Daily Trip Report: 2007 Lindau Meeting

Lectures and Meetings: July 3

Laureate Sir Timothy Hunt

Laureate Edmond Fischer

By the second day of the 57th Meeting, the students were well familiar with the structure of the meeting and took their seats early in eager anticipation of the program for the morning. On the schedule were two lectures dealing with how the behavior of cells is controlled by large and small molecules and a panel discussion. The entire program was centered on the interface between basic science (chemistry, molecular biology) and medicine.

The first talk of the morning was given by Sir Timothy Hunt who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2001. He spoke about “The Cell Cycle and Cancer.” He explained his discovery of a group of proteins called cyclins which play a critical role in managing the cycle of cell growth and division, and how this discovery built upon a century of prior research into the regulation of the cell cycle. He then explained how the understanding of cyclins is leading to an understanding of control of the cell cycle in cancer.

Edmond Fischer, Nobel Prize winner for Physiology or Medicine in 1992, delivered his lecture “Protein Crosstalk in Cell Signaling.” This talk focused on a second key aspect of the cell cycle, that of modification of proteins by addition of small molecules or ions to the protein, which then carries out its critical function. He focused on the addition of a phosphate ion, which is the process of phosphorylation, to specific domains in proteins, and the impact on cell function of such additions. His talk, like that of Sir Timothy, led into a discussion of the role of this process in the formation of cancerous cells and tumors.

After a short break, the students were treated to a very engaging discussion by a roundtable panel consisting of Laureates Günter Blobel, Leland Hartwell, Sir Timothy Hunt, and Craig Mello. The topic was “Basic Science in Molecular Medicine.” After some brief comments by the Laureates, the group responded to questions from the audience that ranged from social issues in medicine to details about the Laureates’ research.

Following the morning session, the U.S. delegation hosted a lunch at the Hotel Stift with delegations from India and Bangladesh.

After lunch, the students again convened at the Inselhalle for a “Science Bazaar.” All of the attending Laureates were stationed around the auditorium with a small group of chairs. Students were invited to stop at as many Laureate stations as they chose to ask questions or exchange ideas in the true spirit of a bazaar. This was an innovation by the governing Council of the Lindau Meeting in an effort to increase the students’ opportunities for informal interactions with the Laureates.

Dinner was held at the Lindauer Hof, where the U.S. delegation was joined by Laureates Edmond Fischer and Bert Sakmann, as well as Count Björn Bernadotte, Sandra Angerer, and Jerry McClure of the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE). Also present were representatives of the sponsors of American students attending the meeting: Harold Schmitz, Hagen Schroeter, and Cathie Woteki of Mars, Incorporated; Judy Sunley of NSF and her husband Emil; Roland Hirsch of DOE; and Sam Held and Linda Holmes of ORAU. Discussions were animated and lasted late into the evening, covering a wide array of topics.