Campus Connection

UWL presentation to feature Mario Capecchi

In 1941, Mario Capecchi was four years old, homeless and wandering the streets of Italy amid war. More than 65 years later, he became a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine. He’ll share his path to a life in sciences during a public lecture at UW-La Crosse. Capecchi will speak on “Making of a Scientist: An Unlikely Journey” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, in the Brian and Lori Hesprich Auditorium in Graff Main Hall. Capecchi will also give a scientific seminar related to his Nobel-Prize winning work. He’ll present “Gene Targeting into the 21st Century: Mouse Models of Human Disease from Cancer to Neuropsychiatric Disorders” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, in the Brian and Lori Hesprich Auditorium, Graff Main Hall. Capecchi spent his early childhood living on the streets and in orphanages in Italy during World War II after his mother was incarcerated as a political prisoner. He was malnourished and hospitalized when his mother found him after the war on his 9th birthday. Capecchi and his mother then moved to the U.S. to live with his aunt and uncle. Given the opportunities here, he went on complete grade school and higher education, eventually becoming molecular geneticist. He is best known for his pioneering work on the development of gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem cells. He was co-awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Capecchi’s research on gene targeting has given scientists a new tool to target and mutate specific genes in mice. These genetically modified mice can then be studied to understand the function of different genes. Ultimately, understanding gene modification in mice can be applied to understand human diseases. “Not only have Dr. Capecchi's scientific contributions revolutionized biomedical research by creating technology to link genes to disease processes in mice, but he has an incredibly compelling personal story to tell,” says Peter Wilker, UWL assistant professor of Microbiology. “I, like thousands of other investigators, have applied the technical approaches developed by Dr. Capecchi to my own research. His work truly transformed how scientists could experimentally define the role of individual genes, and it will be interesting to hear his perspective on what the future holds.” Capecchi is a professor of biology at the University of Utah and professor of human genetics at University of Utah School of Medicine. His visit is part of the UWL Distinguished Speaker Series in the Life Sciences. Major sponsors of Capecchi’s visit include the College of Science and Health and the Robert McMahon, MD Fund of the Gundersen Medical Foundation. Capecchi has received many other awards for his scientific contributions including:

• Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2001)
• National Medal of Science (2001)
• March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology (2005)
• American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist Award (2008)
• American Association of Cancer Research Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)

To request disability accommodations, contact Susan Betts, 3002 Cowley Hall, 608.785.6960 or email sbetts@uwlax.edu.  

If you go —

What: Public lecture: “Making of a Scientist: An Unlikely Journey” When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 Where: Brian and Lori Hesprich Auditorium in UWL Graff Main Hall Admission: Free What: Scientific seminar: “Gene Targeting into the 21st Century: Mouse Models of Human Disease from Cancer to Neuropsychiatric Disorders” When: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 Where: Brian and Lori Hesprich Auditorium, UWL Graff Main Hall Admission: Free