Smithies, an Excellence Professor of Pathology and Medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, spoke to an eager crowd on the history and development of his research in a speech titled, "Turning Pages: From Gels to Gene Targeting."
Hara Misra, professor and associate dean for Biomedical Research Affairs at VCOM, secured Smithies as a speaker at the event after having worked with him for years at the Duke University Medical Center.
"It's wonderful to have him here. As the keynote speaker, he's the one who sets the tone for the day," Misra said. "Our conference theme this year is genetic disease and gene therapy and he's the right person, right in the middle of research."
The audience mostly consisted of second-year VCOM students, many of whom were thrilled to learn a Nobel Laureate was speaking at the event.
"I knew we had a Nobel Laureate coming, but I had no idea that Dr. Smithies would be speaking," said second year VCOM student Jenna Shenk. "I was very excited."
Smithies was awarded the Nobel Prize last year along with his two colleagues, Mario Capecchi and Martin Evans, for their genetic discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells." This is also known as gene targeting, where homologous recombination is used to artificially alter DNA. This discovery resulted in the creation of the first knockout mice in 1989. Knockout (or transgenic) mice are now commonly used in the biological sciences to test the purposes of certain genes, usually by removing the gene and observing the effects.
In addition to gene manipulation, Smithies has a long history of other accomplishments in his field, including instrumental work on gel electrophoresis, a technique used for separating genetic material such as DNA. His current research focuses on facilitating studies of human genetic diseases, their pathologies and treatment. Specifically, he is working on hypertension and hemoglobinopathies.
Smithies was born in Great Britain and attended Oxford University, earning degrees in physiology and chemistry, as well as a doctorate degree in biochemistry.
He worked for many years at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, but transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill in the late 1970s with his wife, Nobuyo Maeda, a fellow speaker at the Via Research Recognition Day.
During his hour-long presentation, Smithies spoke on the progression of his research with fondness. He used projections of his actual journal entries, showing excerpts from the early 1950s to as recent as last week, to exhibit the development of his ideas. Smithies stated that he has over 130 journals full of his scientific notes and deliberations.
Smithies addressed the audience with ease, frequently eliciting laughter from the audience.
The 83-year-old Nobel Laureate, who admitted he still works in his laboratory seven days a week, projected onto the screen one 1982 journal entry with less writing than previous dates and joked, "It was my birthday."
At the end of his presentation, Smithies, an avid pilot and airplane enthusiast, showed personal records of a time when he once flew into Virginia Tech's airport, jokingly citing problems with landing and lodging because of the crowds of football fans in Blacksburg for a Homecoming game.
Along with pictures of his airplane, Smithies also showed pictures of his wife, who smiled as she watched from the audience.
In addition to work, Smithies pointed out, "You have to have people you love and you have to have a fun hobby. That's what makes life worthwhile."
Smithies is the fifth Nobel Laureate to speak at VCOM's Via Research Recognition Day, an annual event dedicated to acknowledging research at VCOM and Tech, organizations that frequently collaborate on investigations, particularly in the areas of biomedical research.
"We are very fortunate to be associated with Virginia Tech," Misra said. "We work closely together and feel blessed to be partnered with Tech faculty and research."
In addition to Smithies, other speakers included VCOM dean Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, who spoke about the remarkable development of the school since it was founded in 2003, and Tech President Charles Steger, who discussed current Tech research and goals for the future.
"Our goal is to increase research spending to $569 million by 2010," Steger said, citing an impressive ambition to amplify the $366.9 million in research expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation in 2007.
VCOM students showed enthusiasm about the opportunity to showcase their own work and also observe the research of fellow investigators, including other students and notable scientists in the field.
"I think it's really important to see what our professors are doing and that they're involved in the community," Shenk said. "I am interested in seeing the types of research available and how students can become involved."
vcom, nobel prize, smithies
