Edwin Southern

Infobox Scientist
name = Sir Edwin Southern

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birth_date = 1938
birth_place = United Kingdom
nationality = British
death_date =
death_place =
field = Biochemistry
work_institutions = University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh
alma_mater =
known_for = Inventor of the Southern blot
prizes = Gairdner Foundation International Award (1990),
Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research (2005)Professor Sir Edwin Mellor Southern, FRS (born 1938)cite journal
url = http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/naturemedicine/southern_NM.pdf | title = Tools for genomics| first = Edwin |last = Southern |journal = Nature Medicine: Commentary |issue = 10 |volume = 11|month= October |year =2005|accessdaymonth = 19 December |accessyear = 2007 | format = Dead link|date=May 2008 | pages = xviii-xiii] is a 2005 Lasker Award-winning molecular biologist. His award is for the invention of the Southern blot, now a common laboratory procedure, when he was working at the University of Edinburgh. Professor Southern is Professor of Biochemistry (Emeritus) at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Trinity College. He was made a Knight Bachelor in the June 2003 Birthday Honours for services to the development of DNA Microarray Technologies.

Southern is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford Gene Technology. He is also the founder and chairman of a Scottish charity, The Kirkhouse Trust, which aims to promote education and research in the Natural Sciences, particularly the biological and medical sciences. In addition the Edina Trust was founded to promote science in schools. These charities are financed using royalty income from licensing microarray technology.

outhern blot

The Southern blot is used for DNA analysis and was routinely used for genetic fingerprinting and paternity testing prior to the development of microsatellite markers for this purpose. The procedure is also frequently used to determine the number of copies of a gene in the genome. The concepts of the Southern blot were used in the development and creation of the modern microarray slide, which is a promising experimental tool. The northern blot is a similar procedure for RNA, playing off the Southern name. The western blot is a further pun on the Southern blot, but is an important research tool in protein detection.

Awards

In 1990 Southern was one of the winners of the Gairdner Foundation International Award. [cite web |url = http://www.gairdner.org/winners.html |title = List of winners |publisher = The Gairdner Foundation |accessdaymonth = 19 December |accessyear = 2007 ] In 1998 he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society of London. [cite web |url = http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1750 |title = Royal recent winners| publisher = The Royal Society|accessdaymonth = 20 December |accessyear = 2007 ] In 2005 he was awarded the prestigious Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research,cite web
url = http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/2005_c_accept_southern.htm
title = 2005 Albert Lasker Award - Acceptance remarks by Edwin Southern
accessdaymonth = 19 December |accessyear = 2007 |publisher = Lasker Foundation] jointly with Alec Jeffreys of the University of Leicester for his invention of the Southern blot.cite web
url = http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/2005clinical.shtml
title = 2005 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
accessdaymonth = 19 December |accessyear = 2007 |publisher = Lasker Foundation] In 2005 he was also awarded the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities Award for outstanding contributions to Biomolecular Technologies. [cite web |url = http://www.abrf.org/index.cfm/group.show/ABRFAward.5.htm|title = ABRF Award
accessdaymonth = 19 December |accessyear = 2007 |publisher = Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities] Ed is arguably one of the best scientists who participated in the molecular biology revolution. His teaching style was socratic and very stimulating. Always modest, he encouraged students to approach problems from first principles while avoiding the cloud of preconceived notions.

References

External links

* [http://www.ogt.co.uk/ Oxford Gene Technology]
* [http://www.kirkhousetrust.org/ The Kirkhouse Trust]
* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Southern%20EM%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus A list of his scientific publications] (Pubmed)
* [http://science.bard.edu/biology/ferguson/course/bio310/student_presentations/Southern_1975.pdf A web page on Southern blotting (with his photograph)]