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Elizabeth BlackburnAmerican cytogeneticist
Date of Birth: 26.11.1948
Country:  Australia |
Content:
- Elizabeth Blackburn: A Pioneer in the Field of Cytogenetics
- Education and Early Career
- Discovery of Telomerase
- Notable Achievements
- Research and Influence
- Honors and Awards
- - American Cancer Society Medal of Honor
- - Wilson Medal from the American Society for Cell Biology
- - Gruber Prize in Genetics
- 2012
Elizabeth Blackburn: A Pioneer in the Field of Cytogenetics
Born in Hobart, Australia on November 26, 1948, Elizabeth Blackburn is an American cytogeneticist who has made significant contributions to the understanding of chromosomes and their protection.
Education and Early Career
Blackburn earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She pursued her doctorate at the University of Cambridge, England, receiving her Ph.D. in 1975. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, she joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley in 1978, working in the Department of Molecular Biology.
Discovery of Telomerase
In 1985, Blackburn, along with Carol Greider, made a groundbreaking discovery by isolating the enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is responsible for protecting the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, which shorten with each cell division. This discovery has implications for understanding aging and cancer development.
Notable Achievements
Blackburn's work has garnered numerous awards and accolades. In 2009, she received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Greider and Jack Szostak, for their work on telomeres and telomerase. She was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007.
Research and Influence
Blackburn has held leadership positions at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), including chairing the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Her research has helped advance the fields of molecular biology and cancer biology.
Honors and Awards
1990- NAS Award in Molecular Biology
- Harvey Society Lecturer at the Harvey Society in New York
1991
- Honorary Doctor of Science from Yale University
1998
- Australia Prize
- Gairdner International Award
- Charles-Leopold Mayer Prize
1999
- Rosenstiel Award (with Carol Greider)
- Harvey Prize
- Keio Prize
- California Scientist of the Year
2000
- American Association for Cancer Research - G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award
- American Cancer Society Medal of Honor
- Dickson Prize2001
- AACR-Pezcoller Foundation International Award for Cancer Research
- General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize
- Wilson Medal from the American Society for Cell Biology
2003- Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Medical Research Award
2004
- Heineken Prize
2005
- Benjamin Franklin Medal
2006
- Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak)
- Gruber Prize in Genetics
- Wiley Prize- Meyenburg Prize
2007
- Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (with Carol Greider and Joseph Gall)
2008
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science
- Albany Medical Center Prize
- Pearl Meister Greengard Prize
2009
- Mike Hogg Award
- Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak)
2012
- American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal2013
- Schrödinger Lecture (Imperial College London)
2015
- Royal Medal
