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Kevin Eggan (born 1975 in Normal, Illinois) is Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University He is best known for his stem cell research; he led the team of researchers that developed a method of converting human skin cells into embryonic stem cells. These discoveries reshaped debate in the United States Congress, with opponents of the use of embryonic stem cells from fetuses arguing that Eggan's method of creating stem cells from skin could be used instead.

Education

Eggan completed a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Illinois. He applied to medical school, was accepted, but deferred in favor of a two-year research stint at the National Institutes of Health. He pursued a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for fall entry in 1998.

Eggan began to explore this process and also the finding that cloned animals often develop abnormally, with organ defects and immunological problems. After finishing his PhD in 2002, Eggan split his time between a postdoc with Jaenisch and a collaborative project with Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize–winning scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

In August 2004, Eggan came to Harvard to begin a junior fellowship.; he is now Assistant Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology and assistant investigator of Stowers Medical Institute.

In 2006, Eggan initially worked with Melton on diabetes, and then planned to focus on neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Stem Cell Research

Eggan says his research goals at Harvard are twofold: One is to understand how nuclear transplantation actually works, and the other is to make stem cells that carry genes for specific diseases. He hopes to use these cells to study neurodegenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Eggan was the senior author of a group of Harvard scientists that created cells similar to human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, a major step toward someday possibly defusing the central objection to stem cell research.

Matthew Helper of Forbes.com writes:

Eggan's technique provides a window into exactly what happens to turn back the clock in cells during cloning--and, indeed, in the normal process of creating sperm, eggs and embryos. Somehow, aging is reversed, and old cells become young again. As Schatten puts it, the one-way freeway of life has an exit ramp. Understanding what happens when the cell is reprogrammed is one of the main goals of studying embryonic stem cells. But right now, the only way to solve that problem is to clone embryos, which is a difficult and expensive process.

Publications

His five most highly cited publications are:

  • Humpherys, D; Eggan, K; Akutsu, H; Hochedlinger, K; Rideout, WM; Biniszkiewicz, D; Yanagimachi, R; Jaenisch, R. "Epigenetic instability in ES cells and cloned mice": Science, 293 (5527): 95-97 JUL 6 2001, Times Cited: 288
  • Rideout, WM; Eggan, K; Jaenisch, R. "Nuclear cloning and epigenetic reprogramming of the genome. Science, 293 (5532): 1093-1098 (2001). Times Cited: 250
  • Eggan, K; Akutsu, H; Loring, J; Jackson-Grusby, L; Klemm, M; Rideout, WM; Yanagimachi, R; Jaenisch, R. "Hybrid vigor, fetal overgrowth, and viability of mice derived by nuclear cloning and tetraploid embryo complementation," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 98 (11): 6209-6214, May 22 2001. Times Cited: 191
  • Humphreys, D; Eggan, K; Akutsu, H; Friedman, A; Hochedlinger, K; Yanagimachi, R; Lander, ES; Golub, TR; Jaenisch, R. "Abnormal gene expression in cloned mice derived from embryonic stem cell and cumulus cell nuclei." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99 (20): 12889-12894 (2002). Times Cited: 157
  • Bortvin, A; Eggan, K; Skaletsky, H; Akutsu, H; Berry, DL; Yanagimachi, R; Page, DC; Jaenisch, R. "Incomplete reactivation of Oct4-related genes in mouse embryos cloned from somatic nuclei" Development, 130 (8): 1673-1680 (2003) Times Cited: 143

Awards

  • Winner of Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award in 2003 sponsored by the Basic Sciences Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Honored in Popular Science's fourth annual "Brilliant 10" in 2005
  • Technology Review Magazine's "Innovator of the Year" in 2005
  • MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" in 2006


References

  1. Andrew Rimas (2006-07-03). "Biologist Kevin Eggan; He sees stem cells as a solution". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  2. Ceci Connolly (2005-08-23). "Stem Cell Advance Muddles Debate; Work May Stall Efforts To Lift Research Limits". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  3. Erika Check (2004-09-07). "Stem-cell research: The rocky road to success Tackling the legal and ethical minefield associated with human embryonic stem-cell research is not for the faint-hearted. ". Nature. 437: 185–186. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |title= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 46 (help)
  4. Gina Kolata (2004-08-24). "Stem Cells: Promise, in Search of Results". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  5. "Approval granted for Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers to attempt creation of disease-specific embryonic stem cell lines". The Harvard University Gazette. 2006-06-06. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  6. "Kevin Eggan: Steps Towards Stemming Disease". Harvard University Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology News. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  7. Matthew Herper (2007-05-24). . Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  8. Gareth Cook and Carey Goldberg (2005-08-22). "Harvard scientists advance cell work; technique doesn't destroy embryos". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  9. Elisabeth Eaves and Michael Noer (2007-05-24). "The Revolutionaries". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  10. Matthew Helper (2005-08-23). "Turning Skin Into Stem Cells". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  11. Kevin Eggan Wins Harold M. Weintraub Grad Student Award
  12. Marissa Newhall (2005-09-13). "'Brilliant' minds honored". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  13. "B-N native awarded MacArthur 'genius' grant". Associated Press via pantagraph.com. 2006-09-19.

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