Mario Capecchi, laureate

In a tribute replete with royalty and trumpet fanfare, University of Utah distinguished professor Mario Capecchi has been awarded one of medicine's highest honors, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Capecchi, who emigrated as a child to the United States from Italy following World War II, shared the prize with Oliver Smithies of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and Sir Martin J. Evans, of Britain. They and other Nobel laureates in science and literature were honored Monday in Stockholm, Sweden. Capecchi, Smithies and Evans were recognized for discoveries that led to a technique for manipulating mouse genes.

Their accomplishments and that of their fellow laureates have been overshadowed by the intense international media coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize winners, former vice president Al Gore and Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That prize was awarded in Oslo, Norway. The overwhelming coverage is somewhat to be expected given Gore's prominence on the world stage, having shared an Academy Award for the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," and his ongoing campaign to raise awareness about global warming.

But in medical science circles, the importance and potential of Capecchi's, Evans' and Smithies' work cannot be overstated. Their pioneering genetic research is helping scientists study heart disease, diabetes, cancer, cystic fibrosis and other ailments.

Most days, Capecchi can be found toiling in his laboratory at the U. But in recent weeks, his ordinarily quiet life has been a whirlwind of travel, personal appearances and interviews. According to press accounts, Capecchi has handled the public exposure with grace and a ready laugh. One has to wonder, however, if he looks forward to a return to his laboratory to resume work on the 20 or so new questions that arise once he's solved a particular question, as he explained in a recent interview by Deseret Morning News reporter Lois Collins, who traveled to Stockholm for the festivities.

Indeed, Capecchi's most remarkable quality, aside from his profound intellect, is his intense curiosity about genetics and how altering the behavior of genes in mice can translate to humans.

Whatever we say here about Capecchi can in no way rival the royal reception that he and his co-honorees received in Sweden. But we would be remiss not to offer, on behalf of all Utahns, our sincere congratulations to Capecchi for his remarkable achievements in genetic research and well-deserved recognition in the form of the Nobel Prize.