Elizabeth Blackburn received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work in telomere biology, which uncovered a new understanding of normal cell functioning. Her discoveries have led to observations that telomerase is active in rapidly dividing cells and is almost universally elevated in human cancers, making it an attractive clinical target. She holds the Morris Herzstein Endowed Chair in Biology and Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, where she continues her lab work. In addition to serving as the editor of high-profile scientific journals, she currently sits on more than 30 institutional advisory boards or review committees. Blackburn is also president of the American Association for Cancer Research and a nonresident fellow of the Salk Institute. Between 2002 and 2004, she served on the President's Council on Bioethics. In 2007, Time magazine named her one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." Blackburn earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Cambridge.

Panel:
The Promise of Medical Science

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