Two American Women Share the Wolf Prize in Medicine for Their Research on RNA Biology

Dr. Maquat

Lynne E. Maquat, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Rochester, and Joan Steitz, Sterling Professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University, have been awarded the Wolf Prize in Medicine.

The Wolf Prize is awarded by the Wolf Foundation in Israel to outstanding scientists and artists from around the world – regardless of nationality, race, colour, religion, sex or political views – for achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples. The prize includes a monetary award of $100,000.

Dr. Steitz

The two women scholars have been honored for “fundamental discoveries in RNA biology that have the potential to better human lives. They have made ground-breaking discoveries in RNA regulatory mechanisms demonstrating that RNA is not a passive template between DNA and protein, but rather plays a dominant role in regulating and diversifying gene expression.”

Professor Maquet is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she majored in biology. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Steitz is a graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she majored in chemistry. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard Univerity.