2013 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Prof Thomas Südhof shares his research on synaptic cell-adhesion molecules, in particular neurexins and neuroligins that are essential components of synapses. He presents how these molecules, and their many intra- and extracellular binding partners, shape the properties of synapses, such that their function is among the key determinants for the formation and specification of synapses.
For attendees’ attention
The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Light refreshments will be served from 4:30 to 5:00 pm.
Coach service to IAS will be available for interested participants before the lecture. Departure Time (from piazza):
Prof Thomas Südhof received his MD from the University of Göttingen in 1982 and his PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in 1983. He was postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) from 1983 to 1986. He served on the faculty of UT Southwestern until 2008, and among others was the founding chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the institution. He moved to Stanford University in 2008, and is currently the Avram Goldstein Professor of the School of Medicine.
Prof Südhof is interested in how synapses are formed and function during development and in the adult. His current research focuses on the role of synaptic cell-adhesion molecules in shaping synapse properties, on pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms of membrane traffic, and on impairments in synapse formation and function in neuropsychiatric disorders. To address these questions, his laboratory employs approaches ranging from biophysical and biochemical studies to the physiological and behavioral analyses of mutant mice and the in vitro derivation of human neurons.
In 2013, Prof Südhof was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with Prof Randy Schekman and Prof James Rothman, for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells. He also received numerous prestigious awards including the US National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the Kavli Prize, and the Bernhard Katz Award from the Biophysical Society, etc. He is a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.
For attendees’ attention
The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Light refreshments will be served from 4:30 to 5:00 pm.
Coach service to IAS will be available for interested participants before the lecture. Departure Time (from piazza):
