The 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to three scientists for their contributions to the "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells."NobelPrize.org: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007 The process, known as gene targeting, was developed by Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans, and Oliver Smithies. The discovery will serve a vital role in helping researchers determine a specific gene's role in embryonic development, adult physiology, aging and disease.

1. Born: October 6, 1937 in Verona, Italy
2. Alma Mater: Antioch College and received a PhD from Harvard University
3. Professor of biology and human genetics at the University of Utah

1. Born: January 1, 1941 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
2. Alma Mater: University of Cambridge and received a PhD from University College, London
3. Teaches at Cardiff University

1. Born: June 23, 1925 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
2. Alma Mater: Balliol College, Oxford and received a PhD at University of Oxford
3. Teaches at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill