 - 1968 - the Gairdner Foundation". Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2011-06-23.