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Thomas Cech Distinguished Professor and Investigator
Dr. Thomas R. Cech of the University of Colorado received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1989 for his research in establishing a link between RNA and the evolutionary chain. His discoveries have shed new light on the mystery of the beginning of life and guided genetic engineers in their search for life-saving cures in the battle against cancer. Prior to Cech's RNA breakthroughs in the early 1980s, scientists believed DNA served as the warehouse of genetic information, that RNA decoded the information and that proteins used the information to create physical attributes such as skin, hair and eyes. These proteins were thought to be the only catalysts in determining cell development. Cech's research established that RNA, like a protein, can act as a catalyst in cellular processes.
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