Professor Keith Campbell is a cell biologist/embryologist with 28 years scientific experience; 19 of which have been in the field of cell growth and differentiation, including 14 years working with early embryos.
After qualifying as a Medical Laboratory Technologist specializing in Medical Microbiology, he attended Queen Elizabeth College London where he obtained a BSc (Honors) in Microbiology. During this time, Campbell initiated his interests in the cell cycle and cellular growth. Following brief locum positions, he joined the Marie Curie Institute which funds basic research into the underlying causes and mechanisms of cancer.
In 1983 Campbell was awarded the Marie Curie Research Scholarship. He attended the University of Sussex to continue his studies on cell growth and differentiation. There he studied the cytoplasmic mechanisms that control the segregation of genetic material during the development of amphibian eggs, early embryos and cell growth and division in yeast. He was awarded a D.Phil. for his thesis titled "Aspects of Cell Cycle Control in Yeast and Xenopus."
On completion of these postgraduate studies, Campbell moved to Scotland to continue his work on the control of cell growth and differentiation. Following two postdoctoral positions he joined the Roslin Institute in 1991 where he applied his knowledge to the production of mammalian embryos by nuclear transfer. In 1995, this research led to the birth of Megan and Morag, two Welsh Mountain lambs. These were the first mammals to be cloned from cultured differentiated cells. In 1996, these experiments were repeated and extended resulting in the birth of Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult derived somatic cell.
The aims of all of these studies were to understand the basic mechanisms underlying cellular differentiation and to provide a means for the precise genetic modification of farm animal species. Campbell's work, in collaborative studies with PPL Therapeutics, resulted in the birth of Polly, the first transgenic mammal to be produced by nuclear transfer from a cell line genetically modified in culture.
Previously a consultant for PPL Therapeutics, Campbell left the Roslin Institute in 1997 to become Head of Embryology at PPL. His aims were to accelerate the benefits of transgenic technology in the field of human medicine and to further understand the mechanisms underlying embryo development and cellular differentiation. These goals were realized by the production of a number of transgenic animals producing therapeutic proteins. In July 1999, the first gene targeted lambs were born, followed in March by the first piglets cloned from somatic cells.
In 2000, Campbell published "Dolly," an explanation of the story of Dolly and the use of transgenic animals. In 1999, Campbell became Professor of Animal Development at the University of Nottingham. Following a successful grant application, the laboratory received œ2 million infrastructure funding from the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC and HEFCE. These funds equipped the laboratories to International standards.
Campbell has now formally left PPL Therapeutics, and he continues to research into the basic mechanisms underlying development and differentiation. He uses transgenic animals both as models for research and for therapeutic proteins and pursues interests in stem cell based therapies and the cell cycle.
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