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Speaker: Professor Carol W. Greider, University of California, Santa Cruz

Time: 21:00 to 22:00, September 23, 2026

Please scan the QR code to register in advance, and the Tencent Meeting link will be sent to the registered mobile phone number.

Abstract

Telomere length is a key molecular indicator throughout the life cycle of a cell. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres at the ends of its chromosomes become progressively shorter, while telomerase plays a critical role in maintaining telomere length. Changes in telomere length directly affect a cell’s capacity to replicate and tissues’ ability to regenerate. Focusing on this fundamental biological process, professor Greider will explore the mechanisms underlying telomere length and present recent advances in telomere and telomerase research.

Drawing on telomerase-deficient mouse models developed by her research team, professor Greider will show how telomere loss can impair stem cell function and disrupt tissue regeneration. She will then connect these findings to a deeper understanding of aging-related diseases in human.

Building on this work, the lecture will introduce recent discoveries made possible by new telomere sequencing technologies: telomere length differs from one chromosome end to another, with individual chromosome ends maintaining their own stable length equilibria. Professor Greider will further discuss how approaches including artificial intelligence are being used to investigate the mechanisms that regulate telomere length at individual chromosome ends, and how these differences may offer new perspectives for assessing disease risk.

The lecture aims to help students understand the science of aging and regeneration from the perspective of molecular biology, while recognizing the importance of fundamental life science research to human health. For students interested in biology, medicine, life sciences, health sciences, bioinformatics, and related interdisciplinary fields, the lecture will provide a framework for understanding telomere biology, the mechanisms of aging, and cutting-edge research methods.

Biography

Professor Carol W. Greider is a world-renowned molecular biologist and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She is currently the Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) and also holds a professorship at Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Professor Greider graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) in 1983 and later earned her PhD in molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). After establishing her independent research group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, she joined the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1997. In 2020, she joined the faculty of UC Santa Cruz, where she has continued her research at the forefront of the life sciences.

Professor Greider is best known for her discovery of telomerase in 1984, while she was a doctoral student working with her mentor, Elizabeth H. Blackburn. Telomerase is a key enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length at the ends of chromosomes. Over the following decades, her research team conducted systematic studies of telomeres and telomerase, progressively uncovering the molecular mechanisms that regulate telomere length and their roles in cellular aging, genome stability, and cancer. The discovery of telomerase and the subsequent understanding of its biological mechanisms have become fundamental to modern molecular biology and medical research. In recognition of this pioneering work, Greider shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak. Her other major honors include the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the Canada Gairdner International Award.

Beyond fundamental research, professor Greider has also worked extensively to advance the clinical translation of telomere biology, with a particular focus on diseases associated with telomere dysfunction, including dyskeratosis congenita, bone marrow failure, pulmonary fibrosis, as well as strategies for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. She has had broad influence on the international scientific community and has mentored many young scientists who are now active in the field of telomere research.