Stem Cell Promise

GAMBIER, Ohio (January 27, 2010) The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program brings Elaine Fuchs, Lancefield Professor in Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at Rockefeller University, to Kenyon for public lectures on Monday and Tuesday.

Fuchs is known for her research in skin biology, with an emphasis on stem cells, their normal functions and their contribution in human cancers. Trained as a biochemist, she pioneered the use of reverse genetics, an approach that starts with understanding how proteins function and uses mouse genetics to work up to the human diseases they cause when defective.

Fuchs will discuss "Stem Cells: Their Biology and Promise" on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Higley Auditorium and "Skin Stem Cells in Development, Wound Repair and Cancer" at the same venue on Tuesday.

Before joining Rockefeller in 2002, she was Amgen Professor of Basic Sciences at the University of Chicago, where she served on the faculty for more than 20 years. She has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 1988 and has won many awards, including the Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Academy of Sciences' Lounsbery Award, and Novartis/Drew Award in Biomedical Research. She is past president of the American Society of Cell Biology and president-elect of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

The Visiting Scholar Program dates to 1956 and makes available distinguished scholars who visit colleges with chapters of Phi Beta Kappa. Each two-day visit includes informal meetings with students and faculty members, classroom discussions, and a public lecture.