Researcher

Roger Kornberg

Profile

Roger Kornberg is an American biochemist at Stanford University who received the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his molecular studies of the mechanism by which genetic information is copied from DNA to RNA—a fundamental process called transcription. He produced the first detailed atomic-level images of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II in action, revealing how genes are read and expressed. This structural understanding of transcription has been instrumental in drug discovery efforts targeting diseases ranging from cancer to viral infections. Kornberg's earlier work established the nucleosome as the fundamental packaging unit of DNA in chromosomes, explaining how large genomes are compacted and their genes regulated. His laboratory continues to elucidate the molecular basis of transcriptional regulation, providing structural templates for rational drug design. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies rely on insights from his research to develop small molecules that modulate gene expression programs, with applications in oncology, metabolic diseases, and rare genetic disorders.

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