7. Vienna Seminar of Nobel Laureates

Medicine

The seventh Vienna Seminar of Nobel Laureates took place from October 17 to 18, 2012, in collaboration with the University of Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna, the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, and the City of Vienna / Wiener Vorlesungen. Nobel laureates Sidney Altman, Elizabeth Blackburn, Günter Blobel, Martin Evans, Thomas A. Steitz, and Ada E. Yonath were invited to the thematic focus on “Medicine”.

On October 17, the laureates delivered expert lectures at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, the University of Vienna, and the Medical University of Vienna.

The following day, October 18, began with laboratory visits at the University of Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna, and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. After the “Meet the Laureates” event at the Sky Lounge of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the seminar concluded with a ceremony / Vienna Lecture and a panel discussion at Vienna City Hall.

The members of the 2012 Scientific Advisory Board were Markus Hengstschläger and Renée Schroeder.

Nobel Laureates 2012

Sidney Altman

Sidney Altman was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1939. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Thomas R. Cech for their groundbreaking discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA (Ribonucleic acid).

He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Colorado, where he initially pursued physics and later biophysics. Since 1989, he has been a professor at Yale University.

During his research into the complex sequences of processes that convert the genetic information from DNA into the production of proteins, Sidney Altman discovered an enzyme composed of a combination of RNA and protein. This discovery opened up entirely new possibilities for understanding the origin of life from relatively simple molecules.

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elizabeth Blackburn was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1948. In 2009, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak for their work in the field of telomere and telomerase research.

She studied biology at the University of Melbourne and at the University of Cambridge in England. Since 1990, she has been affiliated with the University of California in San Francisco. Currently, she holds the Morris Herzstein Professorship in Biology and Physiology at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Elizabeth Blackburn is a co-founder of Telome Health Inc., a company dedicated to exploring the connections between telomere length and the development of diseases in humans.

Günter Blobel

Günter Blobel, born in 1936 in Waltersdorf, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1999 for his discovery of the signal mechanisms embedded in proteins that control their transport and localization within the cell.

He studied medicine in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Kiel, Freiburg im Breisgau, and Tübingen. Since 1992, he has been a professor at the Rockefeller University in New York. Since 2000, Günter Blobel has held the title of Honorary Senator at the Dresden University of Technology and has been an honorary doctor at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology.

His primary research focus lies in the mechanisms of intracellular protein sorting and the exploration of ways to optimize their function.

Martin Evans

Martin Evans was born in Stroud, United Kingdom, in 1941. In 2007, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Oliver Smithies and Mario Capecchi for their research on the knockout mouse.

He studied biochemistry at Christ’s College, University of Cambridge, and at University College London, where he also taught. Since 1999, Martin Evans has been dedicated to his professorship at Cardiff University. In 2001, he received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, and in 2009, he was honored with the Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine for his contributions.

Martin Evans is recognized as a pioneer in the exploration of embryonic stem cells in mice, which are essential for generating knockout mice.Martin Evans is regarded as a pioneer in the exploration of embryonic stem cells in mice, which are essential for the creation of knockout mice.

Thomas A. Steitz

Thomas A. Steitz, born in 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada Yonath for their studies on the structure and function of the ribosome.

He studied chemistry at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and completed his Ph.D. in 1966 at Harvard University. Since 1970, Thomas A. Steitz has been teaching and conducting research at Yale University. He holds the position of Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and is an HHMI Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Thomas Steitz published the first crystal structure of the large subunit of a ribosome.

Ada Yonath

Ada Yonath was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, Israel. Alongside Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for her studies on the structure and function of the ribosome.

She studied chemistry and biochemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Since 1988, she has been a professor of structural biology at the Weizmann Institute, and since 1989, she has been the director of the Kimmelmann Center for Biomolecular Assemblies.

Ada Yonath is a pioneer in the structural elucidation of ribosomes. Through various techniques, she successfully unraveled the mechanisms of action of more than 20 antibiotics.