The Power of an Idea: Andrew Wyllie
We have lost a giant. When one mentions apoptosis, one thinks Andrew Wyllie. When one thinks of cell death, one thinks apoptosis. The concept of cell death as an important biological phenomenon, has a long history, but the image and biology of apoptosis now dominate all previous concepts. Whether one considers death to be programmed, to be an alternate form of death—necroptosis, ferroptosis, and several other variants, apoptosis is the standard by which they are evaluated.
Cell death had been known since the 19th C. John Kerr had since 1965 been calling attention to what he described as “shrinkage necrosis,” referring to the collapse of a dying cell, very unlike the osmotic lysis that would be predicted from a cell’s having lost control of its ion pumps, taking in water, and bursting. These ideas they hovered quietly in the thinking of developmental biologists and others aware that cell death was often predictable. Then John Kerr went to the University of Aberdeen on sabbatical leave, where he worked with Alastair Currie and the then junior Andrew Wyllie. The three, realized how common and ignored this type of death could be, frequently appearing in tumors, mild intoxications, and elsewhere. They called attention to this issue by choosing a name that resembled “mitosis” and argued this point in a 1972 review emphasizing the commonality of cell death, the flat declaration based in the title of the now-famous publication in Br. J. Med, “Apoptosis: A Basic Biological Phenomenon with Wide-Ranging Implications in Tissue Kinetics,” followed in 1980 by a likewise influential review in Int. Revs Cytol. entitled, “Cell death. The significance of Apoptosis”. Even more than their bold and somewhat aggressive statement, it was the choice of a word that stayed in everyone’s mind and ultimately became a shibboleth that defined the field.
As is often the case, it is the word that catches the imagination and makes the idea memorable. And memorable it became: Well over 700,000 publications, with Andrew Wyllie being cited 42,000 times. This salesmanship characterized Andrew. While continuing to lead the field, for instance being among the first to associate the now-famous DNA ladder with apoptosis, he also acted as the spokesman for the field, presenting the argument and pushing for its acceptance at cancer and hematology meetings and in many other venues.
Professor Wyllie was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Society, and the Royal College of Pathologists as well as the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Wyllie was one of the Founder Member of the British Academy of Medical Science. During his life, he was awarded numerous recognitions including, as an example, the Hans Bloemendal Award, the Bertner Award, the Scheel Award, the Canada Gairdner Foundation International Award. At the personal level, Andrew was a pure gentleman. Andrew trained a number of students, attracting them to the beauty of science. He passed away in Cambridge at his home; Hilary, his wife, as well as his three children and a grandchild were at his side.
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