Imagine coming up with a great idea, only to have someone else take credit for it. Frustrating, right? Now, what if that idea was a foundational scientific breakthrough that helped others win a Nobel Prize, and you were left uncredited? This is the story of Rosalind Franklin.
Franklin’s name might not be as familiar as her colleagues James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. They won the Nobel Prize in 1962 for discovering the structure of DNA. Their accomplishment relied heavily on a crucial piece of evidence found by Franklin—an X-ray image indicating DNA’s double helix form. The image was shared with Wilkins, and later Watson and Crick, without Franklin’s permission. The three men then used the image to further their own research, eventually winning the Nobel without crediting Franklin.
Franklin lived and worked at a time when women’s contributions in science, and many other fields, were undervalued. Her brilliance was overshadowed by bias. If Franklin had made her discovery today, would her story play out the same way? Hopefully not.
In 2020, for the very first time, an all-female team won a Nobel prize in science. Ironically, their discovery also involved DNA. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier developed a revolutionary gene-editing technology, CRISPR-Cas9, that enables precise modifications to DNA.
Their findings have significant implications in pediatrics and beyond: helping with the development of new cancer therapies, curing genetic diseases, eliminating bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and much more. Doudna and Charpentier’s discovery wouldn’t have been possible without Franklin’s work many decades earlier.
So now you know Rosalind Franklin’s name, and a bit of her story. Her contributions to science shouldn’t just be a historical footnote. They’re a foundation on which modern breakthroughs are being built. Her work, along with the groundbreaking achievements of scientists like Doudna and Charpentier, continues to transform medicine, continues to improve and save lives here in Minnesota and around the world.
So, I hope you’ll agree. Rosalind Franklin is a person worth remembering and celebrating.
Marc Gorelick, MD
President, chief executive officer
Marc Gorelick, MD, is the former president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Children’s Minnesota. He is deeply committed to advocacy issues that impact children’s health, sustainability and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.
Learn more about his book, “Saving Our Kids: An ER Doc’s Common-Sense Solution to the Gun Crisis.” All proceeds from the book will be invested back into Children’s Minnesota gun violence prevention work.
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