Thomas Cech facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Cech
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Cech in 2005
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| Born | December 8, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, US
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| Education | Grinnell College (B.A., 1970) University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 1975) |
| Known for | Ribozyme, Telomerase |
| Awards | Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry (1985) Newcomb Cleveland Prize (1986) NAS Award in Molecular Biology (1987) Rosenstiel Award (1988) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1989) National Medal of Science (1995) Othmer Gold Medal (2007) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Colorado, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| Thesis | Characterization of the most rapidly renaturing sequences in the main band DNA of the mouse (Mus musculus) (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | John E. Hearst |
Thomas Robert Cech (born December 8, 1947) is an American chemist. He won the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman. They were honored for finding that RNA can act like an enzyme.
Before their discovery, scientists thought only proteins could be enzymes. Enzymes are special molecules that speed up chemical reactions in living things. Cech showed that RNA, which usually carries genetic information, can also do this important job. These special RNA molecules are called ribozymes.
Cech's work suggested that early life on Earth might have used RNA for both storing information and speeding up reactions. He also studied telomeres, which are protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. His lab found an enzyme called telomerase. This enzyme helps keep telomeres long, which is important for healthy cells.
Thomas Cech also led the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. There, he worked to improve science education. He still teaches chemistry to college students at the University of Colorado.
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Becoming a Scientist
Thomas Cech was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. Even when he was young, he loved science. In junior high, he visited geology professors at the University of Iowa. He asked them about crystals, meteorites, and fossils.
In 1966, Cech went to Grinnell College. He studied many subjects, including history and chemistry. He met his future wife, Carol Lynn Martinson, in a chemistry lab. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1970.
Cech earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975. After that, he did more research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Teaching and Research Career
In 1978, Thomas Cech became a professor at the University of Colorado. He taught chemistry and biochemistry to students. He is still a professor there today.
From 2000 to 2009, Cech was the president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). This is a large organization that supports scientific research. Even while leading HHMI, he continued his own research at the University of Colorado.
In 2008, Cech announced he would leave HHMI. He wanted to focus more on teaching and research. He returned to the University of Colorado. There, he became the first leader of the BioFrontiers Institute. He also taught chemistry to new college students.
Amazing Discoveries in Cells
Cech's main research focused on how cells use DNA to make RNA. This process is called transcription. He studied how RNA molecules are put together inside cells.
The Discovery of Ribozymes
In the 1970s, Cech was studying a tiny organism called Tetrahymena thermophila. He was looking at how its RNA molecules were processed. He made an amazing discovery: an RNA molecule could cut and join itself! This was a huge surprise.
Before this, scientists thought only protein enzymes could do such work. In 1982, Cech showed that RNA molecules are not just passive carriers of genetic information. They can also act as catalytic enzymes. These RNA enzymes are now called ribozymes.
Ribozymes are important for many cell processes. They help process RNA and build proteins. They have also become useful tools in gene technology. Scientists are even exploring if ribozymes could be used as new medicines. For example, they might help destroy harmful viral RNAs.
Understanding Telomeres
Cech's second major research area was on telomeres. Telomeres are like protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes. Chromosomes hold our genetic code. Every time a cell divides, its telomeres get a little shorter.
Cech studied an enzyme called telomerase. This enzyme helps to copy and lengthen telomeric sequences. Without telomerase, telomeres would get too short. This could stop cells from dividing or even lead to cell damage.
Scientists found that telomerase is very active in many human cancers. This means that a medicine that could stop telomerase might help treat cancer. Cech's research helped us understand this important process.
Awards and Recognition
Thomas Cech's groundbreaking work has earned him many awards. These include:
- The American Cancer Society lifetime professorship (1987)
- The Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (1988)
- The Heineken Prize (1988)
- The Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award (1988)
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1989), shared with Sidney Altman
- The Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1990)
- The National Medal of Science (1995)
- The Othmer Gold Medal (2007)
He was also elected to important scientific groups. These include the United States National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
See also
- History of RNA biology
- List of RNA biologists
