In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1946
- Birthplace
- Chicago area, Illinois, United States
- Country
- United States
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Mapping inherited breast-cancer susceptibility to the BRCA1 region and applying genetics to human-rights identification
Why this life matters
Her research linked statistical evidence, family histories and molecular tools while preserving the distinction between mapping a gene’s region and identifying the gene itself.
Timeline
Key moments
Born near Chicago
King was born in the Chicago area.
Chromosome17 linkage
Her team reported a region associated with early-onset familial breast-cancer susceptibility.
Joined Washington
Moved from Berkeley to the University of Washington.
Mathematics opened a route into genetics
Mary-Claire King was born in the Chicago area in 1946. She studied mathematics at Carleton College, graduating in 1966, before undertaking doctoral work in genetics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research with Allan Wilson connected molecular comparisons with evolutionary questions. Postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco, preceded a Berkeley faculty career from 1976 to 1995. The combination of mathematics and biology became especially important when her work turned to patterns of inherited disease in families.
A difficult question about inherited susceptibility
King investigated whether some families carried an inherited predisposition to breast cancer. The question was complicated because a common disease can appear in relatives for different reasons, and not every family necessarily shares the same genetic cause. Her programme connected family histories with statistical and molecular analysis. The Lasker account describes the prolonged search that led to a region on chromosome 17. This was a research effort to locate inherited susceptibility, not a claim that every breast cancer had one identical cause.
Sources for this section: [3]
A region located before a gene was isolated
The 1990 paper by King’s team reported linkage between early-onset familial breast-cancer susceptibility and a marker in chromosome17q21. Its analysis distinguished family groups rather than claiming one result applied uniformly to all disease. A subsequent review still described efforts to isolate the responsible gene, making the historical sequence clear. The mapping result supplied a location to investigate; the later isolation of BRCA1 answered another molecular question. Conflating those stages obscures both the achievement and the work that followed.
Genetics beyond a single disease programme
King joined the University of Washington in 1995. Her research has included inherited hearing loss, neurological disorders and the development of genetic tools for human-rights investigations. Work with families seeking missing relatives demonstrated another use of molecular evidence: establishing biological relationships when records or testimony were insufficient. She received the 2014 Lasker–Koshland Award for contributions to medical science and human rights. Her career therefore extends beyond one gene, combining methods for studying inheritance with attention to the human questions those methods can help answer.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Mary-Claire King
- Did the 1990 paper isolate BRCA1 itself?
- No. It mapped inherited susceptibility to a chromosome region; isolating and characterising the gene was a later stage.
- Was King’s work limited to breast cancer?
- No. Her programme also includes other inherited disorders and genetic methods used in human-rights identification.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Barbara McClintock
Compare different genetic questions and experimental systems, from chromosome behaviour to inherited susceptibility in families.
- John Sulston
Compare a linkage map used to locate a region with a genome sequence used as a molecular reference.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. University of Washington Division of Medical GeneticsMary-Claire King: biography and research
- 2. Lemelson–MITMary-Claire King
The institutional summary’s human/chimp genome-percentage claim is not used; the biography only notes molecular comparative research.
- 3. Lasker FoundationBreast cancer genetics and human rights
- 4. Hall and colleagues, including Mary-Claire King / ScienceLinkage of early-onset familial breast cancer to chromosome17q21
Mapping in 1990 is distinguished from later gene isolation. The coauthor J.M.Hall is not linked to the circadian Jeffrey C.Hall profile.
- 5. Mary-Claire King / Hospital PracticeLocalization of the early-onset breast cancer gene