[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMENDING THE WINNERS OF THE 2009 NOBEL PRIZE IN MEDICINE

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                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 17, 2009

  Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the winners of 
the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine, particularly Dr. Carol W. Greider, a 
professor of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University 
School of Medicine, for discovering how chromosomes are protected by 
telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. The research of Dr. Greider, along 
with her colleagues Dr. Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Dr. Jack W. Szostak, 
has created a greater understanding of how chromosomes protect 
themselves from degrading when cells divide. This has unlocked 
mysteries about the human aging process and will have an enormous 
impact on fighting cancer and many other inherited diseases caused by 
telomerase defects.
  I applaud Dr. Greider's outstanding achievement as it reflects many 
years of study and hard work, a deep commitment to scientific 
innovation, and a desire to have a positive impact on peoples' lives. 
Her achievement is all the more significant in that only 8 of the 192 
individuals to receive this prize have been women. I hope her success 
will inspire young women to enter the field of science.
  Congratulations to these scientists for their groundbreaking work in 
the field of medicine and for their extraordinary contributions to 
humankind.

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