On October 9, 2025, pioneering structural biologist Distinguished Professor Juli Feigon delivered the Mendel Lecture at the refectory in the Mendel Museum Brno.
The lecture took place at the Augustinian Abbey where Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, lived and worked in Brno, Czech Republic. Feigon’s host was Professor Richard Štefl of Masaryk University (pictured above with Feigon).
A Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Feigon is celebrated for her pioneering work on the structure and function of nucleic acids, particularly in telomerase and ribonucleoproteins. Her research has provided deep insights into DNA and RNA architecture and their biological roles, paving the way for new understandings of genome stability and disease mechanisms. A true trailblazer, Feigon became the first female assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry when she joined the UCLA faculty in 1985. At that time, she was also one of the very few women academics in her field worldwide.
In Feigon’s lecture titled “Structural Biology of Telomerase and Interactions at Telomeres”, she discussed her laboratory’s pioneering work uncovering the structural biology of telomerase, an RNA-protein complex that maintains chromosome ends and plays a crucial role in cellular aging, stem cell renewal, and cancer. Beginning with NMR studies more than two decades ago, her team identified key RNA structures, including an RNA major groove triplex within the essential pseudoknot of telomerase RNA. More recently, her group has advanced to high-resolution cryo-EM structures of both Tetrahymena and human telomerase, revealing new subunits, mechanistic insights, the effects of disease-linked mutations, and the intricate interactions between telomerase components at chromosome ends.
According to the Mendel Lectures website, the scientific lecture series was established in 2003 in Brno, Czech Republic—the city where Mendel conducted his groundbreaking experiments. Hosted by the Mendel Museum and Masaryk University, the series brings leading international scientists to present cutting-edge research in genetics, molecular biology, and related fields. The lectures celebrate Mendel’s enduring legacy while fostering global scientific dialogue and collaboration across disciplines. Over the course of its 21-year history, the Mendel Lectures have welcomed over 140 esteemed scientists, including 19 Nobel Prize laureates, to Brno, further enhancing its status as a prominent center for intellectual exchange.
Photos courtesy of Masaryk University.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
