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Tools for genomics

Nature Medicine volume 11, pages 1029–1034 (2005)Cite this article

Genomics, in its early days, used a range of techniques that were developed to explore the composition and sequence organization of the nuclear DNA. High-throughput methods changed that, and most research in genomics is now done in factory-like laboratories, with robots doing much of the work. I have adapted to working in this way, but miss the immediacy of direct involvement with experiments. I want to see the data before the computer does. But solving problems at the bench has always given me as much enjoyment as the more cerebral aspects of science. This practical approach is, I think, deeply rooted in my childhood: I was born in the year before the outbreak of World War II, a period of austerity and 'make do and mend.' My father was a Royal Air Force aircraft mechanic, who took great pride in improvising solutions to the problems he faced daily, fixing damaged 'kites' as they limped back from their missions to his base in Reykjavik. I learned from him that if the tool for a job is not at hand, you make one. My theoretical contributions to genomics may endure longer, but I have to accept that I am better known for developing tools and it is for one of these that I am delighted to have been recognized with the Lasker Award.

The beginnings of genomics

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Figure 1: Restriction endonucleases and 'selfish DNA.'
Figure 2: Early 'publication' of the gel transfer or blot.
Figure 3: Genomes on paper—making genes visible.
Figure 4: Genomes on gels.
Figure 5: Low-technology tools for arrays.
Figure 6: Genomes on arrays.

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Acknowledgements

I have acknowledged in the text many of the colleagues who guided me, a chemist, into the complexities of biology and genetics and those with whom I enjoyed so many fruitful collaborations. One of the benefits of developing a method is that the inventor gets some of the credit for work done by others; it is a pleasure to acknowledge the generosity of the many scientists who have developed and shared new applications and improvements to the original method. Without their contributions, I would never have been in consideration for the prestigious Lasker Award. My research has been supported over the years by the Cancer Research Campaign (now Cancer Research UK), the Muscular Dystrophy Group and, especially, by the Medical Research Council. My family has indulged my obsession with science, and yet maintained a healthy and balanced life; I will always be grateful for that.

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  1. Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK

    Edwin Southern

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Southern, E. Tools for genomics. Nat Med 11, 1029–1034 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1005-1029

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