Beyond the Double Helix:
Spring Lecture Series Planned at Boston Museum of Science
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (January 23, 2003) — Save the dates for this year's spring lecture series at the Boston Museum of Science, March 5, 12, and 19. This year's series, "Beyond the Double Helix," will feature Whitehead researchers who are taking a variety of new approaches to elucidate how genes and proteins coordinate cell activity and, in some cases, cause disease.
All lectures are free and open to the public. Talks begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by refreshments at the Museum.
On March 5, Rick
Young and Trey Ideker will discuss how researchers
are using new tools and a holistic "systems"
approach to describe the complex cell circuitry that
makes life possible. Young and Ideker will present how
researchers can use these cellular blueprints to better
understand the "Script for Life" and more
precisely determine what goes wrong in disease.
On March 12, Whitehead Director Susan
Lindquist will discuss how there is "More than
Meets the Genome" when it comes to controlling
cell activity. Lindquist will tell the other half of
the double helix story, presenting research that suggests
that proteins have the ability to fine tune the instructions
embedded in a cell’s genetic code.
On March 19, Bob
Weinberg and Mark
Daly will discuss, from two unique perspectives,
how scientists are using genetics to understand disease.
Weinberg will present the ways that genetic research
impacts our approach to studying and understanding cancer.
Daly will discuss how new genomic technologies and computational
analysis are aiding in the hunt for disease-causing
genes.
This year, the topic is particularly timely, as scientists around the world prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA's double helix structure. The MOS lecture series is just one of many events being held in the Boston/Cambridge area this spring to commemorate Watson and Crick's discovery and highlight new frontiers in biological research. |
