MODEL RELEASED. Professor Lewis Wolpert (born 1929), South African developmental biologist. Lewis Wolpert is well known for his research in embryonic development. He has shown that a specific set of molecules (growth factors) coordinate the cells that form parts of the body. For example, BMPs (bone morphogenetic proteins) are growth factors that are involved in the formation of bone and cartilage. Wolpert was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1980 and awarded an OBE in 1990. He is also an author and broadcaster. He wrote the international bestseller Malignant Sadness in 2000. The book was turned into the British TV series A Living Hell shortly afterwards, which he presented.