Statement on the death of Professor Sir Ian Wilmut

It has been confirmed that Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, founding director of the Centre for Regenerative Medicine, has passed away at the age of 79. His family has asked that the media and public respect their privacy at this time.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Sir Ian Wilmut. He was a titan of the scientific world, leading the Roslin Institute team who cloned Dolly the sheep - the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell - which transformed scientific thinking at the time. This breakthrough continues to fuel many of the advances that have been made in the field of regenerative medicine that we see today.  

“Our thoughts are with Ian’s family at this time.”