Dr Mary-Claire King - Infinite Women

Born: 27 February 1946, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA

Groundbreaking breast cancer researchers transcript

The following is republished from the Badass Womxn and Enbies in the Pacific Northwest Volume 3, in line with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. It was written by Muntaha Sohail (she/her).

In the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Mary-Claire King’s work serves as an important bridge between science and social justice. Dr. King grew up in Chicago and pursued a degree in mathematics at Carleton College before deciding to obtain her Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. She then opted to continue her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, San Francisco. From 1976 until 1995, she was a professor at UC Berkeley. Since 1995, she has been a key figure at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she is the American Cancer Society Professor.

Her decision to pursue a career in cancer research was partially influenced by the loss of her childhood friend from cancer. Her work has been at the forefront of genetic discoveries ever since. Dr. King’s important discovery of the BRCA1 gene in 1990 transformed the medical world for breast cancer. This gene when mutated, can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer from a mere 8% to 80% or more. This major discovery has revolutionized the development of genetic testing tools that can assist at-risk women in taking preventative measures, saving countless lives around the world.

In addition to her work on breast cancer, Dr. King has studied the genetics of schizophrenia, pediatric genetic illnesses, and the evolutionary relationships between humans and chimpanzees. Her research demonstrated that humans and chimpanzees share 99% of DNA sequences. Her work was not only fascinating, but it also added to the understanding of human biology and humans relationship with natural evolution.

Dr. King is also dedicated to human rights. She used her genetic expertise to reconnect families of the disappeared in Argentina. She worked with the Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers to create new DNA testing techniques in order to identify and return kidnapped children to their proper families, as well as having a role in the first case of wartime victim identification using DNA sequencing. Her work has highlighted the importance of science in promoting justice and healing communities ripped apart by political violence.

Her time in Seattle has been distinguished not only by significant scientific achievements, but also by her unwavering support of using science as a tool for the common good. Her work has had a considerable impact on health policies and practices, both locally and globally, impacting how genetic research is carried out and utilized in real-world situations around the world. She has also won countless awards throughout her career.

Dr. King’s journey from a mathematics enthusiast in Chicago, to a renowned geneticist and human rights campaigner in Seattle, shows a life dedicated to uncovering genetic secrets and fighting for justice. Her story is about more than simply scientific achievements, it also exhibits the immense impact that one person has on society by combining scientific research with compassion for humanity.

The following is republished from the National Cancer Institute. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).

Long before scientists completed mapping the human genome in 2003, geneticist Mary-Claire King discovered BRCA1, the first gene for a hereditary form of breast cancer.

That feat in 1990 helped explain why some women who carried mutations in this gene saw their lifetime risk for developing breast cancer rise from 8% to over 80%. Although Dr. King and her colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, did not clone the gene, they laid the groundwork for genetically testing at-risk women for BRCA1 to reduce or prevent malignancies from developing.

The arduous hunt for a genetic link in breast cancer took 17 years to complete. It began in the early 1970s when NCI allowed Dr. King to add a question on family history to its epidemiological study on oral contraceptives and breast cancer risk. Accessing data on over 1,500 women with breast cancer and comparing it to 1,500 cancer-free women enabled her to develop a statistical model supporting the hypothesis that errors in one or more dominantly inherited genes in families accounted for their higher disease risk.

In 1995, scientists identified a second breast-cancer gene, BRCA2, and showed that women inheriting mutations in this or BRCA1 have increased susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancers. Preventive solutions involving prophylactic removal of the breasts or ovaries and fallopian tubes to cut cancer risk have been described by Dr. King as “not pretty,” but she supports widespread genetic screening to save women’s lives.

The cancer death of a childhood friend led in part to her decision to pursue a career in cancer research. Ever since, she’s been at the forefront of genetic discoveries, including helping to demonstrate that humans and chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA, and for applying DNA gene sequencing techniques to identifying victims of human rights abuses.