Head of National Cancer Institute's genomic diversity lab to talk Nov. 19

O'Brien

Stephen J. O'Brien, chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, will deliver a public lecture titled "The Landscape of Comparative Genomics in Mammals" as part of a colloquium on genomics, Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. in 135 Emerson Hall on the Cornell campus.

A 1971 Cornell graduate and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large, O'Brien will discuss comparative insights gained from applications and discoveries of the whole genome sequences of other mammals. The talk is free and open to the public.

During his second visit as an A.D. White professor, O'Brien also will participate in classes in genetics, biochemistry and molecular and cell biology. In addition he will meet with undergraduate biology students in the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell.

O'Brien's interests and expertise span a broad range of biological topics that bridge the sciences and humanities. He is internationally recognized for his research contributions to human and animal genetics, evolutionary biology, retrovirology and species conservation. In collaboration with others, his achievements include: mapping over 100 human genes, including scores of cancer oncogenes; development of the domestic cat gene map as a model for comparative genome analyses; discovery of the unique genetic uniformity of the African cheetah, a prelude to genetic assessment of that endangered species; solving the century-old mystery of the giant panda's evolutionary history; discovery of epidemic prevalence of feline AIDS among wild cat species; and description of the first human gene to affect HIV-1 infection and AIDS progression, CCR5.