Capecchi's Nobel Prize — Huge prestige: Colleagues are ecstatic

Scientists at the University of Utah are ecstatic about Mario Capecchi's Nobel Prize. Besides their intense joy for him and the pride they feel that one of their own brought home great recognition, they say it boosts the U.'s standing in the competitive world of research.

That translates into more money for scientific and medical projects, more staffing and more students.

"It certainly will have a lot of benefits to the U. in terms of recruiting faculty, in recruiting students and showing the world that this is a great place to do science," said Raymond Gesteland, vice president in charge of research.

Capecchi's pioneering genetics work already has found applications. Gesteland said some companies are using the technology Capecchi helped develop, in which scientists can knock out or replace mouse genes at will.

Because mice and men share most genetic traits, changes made to the mouse genome can show up as diseases or cures.

"The striking thing is, this technology is now being used around the world" to study illness in humans, Gesteland said.

A feather in everybody's cap, is the way Pierre Sokolsky, physics professor and dean of the university's department of science, described the award. It's fantastic news for the U., the College of Science, the biology department "and most of all for him, given his long and illustrious career."

Sokolsky thinks the university has matured in terms of research. "I think we're ready to step up to the national spotlight and international spotlight."

He called 2007 an amazing year. One contributing factor is that three U. physics professors have just won top honors from the American Physical Society: Sokolsky and George L. Cassiday picked up a $10,000 award, and Z. Valy Vardeny will split a $5,000 prize with a Berkeley colleague.

Supporters, legislators and the business community should be proud of the recognition of Capecchi, according to Sokolsky. "But they also should be proud of their state. ... We might be a small state, but I think we're no longer a pretty great state. We're getting to be a great state."

David B. Kieda, professor and chairman of the physics department, noted that Capecchi earned his doctorate in biophysics; it was awarded by Harvard in 1967. Today, the university is starting a new center closely allied to biophysics, the Center for Cell and Genome Science.