ABOVE: Kathryn Anderson
JULIANA THOMAS/MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
Kathryn Anderson, a developmental biologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center known for her work detailing the genetics of early embryogenesis, died November 30 at age 68.
Throughout her scientific career, Anderson used rigorous genetic screening assays to identify mutations suspected of disrupting cell division and differentiation in model systems. Having identified a gene of interest, she would then turn to a technique known as forward genetics, creating model organisms such as fruit flies and mice with a particular phenotype to better understand its molecular underpinnings. Using these tools, Anderson made important contributions to scientists’ understanding of several genetic pathways—most notably the Toll and Hedgehog pathways—required for proper development of these animals.
“Kathryn was fearless and very open-minded,” Tatiana Omelchenko, a senior research scientist in Anderson’s lab who uses confocal microscopy to do live imaging of mouse embryos, tells The Scientist. ...
