2008 Laureate Nahum Sonenberg to give Gairdner International Awards Lecture

McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) will host the Gairdner International Awards 2008 Lecture and the MNI Dorothy J. Killam Lecture on Tuesday, October 21.

McGill’s Dr. Nahum Sonenberg, a 2008 Gairdner Award recipient, is one of the featured speakers at the event. Recognized internationally for his important contributions to molecular and cellular biology, his research has led to better understanding of the basic biological processes going on in both normal and cancerous cells, and now plays a major role in the creation of new cancer treatments.

Prior to Dr. Sonenberg’s lecture, Dr. Alicia Soderberg, of Princeton University’s Department of Astrophysical Sciences, will present the MNI’s annual Dorothy J. Killam Lecture. Dr. Soderberg’s research focuses on the properties of the local and large-scale environments around exploding and/or erupting stars, with the objective of better understanding the progenitors of supernovae.

Also speaking at the event is 2004 Gairdner Award laureate Dr. Ulrich Hartl, Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsreid, Germany. Dr. Hartl is a pioneer in the field of protein-mediated protein folding.

The Gairdner International Awards are highly prestigious prizes given to Canadian and international scientists by the Gairdner Foundation. Since it was established in 1957, the Foundation has recognized the work of 288 scientists, of whom 70 have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in medicine or chemistry.

What: Gairdner International Awards 2008 Lecture and Dorothy J. Killam Lecture:

Birth of a Supernova: X-rays mark the spot
Dr. Alicia Soderberg
2008 Dorothy J. Killam Lecture
Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow and Carnegie-Princeton Fellow
Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University

Translational control in biology and medicine
Dr. Nahum Sonenberg
2008 Gairdner International Awardee
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & McGill Cancer Centre
McGill University

Protein folding in the cell: Role of molecular chaperones in health and disease
Dr. Ulrich Hartl
2004 Gairdner International Laureate
Director, Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsreid, Germany

When: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 2:00-5:30 p.m. (followed by reception)

Where: Montreal Neurological Institute, Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre, 3801 University Street West, Montreal

Admission: Free

On the Web: www.mni.mcgill.ca/channels/events/item/?item_id=101541