Mary F. Lyon (1925–2014)

Dr. Lyon’s discovery, published in Nature in 1961, of the fundamental process of X-chromosome inactivation (known as Lyonization) was one of the 20th century’s first major insights into genetic control mechanisms. Her achievement made possible our current understanding of the nature of X-linked birth defects, cancer, and other human diseases. Dr. Lyon’s pioneering research has had an enormous and lasting impact on the fields of medical genetics and molecular biology. In 2003, the Medical Research Council named its new state-of-the-art facility the Mary Lyon Centre in her honor.