20 December 2013 | 18:16

Kazakhstan-born Mitalipov among Nature's Top 10 scientists of 2013

Shoukhrat Mitalipov

Kazakhstan-born Shoukhrat Mitalipov is among the Top 10 scientists, who have made the most significant breakthroughs this year, according to Nature scientific magazine. Former resident of Kazakhstan Shoukhrat Mitalipov, who currently works at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, the United States, was the first scientist to clone a monkey. He was born in Almaty oblast and got postgraduate education in Moscow, Russia. Since 2007 the reproductive biologist has been working to create new special stem cells from human embryos capable to curing a range of diseases. In 2010, for the first time in history, the US Institutional Review Board (IRB) issued a license for clinical tests with human eggs and embryos. As a result the group of scientists led by Mitalipov successfully cloned four cell lines in 2012. The Kazakhstan-born scientist has also found a way to prevent transfer of incurable genetic disorders from mother to child. He is now planning to start clinical tests of his development and is awaiting the federal approval. Russian Viktor Grokhovsky, a member of Russian Science Academy Committee for Meteors from Ural Federal University, also entered the Top 10 scientists, who made the most significant breakthroughs. He calculated the exact location of the biggest chunk of Chelyabinsk meteorite that fell into the Chebarkul Lake in February 2013. The weight of the chunk found on the spot he specified made 570 kg. Neuroscientist Feng Zhang from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge made it into the list with his DNA-editing mechanism that corrects genetic diseases. Nature also included US virologist Deborah Persaud, who proved that complete cure of babies born HIV positive is possible. Chinese virologist Hualan Chen got into the Top 10 because she managed to stop a outbreak of H7N9 avian flu. Michel Mayor, Swiss astronomer, who discovered Kepler-78b that is the planet most alike the Earth found so far, entered the Nature's Top 10 of the great scientist as well.

Kazakhstan-born Shoukhrat Mitalipov is among the Top 10 scientists, who have made the most significant breakthroughs this year, according to Nature scientific magazine. Former resident of Kazakhstan Shoukhrat Mitalipov, who currently works at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, the United States, was the first scientist to clone a monkey. He was born in Almaty oblast and got postgraduate education in Moscow, Russia. Since 2007 the reproductive biologist has been working to create new special stem cells from human embryos capable to curing a range of diseases. In 2010, for the first time in history, the US Institutional Review Board (IRB) issued a license for clinical tests with human eggs and embryos. As a result the group of scientists led by Mitalipov successfully cloned four cell lines in 2012. The Kazakhstan-born scientist has also found a way to prevent transfer of incurable genetic disorders from mother to child. He is now planning to start clinical tests of his development and is awaiting the federal approval. Russian Viktor Grokhovsky, a member of Russian Science Academy Committee for Meteors from Ural Federal University, also entered the Top 10 scientists, who made the most significant breakthroughs. He calculated the exact location of the biggest chunk of Chelyabinsk meteorite that fell into the Chebarkul Lake in February 2013. The weight of the chunk found on the spot he specified made 570 kg. Neuroscientist Feng Zhang from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge made it into the list with his DNA-editing mechanism that corrects genetic diseases. Nature also included US virologist Deborah Persaud, who proved that complete cure of babies born HIV positive is possible. Chinese virologist Hualan Chen got into the Top 10 because she managed to stop a outbreak of H7N9 avian flu. Michel Mayor, Swiss astronomer, who discovered Kepler-78b that is the planet most alike the Earth found so far, entered the Nature's Top 10 of the great scientist as well.

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