Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2005

Citation The 62nd Congregatio n for the Confermen t of Degree s Doctor o f Science, honoris causa Dr. Richard J . Roberts I t is c o mm o n k n o w l e d g e t h at such t h i n gs as o ur height, intelligence, even some of the diseases w e are prone to, are v e r y largely d e t e r m i n ed b y o u r genes. Some of us ma y also k n o w t hat these genes are located a l o ng the t w i s t i ng d o u b l e h e l i c al s t r a n d s o f the D N A mo l e c u l e, th e basic b u i l d i n g block of all life. U p to the mid-1970s, i t was t h o u g h t that a gene was one single c on t i nuou s segment of the D N A s t r a nd 一 u n t il it wa s discovered t ha t i n h i g h er o r gan i sms s u c h as ou r s e l v es a gene can consist of several d i f f e r e n t segments that have to splice themselves together like pieces of edited mo v ie f i l m befor e they can pass on thei r i n f o rma t i o n i n t h e g r o w t h o f n e w cells . T h i s w a s a r e v o l u t i o n a ry d i s c o v e r y, because i t a l l o w ed f o r the p o s s i b i l i ty t h a t the splicing c ou ld take place i n n ew patterns, thus creating n ew gene s . S u d d e n l y m a n y o f t he p u z z l e s t h a t h a d b e e n c o n f r o n t i ng scientists c o u ld be s o l v e d 一 such as the r a p i d e v o l u t i o n of h i ghe r organisms. Certain hereditary diseases c o u ld n o w be e x p l a i n ed b y errors i n the s p l i c i ng process, w h i c h may, for example, create faulty protein. Gene-splicing gave rise to such a n ew a nd f u n d ame n t a l u n d e r s t a n d i ng o f g e n e t ic processes t h a t the m e n w h o d i s c o v e r ed it w e r e awa r d ed the No b el Prize i n p h y s i o l o g y or medicine. One of these is the m a n w e are h o n o u r i ng here this mo r n i n g , Dr. Richard J. Roberts. 3 6 Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2005