Elizabeth H. Blackburn |
Elizabeth H. Blackburn (1948) is an Australian American biologist whose research focuses on the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, known as “telomeres,” and their synthesis by the enzyme telomerase. She is a cowinner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how telomeres normally protect chromosomes from degradation as cells divide. Concerned about potential abuses of genetic science, Blackburn has helped develop an ethical code to regulate research in the field. She is an international member of the National Academy of Sciences.
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