Nobel Laureate Mario R. Capecchi Addresses the 58th Qianhu Forum and Accepts Honorary Professorship at Nanchang University
On October 24, Mario R. Capecchi, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, visited Nanchang University as the featured speaker for the 58th Qianhu Forum, delivering a keynote lecture titled “The Courage to Discover.” During the event, University President Chen Yeguang presented Professor Capecchi with a letter of appointment as an Honorary Professor of Nanchang University. Vice President Ge Gang accompanied the guest on a campus tour, and Vice President Pan Bingxing presided over the lecture.
Drawing upon his personal upbringing and decades-long scientific career, Dr. Capecchi traced his journey into the life sciences, reflecting on how his early education and mentorship profoundly shaped his research trajectory. Recounting his pioneering work in developing gene targeting technology, he detailed how relentless inquiry and persistent experimentation enabled him to overcome initial academic skepticism and formidable technical hurdles to turn scientific hypotheses into reality.
Addressing young faculty and students in the audience, Dr. Capecchi encouraged them to maintain an enduring curiosity about the unknown and to identify fundamental scientific questions worthy of long-term dedication. He emphasized the need for patience, composure, and deep focus when pursuing basic research. Noting that the path of scientific inquiry is inherently uncertain and fraught with setbacks, he remarked that only through genuine passion and sustained effort can researchers achieve new discoveries and breakthroughs.
The event drew more than 300 faculty members and students from Jiangxi Medical College and the School of Life Sciences. During a lively Q&A session, attendees engaged Dr. Capecchi on topics ranging from selecting research directions in basic science to academic career planning and interdisciplinary studies, to which he offered candid insights drawn from his own research experiences.
Prior to the lecture, President Chen Yeguang met with Dr. Capecchi and his delegation. Accompanied by Vice President Ge Gang, Dr. Capecchi also toured the Biomedical Testing Center and research laboratories at Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center of Nanchang University, where he held in-depth discussions with young principal investigators (PIs) from Jiangxi Medical College.
About Dr. Mario R. Capecchi
Dr. Mario R. Capecchi is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and Biology at the University of Utah. Recognized as one of the pioneers of gene targeting, he made seminal contributions to establishing knockout mice by achieving targeted gene modifications in murine embryonic stem cells—a breakthrough that has profoundly advanced modern life sciences, disease modeling, and biomedical research. His numerous accolades include the Kyoto Prize, the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the U.S. National Medal of Science. In 2007, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies for the development of gene targeting.
