Michael Smith
Born: April 26, 1932
Died: October 4, 2000
Place of Birth: Blackpool, England
Major Notes:
Michael Smith as a youth faced the hardships of living through World War II in England.
He struggled with his early education but did pursue and attained a Ph.D. from Manchester University.
Smith moved to Vancouver so he could study with Gobind Khorana, another molecular researcher at the University of British Columbia.
Michael Smith joined the University of British Columbia in 1966 as a professor of biochemistry.
Smith made a remarkable discovery but had trouble convincing fellow scientists.
Michael Smith was awarded a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993 for his research dealing with reprogramming segments of DNA.
His discovery is central to manipulating the coding sequence of DNA.
Using Smith's work, scientists were able to do more to understand and change genetic structures in combating diseases.
Smith used the funds from his Nobel Prize to help those working with schizophrenia.
Michael Smith's honours included being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
For detailed research and more information, check out any of the following:
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
Science.ca
University of British Columbia
Nature.ca
Nobelprize.org
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
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Last Updated: February 18, 2011
© Canada-Heros/Don Jones 2003-2011
