Interview with Dr. William Hahn

Dr. Hahn's research focuses on how cancer forms.  He is interested in the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to reproduce indefinitely, including an enzymeA protein that speeds up the process of chemical reactions in the body without becoming altered in the process. Almost every biological process is driven by the activity of enzymes. Without enzyme catalysts, the complex reactions that build and break down cell parts would not happen at a rate compatible with life. Enzyme names usually describe the reaction that is being catalyzed and all of them end in -ase. called telomeraseAn enzyme that functions to replace the ends of chromosomes. Normally, during DNA replication, chromosome ends are shortened by a small amount. Telomerase is turned off in most adult tissues, a process that limits the number of cell divisions that can be completed by those cells. In cancer cells, telomerase is often reactivated, allowing the cells to divide indefinitely..  He also works to develop new model systems to study cancer.  In this interview Dr. Hahn discusses his research and the impact of the human genomeThe full set of genes in an organism. Humans have an estimated 25,000 protein-encoding genes in their genome. project on cancer researchers.