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Molecular Biology
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Molecular Biology

D-Index
144
Citations
78273
World Ranking
105
National Ranking
68

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2000 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
  • 1999 - Member of Academia Europaea
  • 1995 - US President's National Medal of Science "For his discoveries regarding RNA catalysis that have added new dimensions to the understanding of the role of RNA in living systems.", Awarded by President Clinton at a White House ceremony on October 18, 1995.
  • 1991 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1989 - Nobel Prize for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA
  • 1988 - Canada Gairdner International Award
  • 1988 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1988 - Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Lasker Foundation
  • 1988 - Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University
  • 1987 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1985 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

Thomas R. Cech is affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States. Their research primarily lies within the field of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, with a strong focus on Molecular Biology, Physiology, and Cancer Research among other subfields. The work covers diverse topics including RNA modifications and cancer, telomeres and senescence, RNA research and splicing, epigenetics and DNA methylation, genomics and chromatin dynamics, advanced biosensing techniques, and DNA and nucleic acid chemistry.

Several recent papers authored or co-authored by Thomas R. Cech demonstrate the scope and focus of their research:

  • "Shaping human telomeres: from shelterin and CST complexes to telomeric chromatin organization" (2021), published in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
  • "RNA is essential for PRC2 chromatin occupancy and function in human pluripotent stem cells" (2020), published in Nature Genetics
  • "The structure of human CST reveals a decameric assembly bound to telomeric DNA" (2020), published in Science
  • "Polycomb-mediated genome architecture enables long-range spreading of H3K27 methylation" (2022), published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Competition between PRC2.1 and 2.2 subcomplexes regulates PRC2 chromatin occupancy in human stem cells" (2020), published in Molecular Cell

Their frequent co-authors include Arthur J. Zaug, Anne R. Gooding, Wayne O. Hemphill, Karen J. Goodrich, and John L. Rinn.

Thomas R. Cech often publishes in venues such as bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nucleic Acids Research, RNA, and Science. This distribution highlights their involvement in well-regarded and diverse scientific journals.

The scientist has received numerous awards throughout their career. Notable recognitions include:

  • Member of the National Academy of Medicine (2000)
  • Member of Academia Europaea (1999)
  • US President's National Medal of Science (1995) for discoveries regarding RNA catalysis
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1991)
  • Nobel Prize (1989) for discovery of catalytic properties of RNA
  • Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University (1988)
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1988)
  • Canada Gairdner International Award (1988)
  • Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1988)
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1987)
  • Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1985)

Best Publications

  • Self-splicing RNA: Autoexcision and autocyclization of the ribosomal RNA intervening sequence of tetrahymena

    Kelly Kruger;Paula J. Grabowski;Arthur J. Zaug;Julie Sands

  • Telomerase catalytic subunit homologs from fission yeast and human

    Toru M. Nakamura;Gregg B. Morin;Gregg B. Morin;Karen B. Chapman;Karen B. Chapman;Scott L. Weinrich;Scott L. Weinrich

  • The noncoding RNA revolution-trashing old rules to forge new ones.

    Thomas R. Cech;Thomas R. Cech;Joan A. Steitz

  • Crystal Structure of a Group I Ribozyme Domain: Principles of RNA Packing

    Jamie H. Cate;Anne R. Gooding;Anne R. Gooding;Elaine Podell;Elaine Podell;Kaihong Zhou

  • Reverse Transcriptase Motifs in the Catalytic Subunit of Telomerase

    Joachim Lingner;Timothy R. Hughes;Andrej Shevchenko;Matthias Mann

  • Monovalent cation-induced structure of telomeric DNA: The G-quartet model

    James R. Williamson;M.K. Raghuraman;Thomas R. Cech;Thomas R. Cech

  • Inhibition of telomerase by G-quartet DNA structures.

    Alan M. Zahler;James R. Williamson;James R. Williamson;Thomas R. Cech;David M. Prescott

  • Pot1, the Putative Telomere End-Binding Protein in Fission Yeast and Humans

    Peter Baumann;Thomas R. Cech

  • In vitro splicing of the ribosomal RNA precursor of tetrahymena: Involvement of a guanosine nucleotide in the excision of the intervening sequence

    Thomas R. Cech;Arthur J. Zaug;Paula J. Grabowski

  • Self-splicing of group I introns.

    Thomas R. Cech

  • The RNA World

    Gesteland;Thomas Cech

  • Rna ribozyme polymerases, dephosphorylases, restriction endoribonucleases and methods.

    Thomas R. Cech;Arthur J. Zaug;Michael D. Been

  • Biological catalysis by RNA.

    Thomas R. Cech;Brenda L. Bass

  • The POT1-TPP1 telomere complex is a telomerase processivity factor

    Feng Wang;Elaine R. Podell;Arthur J. Zaug;Yuting Yang

  • The chemistry of self-splicing RNA and RNA enzymes.

    Thomas R. Cech

  • The intervening sequence RNA of Tetrahymena is an enzyme.

    Arthur J. Zaug;Thomas R. Cech

  • How do lncRNAs regulate transcription

    Yicheng Long;Xueyin Wang;Daniel T. Youmans;Daniel T. Youmans;Thomas R. Cech

  • Regulation of telomere length and function by a Myb-domain protein in fission yeast

    Julia Promisel Cooper;Elaine R. Nimmo;Robin C. Allshire;Thomas R. Cech

  • The generality of self-splicing RNA: Relationship to nuclear mRNA splicing

    Thomas R. Cech

  • Conserved sequences and structures of group I introns: building an active site for RNA catalysis — a review

    Thomas R. Cech

Frequent Co-Authors

Joachim Lingner
Joachim Lingner École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Gregg B. Morin
Gregg B. Morin University of British Columbia
Calvin B. Harley
Calvin B. Harley Geron (United States)
Michael D. Been
Michael D. Been Duke University
Daniel Herschlag
Daniel Herschlag Stanford University
John L. Rinn
John L. Rinn University of Colorado Boulder
Scott A. Strobel
Scott A. Strobel Yale University
Thomas Jung
Thomas Jung Mendel University Brno
Anna Marie Pyle
Anna Marie Pyle Yale University
Jennifer A. Doudna
Jennifer A. Doudna University of California, Berkeley

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