From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Professor Sir Alec John
Jeffreys,
FRS, (born in
9 January
1950 at
Luton in
Bedfordshire) is a
British
geneticist, who developed
techniques for
DNA fingerprinting and
DNA profiling.
After graduating from
Oxford University, he moved to
Leicester University in
1977, where he developed
genetic fingerprinting. DNA
fingerprinting uses variations in
the
genetic code to identify
individuals. The technique has
been applied in
forensics for law enforcement,
to resolve paternity and
immigration disputes, and can be
applied to non-human species, for
example in wildlife
population genetics studies.
Jeffrey's DNA technique was
used in the first regional screen
of human DNA to identify the
rapist and killer of two girls in
Narborough,
Leicestershire in 1983 and
1986.
Colin Pitchfork was identified
through the screen and convicted
of murder after samples taken from
him matched
semen samples taken from the
two dead girls.
Jeffreys refined his DNA
fingerprinting technique, by
developing
DNA profiling based on highly
variable
minisatellites in the human
genome. DNA profiling therefore
focused on just a few of these
highly variable minisatellites,
making the system more sensitive,
more reproducible and amenable to
computer databasing. With highly
automated and sophisticated
equipment, the modern-day DNA
fingerprinter can process hundreds
of samples a day. Jeffreys' DNA
profiling technique was the basis
for the
UK National DNA Database (NDNAD)
launched in
Britain in
1995. Under British law,
anyone arrested has their DNA
profile stored on a database. The
DNA information of 3 million
people is now stored on that
database. Jeffreys has opposed the
current use of his invention,
where the government have access
to that database, and has instead
proposed a database of all
people's DNA, whose access would
be controlled by an independent
third party.
[1]
Jeffreys and his team are now
studying the effects of chronic
irradiation such as that which has
followed the melt down of the
nuclear reactor at
Chernobyl. Other areas of
interest include analysis of
human genome instability and
recombination processes by
single
gamete and transgenic
approaches. He is also
investigating the effects of
ionising radiation on germline
mutation.
He was elected an
FRS in
1986, and declared
Midlander of the Year in
1989. He was made a
freeman of the
City of Leicester in
1992, and was
knighted in
1994. In 1996, he was awarded
the
Albert Einstein World Award of
Science. He was awarded the
Australia Prize in
1998. In 2004 he was awarded
his
D.Sc. by the University of
Leicester and the
Royal Medal by the
Royal Society. In 2005 he was
awarded the
Lasker Award for clinical
medical research, with
Edwin Southern of
Oxford University.
