Stone Memorial Lecture set for February 27

Paul Ahlquist, Kaesberg Professor of Molecular Virology, Oncology, and Plant Pathology and the Steenbock Professor of Microbiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, will present the 2016/2017 Stone Memorial Lecture at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, 27 February 2017, in 108 Wartik Laboratory on the Penn State University Park campus. This free public lecture, titled “New Structure / Function Insights into Viral RNA Replication Compartments,” is sponsored by the Penn State Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Ahlquist’s research integrates molecular genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and cell biology to address fundamental questions in virus replication and virus-cell interactions. His laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms by which viruses replicate, interact with host cells, and promote tumor induction and maintenance. His work spans fundamental studies in cell culture and translational studies with large collections of patient samples. The goals of these analyses are to advance understanding of virus infection and cell biology, and to use these results to prevent and treat virus infection and virus-induced tumors. Ahlquist’s studies have focused on multiple viruses, including models for the replication of positive-strand RNA viruses such as Zika and Chikungunya viruses, SARS and MERS coronaviruses, and hepatitis C virus. His group has also worked on two reverse transcribing viruses, HIV-1 and hepatitis B virus, and the DNA tumor viruses human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Ahlquist is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He has received several awards including the Hilldale Award in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the U. S. National Institutes of Health MERIT Award.

Ahlquist earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at Iowa State University in 1976 and a doctoral degree in biophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981. Ahlquist joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1984. Ahlquist is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the John and Jeanne Rowe Chair of Virology at the Morgridge Institute for Research, and the Associate Director for Basic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.

Each year the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology identifies a preeminent microbiologist to present her or his work, enrich the microbiological research community at Penn State, and to honor Robert W. Stone. Professor Stone was Head for 23 years of the former Department of Microbiology, which merged with the biophysics and biochemistry departments in 1979 to form the present department.