Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced the first in a series of public lectures that will be sponsored in collaboration with the  On Wednesday, May 7, , the 2013 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, will present a lecture titled,  Dr. Schekman's presentation will focus on how a specific cellular mechanism can affect cancer, infectious diseases and other medical conditions. He will highlight his work on the development and analysis of cell-free reactions that replicate the lipidation of the major peripheral autophagosomal protein (LC-3), which plays a primary role in autophagy. Autophagy is the cellular mechanism responsible for the degradation of unnecessary and dysfunctional cellular components. If properly regulated, autophagy can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and cells associated with other infectious diseases and medical conditions. "I am pleased to be a part of this lecture series to share my research group's contributions in the area of protein secretion and our new findings on the connection between secretion and the process of autophagy," said Dr. Schekman, who currently serves as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor of cell and developmental biology at UC Berkeley. "These pathways are essential to normal cell growth and play direct roles in human disease." "We are honored to partner with UC San Diego in this program and are privileged to welcome Dr. Schekman as the first speaker in the series," said Agilent's Bj?rn Ogren, a product specialist for mass spectrometry. "Dr. Schekman's findings have solved a long-standing mystery of cell biology and provided the foundation that underpins modern insulin production." This free event is open to the public. Dr. Schekman's presentation will begin at 4 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 7, at the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences auditorium. "UCSD is thrilled to host this new lecture series sponsored by Agilent and absolutely delighted that professor Schekman will be the inaugural lecturer," said Dr. Neal Devaraj, a professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego. For more information and to register, please visit: . View a copy of Dr. Schekman's lecture abstract .