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 was born on December 8, 1947. He is an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989. He shared this award with Sidney Altman. They discovered that RNA, a molecule similar to DNA, can act like a tiny tool.
Cech found that RNA can actually cut and change other RNA strands. This idea suggested that early life might have started with RNA. He showed that RNA does not just carry instructions. It can also act as a catalyst, which means it can speed up important chemical reactions.
He also studied telomeres. These are special caps at the ends of our chromosomes. His lab found an enzyme called TERT. This enzyme helps to fix telomeres after they get shorter when cells divide.
From 2000 to 2008, Cech was the president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. There, he worked to improve science education. He also teaches chemistry to college students at the University of Colorado.
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Early Life and Education
Thomas Cech was born in Chicago. His family had roots in Czech Republic. He grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. When he was in junior high, he was very curious. He would visit geology professors at the University of Iowa. He asked them about crystal structures, meteorites, and fossils.
Cech was a top student and received a special scholarship. He went to Grinnell College in 1966. There, he studied many subjects. These included Homer's Odyssey, Dante's Inferno, and constitutional history. Of course, he also studied chemistry. He met his wife, Carol Lynn Martinson, in an organic chemistry lab. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1970.
In 1975, Cech finished his PhD in chemistry. He earned it at the University of California, Berkeley. That same year, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There, he did more research after his PhD. In 1978, he got his first teaching job. This was at the University of Colorado. He taught chemistry and biochemistry to students. He is still a professor there today.
From 2000 to 2008, Cech led the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland. He also kept running his biochemistry lab at the University of Colorado. In 2008, he decided to step down from his leadership role. He wanted to go back to teaching and research full-time. Back in Boulder, Cech became the first leader of the BioFrontiers Institute. He held this position until 2020. He also taught general chemistry to new college students.
In June 2024, Cech published a book. It is called The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets.
Discovering RNA's Role
Cech's main research looks at how cells make copies of their genetic code. This process is called transcription. It happens in the nucleus of cells. He studies how the instructions in DNA are copied into RNA.
In the 1970s, Cech was studying RNA in a tiny organism. This organism is called Tetrahymena thermophila. He was looking at how RNA molecules are processed. During his research, he made an amazing discovery. He found that an RNA molecule could cut and join itself. This process is called splicing.
In 1982, Cech showed something new. He proved that RNA molecules are not just simple carriers of information. They can also act as catalytic tools. This means they can help speed up reactions inside cells. RNA molecules help with many important cell processes. These include processing RNA and making proteins.
RNA enzymes are known as ribozymes. They have become a new tool in gene technology. They also have the potential to become new medicines. For example, they can destroy harmful viral RNAs.
Research on Telomeres
Cech's second big research area is telomeres. These are like protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes. Chromosomes hold our DNA. Every time DNA is copied, telomeres get a little shorter. They need to be lengthened again to protect the DNA.
He studies an enzyme called telomerase. This enzyme helps to copy the telomere sequences. It makes them longer again. The active parts of telomerase are a type of enzyme called reverse transcriptases. Scientists used to think these enzymes were only found in viruses.
Telomerase is very active in about 90% of human cancers. Because of this, scientists think that a medicine that stops telomerase could help treat cancer.
Awards and Recognition
Thomas Cech's important work has earned him many awards. In 1987, he became a lifetime professor for the American Cancer Society. He received the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in 1988. He also won the Heineken Prize and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 1988.
In 1989, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In 1990, he received the Golden Plate Award. In 1995, he was given the National Medal of Science.
Cech was also chosen to be part of important groups. He joined the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1987. In 1988, he joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2001. In 2007, he received the Othmer Gold Medal. This award is for great contributions to chemistry and science.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Robert Cech para niños
- History of RNA biology
- List of RNA biologists
