Hitchcock LECTURE SERIES

The Systems Architecture of a Bacterial Cell Cycle

Lucy Shapiro, Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Stanford University

April 01, 2009
International House Auditorium, 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley

Stanford Professor Lucy Shapiro is renowned for her contributions to the fields of developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. She examines the functions required to reproduce and maintain life in the simple bacterial cell by using a systems engineering approach that defines the control circuitry integrated in time and space.

About Lucy Shapiro

Lucy Shapiro is renowned for her contributions to the fields of developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. Her research focuses on the cell cycle of a developing microorganism, particularly on the process by which the cells divide into dissimilar, rather than identical, "daughter" cells. This process remains, in Shapiro's words, "one of the most fundamental questions of developmental biology." Shapiro's pioneering work has revealed the genetic circuitry controlling a bacterial cell with 3,767 genes, providing the basic principles of genetic programming that helps cells move seamlessly through the cell cycle. Shapiro also focuses on advancing the field of antibiotics, which she argues has reached a critical moment in history. Based on her in-depth analysis of a simple bacterial cell, Shapiro identified new antibiotic targets and co-founded a biotech company that designs antimicrobial drugs.

Conversations with History Interview:

Flash Player Required