Harvard Geneticist Stephen Elledge Reflects On Breakthrough Prize

Among those who took home this year's "Breakthrough Prize," the biggest money prize in science, was Dr. Stephen Elledge, Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

His work provides insights into how our DNA knows how to fix itself when it's broken — a key process for those who analyze the development and treatment of cancer.

Elledge says he is still determining how to spend his prize of $3 million, but is giving at least a third of it to charity.

He joined us to talk about his life and work, and the importance of defending science when the winds blow against it.

Stephen Elledge, Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.