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Hamilton O. Smith, M.D., a Nobel laureate and scientific director of the Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy Groups at the J. Craig Venter Institute, will discuss "Progress Toward Making a Synthetic Cell" at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, in the auditorium of the University of Florida Cancer & Genetics Research Complex.
During his visit, he will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Florida.
Smith received his bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1952 and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1956.
In 1978, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research that described the discovery of an enzyme that had the ability to recognize a specific region in a DNA sequence and cut the DNA at that site, a valuable tool in the development of new technology. He would go on to lead the team that first sequenced a bacterial genome.
Currently, he leads the synthetic biology team at the J. Craig Venter Institute, where he focuses on synthesizing large segments of DNA to eventually enable the construction of whole artificial chromosomes.
The team believes it is possible to construct simple cellular life with desirable synthetic properties. Ultimately, the work could result in ways to more efficiently and safely develop pharmaceuticals, chemicals and textiles.
Friday's seminar is the first in a new series of UF Genetics Institute's distinguished professor lectures.
