June 4, 2015
Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel presents "Immunology Taught by Viruses," at the 20th Annual John G. Wagner Lectureship in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel recently participated in the 20th Annual John G. Wagner Lectureship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Zinkernagel presented this year’s lecture, "Immunology Taught by Viruses," Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building. The event, which was open to the public, was well attended.

Dr. Zinkernagel received his MD degree from the University of Basel in 1970 and his PhD degree from the Australian National University in 1975. In addition to the Nobel Prize, he also won the Cloëtta Prize in 1981, the Cancer Research Institute William B. Coley Award in 1987, and the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award in 1995. He is a member of the Cancer Research Institute Scientific Advisory Council, The National Academy of Sciences, and The Academy of Cancer Immunology. Dr. Zinkernagel was elected as a Corresponding Fellow to the Australian Academy of Science also in 1996.

Dr. Zinkernagel, along with Peter C. Doherty of Australia, received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for their discovery of how the immune system distinguishes virus infected cells from normal cells.  

The lecture was hosted by Steven Schwendeman, PhD, Chair and Ara G. Paul Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. “It was a great honor to have Dr. Zinkernagel at the Wagner Lecture,” says Dr. Schwendeman. “We were excited to hear from a Nobel Prize Laureate, and he certainly did not disappoint. His lecture was informative and thought provoking for our faculty, students, and all those who were able to attend.”

  

A recording of the lecture will be made available.