Zickler Lecture 1993
Zickler Lecture - 1993
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
About the Zickler Lecture Series / Past Zickler Lecturers
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THE FIFTH ANNUAL ZICKLER LECTURE
SYDNEY BRENNER, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetic Medicine Analysis of Genomes Tuesday, November 9, 1993 |
About
the Speaker
ydney Brenner was born in 1927 in Germiston , South Africa . He attended the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa , and received his D.Phil. from Oxford University in 1954. He served as Lecturer in Physiology at the University of Witwatersrand from 1955-56, then returned to England to join the staff of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge . From 1979-86, he served as Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and, from 1986-89, as Director of the Molecular Genetics Unit. He is currently a Visiting Member of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla .
Brenner's initial investigations were concerned with the transfer of information from DNA to protein. Using theoretical and experimental approaches, he played a pivotal role in defining the functions of transfer RNA as an adaptor molecule for converting a nucleotide sequence into a protein sequence, messenger RNA as the information-carrying molecule, and ribosomal RNA as the factory for protein synthesis. He was instrumental in defining the nature of the nucleotide triplet code and elucidating the general nature of mutagenesis in which single base changes in DNA are manifested as modified proteins or lead to the absence of the protein. In addition to these remarkable contributions, histories of this exciting period reveal that Brenner catalyzed other important advances in genetics through his stimulating intellect and discussions with scientific colleagues.
In the late 1960's, Dr. Brenner decided to study a simple organism in which the principles of molecular genetics could be applied to investigations of the nervous system. Towards this end, he began his investigations of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . In the ensuing 20 years, the cellular development of C. elegans has been mapped to a degree unmatched in any other metazoan, and the application of modern genetics to this organism has provided a molecular rationale for the developmental program. A large number of the investigators who now work in this area are descendants of the Brenner lab.
Dr. Brenner has received numerous honors for his achievements, including the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the Royal Medal of the Royal Society and the Gardiner Foundation Award. He has been awarded honorary degrees from universities throughout the world and is a member of the Royal Society and an Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences.