Science Café Fort Collins — August 13, 2008

Location	Starry Night Espresso Cafe 112 South South College Street
Led by	Dr. Paul Laybourn, Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University
Topic:	Science of a Cancer Cell—Latest Research on the Disease that Touches All of Us

One in five Americans dies of cancer, and double that number will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. This is a disease that affects most all of us. Key questions that will be addressed are: what is cancer, what are the causes of cancer, how is my lab investigating the causes of cancer, and can a cure for cancer be found? In my view, the heart of the matter is to understand the changes that occur to make a cancer cell different from a normal cell. My hope is to provide those in attendance with a clearer conception of what cancer is and how it can be prevented and perhaps someday cured.

One of the most critical questions in biomedical science today is:
What mechanisms regulate gene expression? Many types of cancer and birth defects result from mutations in the cellular machinery regulating gene expression.

Meet Dr. Paul Laybourn

Dr. Paul Laybourn is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at CSU, where he has taught since 1992. He received his BA in Biology from UC Santa Barbara, his PhD in Biochemistry from UC Davis, and did post-doctoral study in the biochemistry of gene regulation in chromatin at UC San Diego. Currently, he teaches classes in Introductory Genetics, the Biochemistry of Disease, and an Introduction to Eukaryotic Cell Biology. His chief area of research is in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells at the level of transcription, and he has pioneered biochemical investigation of transcription regulatory mechanisms in the context of chromatin.

Laybourn has authored 28 publications and received numerous research grants, averaging over $200,000 in grants each year. In 1998-99, Laybourn received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in the College of Natural Sciences. He also received the CSU Cermak Advising Award in 2005 and was nominated by his students for the Eddy Teaching Award in 2007. He has helped develop core curriculum for several undergraduate courses and a Colorado-wide K-12 outreach program. When he is not in the lab, Laybourn spends time with his wife Sue and their children Katie and William. Skiing, camping, fishing, biking, hiking, swimming, diving, woodworking, reading and playing the piano are some of the activities he enjoys in his spare time.