Ep. 219: The Legacy of Nobel Laureate Michael Smith
Guest: Marco Marra, Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre
It was 25 years that the Nobel committee named Dr Michael Smith of UBC as the winner in chemistry.
It’s a prize he won for his work in site-directed mutagenesis. In other words, a process of making specific changes to the DNA sequence of a gene – a process that Dr. Smith developed in advance of the mapping of the human genome.
He was a remarkable scientist and a remarkable man who went to great lengths in attracting research talent to BC. He donated the entire prize money he was awarded to future research and, in doing so, he played a vital role in establishing BC as a centre of excellence in genome research.
His generosity of spirit coupled with his financial contribution has inspired the creation of Genome BC, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the Michael Smith Laboratories at UBC and the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer.
The Nobel Prize and Dr Smith’s commitment to using his position to advance research in BC research was a game changer, one that vaulted local scientists onto the world stage and put British Columbia on the map as a place of world class research.
We invited distinguished scientist Marco Marra, the Director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at the BC Cancer Agency, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the remarkable legacy of Dr. Michael Smith.
