Michael Smith was born in 1932, with Blackpool, in England, of a working-class family and died in 2000. One of its professors wakes up his interest for chemistry. It is registered with the Université of Manchester to carry out a baccalaureat in sciences and takes part then in a research postdoctorale with the Université of the Colombia-British. Gobind Khorana, its mentor, gained itself a Nobel Prize (in medicine) for its research in 1968.

Michael Smith developed a technique allowing to transform the Gène S by reorganizing the small molecules called Nucléotide S which compose genes. The redisposition of nucleotides in a gene causes a change. Surprisingly, the article giving a report on its discovery, Mutagenèse directed , is initially refused by one of the principal erudite reviews.

Before the advent of this technique, it was impossible to carry out a change on a given gene.

Michael Smith made gift of her purse of the Nobel Prize to research on schizophrenia, the center Science World British Columbia and the Company of Canadian in science and technology.

Since 1994, the the Council of research in natural science and genius of Canada gives the Prix Michael-Smith to citizens and Canadian organizations which make the promotion of sciences.

Quotation of Michael Smith:

• It is really necessary to like to make research. That must be what one wants to do in the life, because when one launches out in an unexplored field, it is necessary to work hard. The things always do not go as it is wished. It is necessary to be persevering.

External bonds

• Prizes winner of the Nobel Prize of chemistry 1993
• Autobiography on the site of the Foundation Nobel

March 20th 1986 -->