Prof. Gregg L. Semenza

2019 Nobel Laureate for Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore/USA

Prof. Semenza’s research paves the way for the development of drugs that could kill cancer cells by cutting off the supply of oxygen a tumor needs to grow.

Biography:

Prof. Gregg Leonard Semenza is a Professor of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2019 for uncovering how cells adapt to changing oxygen levels and for his ground-breaking discovery of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). His research has paved the way for the development of drugs that block HIF activity and thereby cut off the supply of oxygen a tumor needs to grow. The discovery of HIFs has also led to the development of drugs that stimulate HIF activity to increase red blood cell production in patients with anemia. Professor Semenza earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Harvard University, then M.D. and Ph.D. (in genetics) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and a pediatric residency at Duke University Medical Center, before pursuing postdoctoral studies in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has remained at Johns Hopkins for the duration of his career, serving as Founding Director of the Vascular Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering and Founding Director of the Armstrong Oxygen Biology Research Center.

Topic of keynote speech:

• Oxygen, carbon dioxide and sustainable life on Earth

Schedule:

Friday, March 6, 2026:

14:00 Public keynote speech and dialogue at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan

Further information and free seat reservation via phone +886-6-2757575 #50950 or email
em50950@email.ncku.edu.tw