Cell Membranes, Cell Secretion and Their Connection to Human Diseases

Randy Schekman, Ph.D.
2013 Nobel Prize Winner
UC Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
7:00 – 8:00 pm, BCC Auditorium

2013 Nobel Prize winner Randy Schekman, Ph.D. will present “Cell Membranes, Cell Secretion and their Connection to Human Diseases,” 7-8 p.m., Wed., Oct. 8 at Berkeley City College’s auditorium, 2050 Center St. The free and open to the public event is sponsored by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Berkeley City College’s Biotechnology Program. Dr. Shekman is a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley.

How do different cellular proteins “read” molecular signposts to find their way inside or outside of a cell? For the past three decades, Randy Schekman has been studying membrane-bound sacs, or vesicles, as they move within a cell. Using a brilliantly conceived genetic screen, he established biochemical reactions that reproduced specific secretory pathways and isolated the first purified inter-organelle transport vesicles.

Dr. Schekman is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 2006 to 2011, he was editor-in-chief of the Proceedings of the NAS and currently is editor-in-chief of the open access journal eLife. He was awarded the Eli Lilly Award in microbiology and immunology, the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award in basic biomedical science, the Gairdner International Award, the Amgen Award of the Protein Society, the Albert Lasker Award in Basic Medical Research and the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize of Columbia University.

In 2013, Randy Schekman, who is a professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, jointly with Tomas Südhof and James Rothman for their contributions to understanding vesicle trafficking.

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine