As a boy in New Jersey, Stanley Cohen was interested in atomic physics, but a biology teacher in high school inspired his interest in genetics. He went on to study biology at Rutgers, and received an MD degree at Penn. In 1968, Cohen came to Stanford, and in 1973, he and Herbert Boyer at UCSF invented the technique of DNA cloning, which allowed genes to be transplanted between different biological species. Their discovery was revolutionary, signaling the birth of genetic engineering, and fueling the growth of the entire biotech industry.

Cohen and his team are currently studying mechanisms by which viruses and bacteria exploit genes and genetic pathways of host cells in order to produce disease. His numerous honors and awards include the National Medal of Science, the National Medal of Technology, the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the Wolfe Prize in Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and is past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Society of Medical Friends of Wine. He is also quite accomplished on the five-string banjo.

Stanley Cohen will be introduced by his distinguished colleague, Lucy Shapiro, Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research in the School of Medicine, and Director of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine.

Wednesday, March 10 7:30 pm Cubberley Auditorium, School of Education FREE; no registration required Open to the public