Join us for a special Kraw Lecture as Chancellor Cynthia Larive welcomes Carol W. Greider, Ph.D., recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine, to our faculty and to UC Santa Cruz.

An eminent biologist and advocate for diversity in science, Professor Grieder shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her pioneering work on telomeres and the discovery of telomerase.

Telomeres are structures made of repetitive DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, telomeres shorten by a small amount. This shortening is counterbalanced by the enzyme telomerase, which elongates telomeres by adding repetitive DNA to maintain an equilibrium in length. Increased telomere length enables the continuous proliferation of cancer cells, while telomere shortening is associated with aging and age-related diseases. Inherited telomere syndromes involving abnormally short telomeres can lead to bone marrow failure, lung disease, liver disease, and other conditions. Join us for this important talk with Professor Greider as she helps us understand telomere maintenance mechanisms at a fundamental level, and how it may allow new approaches to these diseases.