Mario Capecchi
The University of Utah scientist who shared the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the method that produces knockout mice.
| Born | October 6, 1937, in Verona, Italy. Wikipedia |
|---|---|
| Current role | Distinguished Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and professor of human genetics at the University of Utah, where he runs a lab. University of Utah |
| Prize | Shared the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies for discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice using embryonic stem cells. Nobel Prize |
| Utah since | 1973, when he joined the University of Utah. Wikipedia |
Early life
During World War II, when he was about four and a half, Capecchi was separated from his family and for years fended for himself, sometimes living on the streets or in orphanages. His mother found him in a hospital in Reggio Emilia, and the family then emigrated to the United States to live with his uncle. University of Utah
He studied at Antioch College in Ohio and Harvard, where he earned his doctorate in 1967 under James Watson. DNA Learning Center
Gene targeting and knockout mice
In the early 1980s Capecchi found that DNA inserted into mammalian cell nuclei could be incorporated into the cell's genome. DNA Learning Center That work led to gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem cells, the method behind knockout mice, in which a chosen gene is switched off so researchers can study what it does. Nobel Prize
He has also studied the mouse Hox gene family, which helps direct how an embryo's body is laid out from head to tail. Wikipedia
Honors
Wikipedia lists, among others, the National Medal of Science (2001), the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences (1996), the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2001, shared) and the Wolf Prize in Medicine (shared). He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator since 1988. Wikipedia
A main road through the University of Utah campus, Mario Capecchi Drive, is named for him. University of Utah
Related
Not yet verified
His current lab funding and active research projects, and the exact year each honor was conferred beyond the Nobel Prize. We list honors as reported by a secondary source and will replace them with primary pages as they are checked.