Joe Caspermeyer, Media Relations Manager & Science Editor
(480) 727-0369 | joseph.caspermeyer@asu.edu
January 22, 2008
Dr. Andrew Fire, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, visits Biodesign
Dr. Andrew Z. Fire, professor of pathology and genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and 2006 winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, will present a lecture on Friday, January 25, at 3 p.m. in the Biodesign Institute’s main auditorium.
In 1998, Fire, along with Craig Mello, discovered a new mechanism for controlling the flow of genetic information. This mechanism, called RNA interference (RNAi), is responsible for switching off genes. RNA interference is a widespread basic biological phenomenon, occurring in all plants, animals and humans.
The discovery turned the field of molecular biology on its ear, challenging its “central dogma” of genetic information flow in the cell. In this process, DNA makes the chemical messenger RNA, which in turn, makes protein, the workhorse of the cell. Fire and Mello showed RNA had a secret double life, uncovering a new class of RNAi molecules that had the unusual ability to destroy a messenger RNA with a matching sequence of nucleic acids, thus halting gene expression and protein production.
RNAi not only can shut down the function of individual genes, but also participates in the cell’s defense of viral infections. From Fire and Mello’s initial discovery, RNAi has developed into an entirely new scientific field, and is an important and exciting tool widely used in biomedicine to study the function of genes. RNAi technology may also lead to novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Researchers are investigating RNAi to develop treatments for viral infections, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other conditions.
Dr. Fire’s lecture: “Genomic Identity and Genome Defense: Some new approaches and old mysteries surrounding biological response to genetic change,” is hosted by the institute’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology.
