Utah's Nobel Laureate

Utah’s Nobel Laureate

Mario Capecchi, advancing understanding of neuro-diseases

The University of Utah’s Nobel laureate, Mario Capecchi, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Human Genetics at the University of Utah, presented a Frontiers of Science lecture on Tuesday, November 13 on campus. Capecchi, who joined the Biology faculty in 1973, did much of his Nobel Prize-inspired “gene-targeting” in the School, then a department, using a custom-designed micro-manipulator which allowed him to inject DNA directly into the nuclei of mouse cells. The historic equipment used by Capecchi has been put on permanent display in the lobby of the Aline Skaggs Biology Building where the lecture took place.

Gene targeting allows the designed modification of any gene in the mouse genome. Since genes impact all biological functions, the methodology can be used to study any biological phenomena common to mammals.

Capecchi’s illustrated presentation was titled “The Role of Microglia in OCD Spectrum Disorders.” Ruth V. Watkins, newly installed University President, welcomed the overflow crowd and remarked on the history of what is now the School of Biological Sciences as well as the history of the Frontier of Science series founded by Peter Gibbs, age 93, who was in attendance with his family.

In his talk, Capecchi discussed modeling of a neuropsychiatric disorder—obsessive compulsive (OCD) spectrum disorder—in the mouse. His analysis provides the unexpected conclusion that microglia—immune cells in the brain—normally control specific brain circuits, and that defective microglia results in

aberrant behavior very similar to the human OCD spectrum disorder known as trichotillomania.

The Nobel Prize tops a long list of awards and recognitions for Capecchi, including the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, and the National Medal of Science. Capecchi also was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and the European Academy of Sciences in 2002.

The Frontiers of Science lecture series is sponsored by the College of Science and the College of Mines and Earth Sciences. The Capecchi lecture was hosted by The School of Biological Sciences.