Cynthia C. Morton

Last updated

Cynthia Casson Morton (born August 1, 1955) is an American geneticist, professor at Harvard Medical School, and director of cytogenetics at Brigham and Women's Hospital. [1]

Contents

Biography

Morton graduated in 1973 from Maryland's Easton High School and in 1977 from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor's degree in biology. In 1982 she received her Ph.D. in human genetics from the Medical College of Virginia. [1]

As a postdoc she worked at Children's Hospital of Boston and then for three-and-a-half years in Philip Leder's laboratory in Harvard Medical School's department of genetics. In 1987, the eminent pathologist Ramzi Cotran recruited her to become the Director of Cytogenetics at Brigham and Women's Hospital. [2] At Harvard Medical School she is now the William Lambert Richardson Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine as well as a professor of pathology. At Brigham and Women's Hospital she also holds the Keneth J. Ryan, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. [1] She is an adjunct professor at the University of Manchester. [3]

She has done research on "molecular cytogenetics, hereditary deafness, genetics of uterine leiomyomata and human developmental disorders." [3] The research done by her and her co-workers lead to the "identification of the first gene implicated in uterine fibroids, HMGA2." [2]

Dr. Morton’s research focuses on using genetic information to differentiate the projected clinical course of various tumors. One of these clinical targets is the solid uterine fibroid, a benign tumor that nevertheless affects the majority of women and causes substantial morbidity. Dr. Morton’s laboratory was among the first to elucidate a collection of genetic abnormalities associated with this tumor, as chronicled in a series of papers published in the late 1990s. [2]

Morton is the author or co-author of over 300 articles in academic journals. For six years (from 2005 to 2011) she was editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Human Genetics . [3] [4]

She is married and has a daughter and a son. [5]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

Irene Ayako Uchida, was a Canadian scientist and Down syndrome researcher.

Leiomyoma Medical condition

A leiomyoma, also known as a fibroid, is a benign smooth muscle tumor that very rarely becomes cancer (0.1%). They can occur in any organ, but the most common forms occur in the uterus, small bowel, and the esophagus. Polycythemia may occur due to increased erythropoietin production as part of a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Benign tumor Mass of cells which cannot spread throughout the body

A benign tumor is a mass of cells (tumor) that lacks the ability either to invade neighboring tissue or metastasize. When removed, benign tumors usually do not grow back, whereas malignant tumors are cancerous and sometimes do. Unlike most benign tumors elsewhere in the body, benign brain tumors can be life-threatening. Benign tumors generally have a slower growth rate than malignant tumors and the tumor cells are usually more differentiated. They are typically surrounded by an outer surface or stay contained within the epithelium. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.

Vaginal bleeding is any expulsion of blood from the vagina. This bleeding may originate from the uterus, vaginal wall, or cervix. Generally, it is either part of a normal menstrual cycle or is caused by hormonal or other problems of the reproductive system, such as abnormal uterine bleeding.

Uterine fibroid Medical condition

Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. Most women have no symptoms while others may have painful or heavy periods. If large enough, they may push on the bladder causing a frequent need to urinate. They may also cause pain during sex or lower back pain. A woman can have one uterine fibroid or many. Occasionally, fibroids may make it difficult to become pregnant, although this is uncommon.

Cowden syndrome Medical condition

Cowden syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited condition characterized by benign overgrowths called hamartomas as well as an increased lifetime risk of breast, thyroid, uterine, and other cancers. It is often underdiagnosed due to variability in disease presentation, but 99% of patients report mucocutaneous symptoms by age 20-29. Despite some considering it a primarily dermatologic condition, Cowden's syndrome is a multi-system disorder that also includes neurodevelopmental disorders such as macrocephaly.

