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Born | May 3, 1966, Zagreb, Croatia |
Position | Professor of Structural Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland |
| Biography | Nenad Ban received his B.S. in molecular biology (1985-1990) from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, under Z. Kucan, followed by a Ph.D. in biochemistry (1990-1994) from the University of California at Riverside under A. McPherson. He undertook postdoctoral research at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, under T.A. Steitz, and moved to ETH Zurich, one of the most highly ranked research centers outside the United States, in September 2000. Ban is the recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award. |
| Research interests | Ribosome structure, translation, structural immunology, structural virology, tRNA synthetases, protein-nucleic acid interactions, rational drug design, X-ray crystallography |
What was the key event that pushed you into research?
While growing up I spent several months each summer on the Adriatic coast, and very early on I got interested in the marine wildlife, and this, in a way, inspired my interest in biology in general. Later on, I gradually became more and more interested in understanding biology at the molecular level. I cannot remember any particular key event that made a difference. Both my parents were professors at the University; my mother was teaching molecular biology and my father inorganic chemistry, which may also have played a part.
Who was your most influential teacher?
I never liked authority. I cannot say that I had a most influential teacher, but I worked with many people who influenced my scientific thinking.
Which research paper had the most effect on your work?
Perhaps the paper on the first RNA-protein complex published in 1989 by the Steitz group when I was finishing my undergraduate studies in Zagreb: "Structure of E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase complexed with tRNA(Gln) and ATP at 2.8 angstrom resolution."
Who awarded you your first grant and what was it for?
The first fellowship that I received was the Damon Runyon - Walter Winchell fellowship for postdoctoral work on RNA/protein complexes at Yale University. The first grant was the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Award, which supported my work as a member of the faculty.
What was your best experiment?
Determining the complete atomic structure of the large ribosomal subunit certainly was the most exciting result in my career so far. This result led to a detailed explanation of the structural basis of ribosome activity in peptide bond synthesis, revealing that the ribosome is a ribozyme.
Which scientific idea do you regret the most?
None, yet!
What qualities do you need to be a successful researcher?
I believe that you have to be optimistic and ready to tackle difficult problems even if you cannot predict how they are going to be solved.
If you could work with any scientist (historical or current), who would it be?
Maybe Max Perutz in the 1950s.
What is your greatest unanswered scientific question?
I wish I knew. Maybe I could convince my students to try working on it.
What scientific plans do you have for the next 5 years?
I plan to establish my own group at ETH, and would like to answer key questions about the detailed mechanism of the process of translation. I would also like to understand at the molecular level the fundamental process of the trafficking of molecules into and out of the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.
David Bradley, a freelance science writer, lives on the edge of the fens north of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Elemental Discoveries is his Webzine of science news.
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