Jack W. Szostak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Szostak
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Szostak at the 2024 Nobel Prize lectures
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Jack William Szostak
November 9, 1952 |
| Citizenship | Canada, United States |
| Alma mater | McGill University (BSc) Cornell University (PhD) |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry Genetics Synthetic Biology Bioengineering |
| Institutions | University of Chicago (2022) Harvard Medical School Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| Thesis | Specific binding of a synthetic oligonucleotide to the yeast iso-1 cytochrome c̲ mRNA and gene (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Ray Wu |
| Notable students | David Bartel Jennifer Doudna Hiroaki Suga Neha Kamat Terry Orr-Weaver |
Jack William Szostak (born November 9, 1952) is a Canadian-American biologist. He is a Nobel Prize winner and a professor at the University of Chicago. He used to teach at Harvard Medical School. Szostak has made very important discoveries in the field of genetics. His work helped scientists understand how to find and change genes in living things. This research was also key to the Human Genome Project. In 2009, he won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He shared this award with Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol W. Greider. They were honored for finding out how telomeres protect chromosomes.
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Early Life and Learning
Jack Szostak grew up in Canada, in the cities of Montreal and Ottawa. He finished Riverdale High School (Quebec) at the young age of 15. He then earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in cell biology from McGill University when he was 19.
He continued his studies and received his PhD in biochemistry from Cornell University. After that, he started his own research lab at Harvard Medical School. In 1988, he became a full professor at Harvard Medical School. In 2022, he moved to the University of Chicago. There, he became a university professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Amazing Discoveries in Genetics
Szostak has made many important contributions to the study of genetics. He is famous for building the world's first yeast artificial chromosome. This was a huge step forward. It helped scientists create maps of where genes are located in mammals. It also led to new ways of working with genes. His discoveries were very important for the Human Genome Project. This project aimed to map all the genes in humans.
His research also helped explain how chromosomal recombination happens. This is when genes get mixed up during a process called meiosis. He also helped us understand the job of telomeres. Telomeres are special DNA parts found at the ends of chromosomes.
In the early 1990s, his lab started studying RNA enzymes. These are special RNA molecules that can act like tools. He developed a method called "in vitro evolution of RNA." This method helps scientists find RNA molecules that can do specific jobs. He also found the first aptamer, which is a molecule that can bind to a specific target.
Understanding Life's Beginnings
Today, Jack Szostak's lab is trying to figure out how life first started on Earth. They are also working to build artificial cells in the lab. They study how early RNA molecules might have copied themselves before living things had complex enzymes.
Szostak and his colleague, Katarzyna Adamala, found a way to solve two big problems. They showed how to protect RNA from damage by magnesium ions. They also found a way to keep cell membranes stable in the presence of these ions. They did this by adding a weak acid called citric acid.
Jack Szostak also gives talks about the origin of life. He spoke at the first Starmus Festival in 2011. He later joined the festival's board of directors.
In September 2022, Szostak joined the University of Chicago. He now leads a new program called the Origins of Life Initiative. This program brings together different areas of science to study how life began.
Awards and Recognition
Jack Szostak has received many awards for his important work. He is a member of several important science groups. These include the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Here are some of the awards he has received:
- United States National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology
- Hans Sigrist Prize
- Genetics Society of America Medal
- The 2006 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- The 2008 Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics
- The 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (shared with Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol W. Greider)
- The 2011 Oparin Medal
The Alfred Nobel Foundation explained his Nobel Prize work: "An organism's genes are stored within DNA molecules. These are found in chromosomes inside its cells' nuclei. When a cell divides, it is important that its chromosomes are copied completely. It is also important that they are not damaged. At each end of a chromosome is a 'cap' called a telomere. This cap protects the chromosome. Elizabeth Blackburn found that telomeres have a special DNA. Then, she and Jack Szostak proved in 1982 that this telomere DNA stops chromosomes from breaking down."
Personal Life
Jack Szostak is married to Terri-Lynn McCormick. They have two sons. He also has two sisters, Carolyn Szostak and Kathy Hysen.
See also
In Spanish: Jack Szostak para niños
