Carol Greider, 2009 Nobel Prize Winner

Carol Greider, who won the 2009 Nobel Prize for discovering the DNA-protective enzyme telomerase, will speak in Davis and Sacramento as the 2011 UC Davis School of Medicine Nelson Lecturer.

There are two opportunities to hear her address, titled “Telomerase and the Consequences of Telomere Dysfunction” on Wednesday, Oct. 12: at noon in the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, in Davis, or at 5 p.m. in the Education Building of UC Davis Health System, 4610 X St., in Sacramento.

Greider, who grew up in Davis, is a molecular biologist devoted to studying the biochemistry of telomeres, which are the ends of chromosomes. She was a graduate student at UC Berkeley when she first suspected telomeres could play big roles in protecting DNA. Her curiosity led to her groundbreaking discovery of telomerase, the enzyme that maintains telomeres and keeps chromosomes from degrading. This outcome also earned her the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and catalyzed an explosion of studies that probe connections between telomerase, telomeres and health.

Greider currently is the Daniel Nathans Professor and director of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is exploring the role of telomeres and telomerase in cancer and age-related disease.

Both lectures are free and open to the public. To reserve a place, e-mail specialevents@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu or call 916-734-9101.

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