Nobel Laureate Craig Mello to Inspire Students at Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative Event in Maryland
Press Release – 2013-11-04
Nobel Laureate Craig Mello to Inspire Students at Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative Event in Maryland
On 4-5th November 2013, Maryland will host a visit from Dr. Craig Mello, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Mello will be participating in the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, a global program that brings Nobel Laureates to universities and research centers, to inspire and engage scientists at all stages of their career.
Dr. Mello is an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, but on this trip, Dr. Mello will speak to young scientists at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and at Johns Hopkins University, giving a lecture in each institute, entitled “”A Worm’s Tale: Secrets of Inheritance and Immortality”. He will also take part in several round-table discussion sessions with students and faculty. A visit to MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca,is also scheduled in Gaithersburg, providing an opportunity for early-stage and senior scientists to meet and interact with Dr. Mello.
When asked why he was so keen to be involved in the Initiative, Dr. Mello said,
“The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative is a unique way to interact with a host of engaged students, academics and industry leaders, so I am delighted to be taking part in the Baltimore-Gaithersburg event. I am most looking forward to the interactions with students, and I am certain that we will have some interesting and exciting discussions over my two-day visit.”
The Initiative is organized by Nobel Media, the company managing media rights for the Nobel Prize, in partnership with AstraZeneca, a global innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that focuses on scientific leadership as a key strategic priority. The partners have conducted similar events in China, India, Europe, Russia and the US.
Speaking about the Initiative and their role in this event, Dr. Bahija Jallal, Executive Vice President, MedImmune said,
“At MedImmune, our scientists are driven by a shared goal, to develop innovative medicines that improve patients’ lives. The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative unites the worldwide scientific community in pursuit of this same goal, and we’re honoured that our scientists will have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Mello’s experience and insight.”
The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative also collects the content from each event, and shares it as a series of short, inspirational clips on a new website http://www.nobelprizeinspirationinitiative.org/, bringing the initiative to a truly global audience of scientists.
You can also follow the Initiative on Twitter – @NobelPrizeii – or Facebook
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About Nobel Laureate Craig Mello
Dr. Craig C. Mello is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States, and holds the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and is Co-Director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. Mello shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. Andrew Fire, for their “discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) – gene silencing by double-stranded RNA.”
RNAi is often referred to as the search engine of cell and it allows researchers to rapidly “knock out” the expression of specific genes and to thus define the biological functions of those genes. RNAi also provides a potential therapeutic avenue to silence genes that contribute to disease.
Before the Nobel Prize, Dr. Mello’s work on RNAi was recognised with several awards including the National Academy of Sciences Molecular Biology Award, the Canadian Gairdner International Award, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Award, and the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
About the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative and Nobel Media AB
The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative is a global program that brings Nobel Laureates to universities and research centers to inspire and engage young scientists, the scientific community and the general public by sharing the exciting stories about the Nobel Laureates and their Nobel Prize-awarded achievements. The Initiative is organized by Nobel Media AB, the company managing media rights for the Nobel Prize. Please visit: http://www.nobelprizeinspirationinitiative.org
Nobel Media®, Nobel Prize® are registered trademarks of the Nobel Foundation.
For further information, contact:
Nobel Media AB
Adam Smith
Editorial Director
Email: adam.smith@nobelmedia.se
Tel: +44(0)20 7428 0822