Advancing research, education, and clinical practice in precision medicine
This year’s Gerard B. Odell Award winner is Bryn Webb, MD, associate professor, Division of Genetics and Metabolism. She is also associated as core faculty with the UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine. Webb’s research group is focused on better understanding the genetics and pathophysiology of rare Mendelian disorders. She has a particular interest …
Dr. Jeremy Kratz was awarded a Career Development Award for his research on the translation of patient-derived cancer organoids in cholangiocarcinoma. The VA’s Career Development Program was established to provide mentoring for junior researchers so they can learn from renowned, experienced VA researchers. Awardees from this program are recognized as national and international leaders in …
Dr. Lang was awarded the New Investigator Program award from The Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP). The grants were awarded to eight SMPH investigators for projects across the spectrum of basic, clinical, and translational research. Dr. Lang’s project, titled “Functional and Genomic Comparison of Ovarian Cancer Cells in Ascites to Primary Tumor and Associated Cell-free DNA”, …
February 25 through 28 marked Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Rare Disease Legislative Advocates, a program of the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, it is a weeklong event that invites rare disease advocates from across the country to come to talk to their congressional representatives and senators. Bryn Webb, MD, associate professor, …
Dr. Jessica Lang was recently awarded a Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program Pilot Award focused on oncogene over-expression through the intersection of copy number amplifications and super-enhancer gains in ovarian cancer. High-grade serous ovarian cancer is amongst the highest copy number altered tumors, and targeted therapies have thus been challenging to predict. In addition, …
Congratulations to Dr. Bryn Webb and her colleagues for their recent publication in Nature Genetics! The paper, titled “Noncoding variants alter GATA2 expression in rhombomere 4 motor neurons and cause dominant hereditary congenital facial paresis”, can be read here. This paper is an early example of using whole genome sequencing to define the pathogenesis of …
The Texas-based non-profit organization Elijah’s Project for Hope has awarded Bryn Webb, MD, a two-year research grant in the amount of $282,553 to investigate a rare genetic disorder that results from mutations in the WARS2 gene. The research period is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024. Webb is an associate professor in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism in …
Congratulations to Dr. Muhammed Murtaza and his team for their recent publication in Science Translational Medicine! Fragment patterns in tumor DNA offer a roadmap to diagnose patients with cancer. A new machine learning platform can distinguish patients with cancer by analyzing patterns in fragments of cell-free DNA – pieces of tumor genetic material in the blood …