Sir John Gurdon (1933-2025) #

We have received the sad news that Sir John Gurdon passed away a few days ago at the age of 92.

Sir John Gurdon MAE has been a prominent member of Academia Europaea since 1991, in the Section of Cell and Developmental Biology. In that same year, Sir John Gurdon, together with Ron Laskey MAE, founded the Institute of Cell Biology and Cancer, later renamed as the Gurdon Institute at Cambridge University. His visionary work dates back to the 60’s when he carried out the classical experiments of direct transfer of somtic cell nuclei to oocytes. These groundbreaking experiments demonstrated that mature cell nuclei can be reprogrammed, a seminal discovery that deserved the award of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with Shinya Yamanaka. Those who had the chance of working close to him coincide in that Sir John Gurdon was an inspiring scientist and colleague. The scientific community, and in particular the Academia Europaea, will miss Sir John Gurdon and will be in debt with him for his long-lived contributions to cell and developmental biology.

Crisanto Gutierrez, Chair of the Cell and Developmental Biology Section