<i>American Journal of Human Genetics</i> Academic journal

The American Journal of Human Genetics is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of human genetics. It was established in 1948 by the American Society of Human Genetics and covers all aspects of heredity in humans, including the application of genetics in medicine and public policy, as well as the related areas of molecular and cell biology. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2019 impact factor of 10.502. The journal is published by Cell Press an imprint of Elsevier. Bruce R. Korf became the editor-in-chief in the winter of 2017–2018.

Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) is a premalignant lesion of the uterine lining that predisposes to endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma. It is composed of a collection of abnormal endometrial cells, arising from the glands that line the uterus, which have a tendency over time to progress to the most common form of uterine cancer—endometrial adenocarcinoma, endometrioid type.

Patricia Ann Jacobs OBE FRSE FRS FMedSci FRCPath is a Scottish geneticist and is Honorary Professor of Human Genetics, Co-director of Research, Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory, within the University of Southampton.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis Medical condition

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare condition seen exclusively in women in which leiomyomata, benign smooth muscle tumors, are found in veins. The masses are benign-appearing but can spread throughout the venous system leaving the uterus and even cause death when growing into the heart from the IVC. While the possibility that these arose de novo from the smooth muscle in the blood vessel wall was considered, chromosomal analysis suggests a uterine origin. Intravenous leiomyomata are usually but not always associated with uterine fibroids, and tend to recur.

Charles Joseph Epstein was an American geneticist who was severely injured in 1993 when he became a victim of a mail bomb attack by the Unabomber. He was a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco and the Buck Institute for Age Research.

FOXJ1

Forkhead box protein J1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FOXJ1 gene. It is a member of the Forkhead/winged helix (FOX) family of transcription factors that is involved in ciliogenesis. FOXJ1 is expressed in ciliated cells of the lung, choroid plexus, reproductive tract, embryonic kidney and pre-somite embryo stage.

Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome Medical condition

Reed’s syndrome is a rare inherited condition characterised by multiple cutaneous leiomyomas and, in women, uterine leiomyomas. It predisposes for renal cell cancer, an association denominated hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer, and it is also associated with increased risk of uterine leiomyosarcoma. The syndrome is caused by a mutation in the fumarate hydratase gene, which leads to an accumulation of fumarate. The inheritance pattern is autosomal dominant.

Vasculogenic mimicry is the formation of microvascular channels by aggressive, metastatic and genetically deregulated tumour cells. This process differs from angiogenesis in that it occurs de novo without the presence of endothelial cells. It was first described in uveal melanomas by Maniotis et al. in 1999. There are two main types of vasculogenic mimicry: tubular and patterned. The former is morphologically similar to normal blood vessels, whereas the latter is visibly different although capable of undergoing anastomosis with blood vessels.

Serdar Bulun is a gynecologist, with a special interest in the common gynecologic diseases, endometriosis and uterine fibroids.

Dorothy Pamela (DeMontmerency) Warburton was a Canadian geneticist whose research focused on fetal chromosomal abnormalities and reasons for miscarriage. She died at the age of 80 on 26 April 2016 at her home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Ramzi S. Cotran (1932-2000) was a pathologist and former president of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP). He was chair of pathology at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Medical Center, as well as the Frank B. Mallory Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine. The Ramzi Cotran Young Investigator Award is presented each year by USCAP to a pathologist in recognition of a body of investigative work which has contributed significantly to the diagnosis and understanding of human disease.

Peter Maxwell Howley is an American pathologist, virologist, and professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been president of the American Society for Virology and the American Society for Investigative Pathology and a co-editor of the Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease.

Fina Kurreeman is a Mauritian-Dutch medical geneticist and professor of rheumatology at the Leiden University Medical Center. Kurreeman has authored 52 papers and received more than 6000 citations for her work in the genetic basis of Inflammatory disorders, in particular studying the role of non-coding RNA in disease pathologies. She was awarded a 2011 Leiden University Medical Center Fellowship.

Sandro Santagata is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a physician-scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he practices neuropathology. His research focuses on precision medicine in cancer biology.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Cynthia Casson Morton, PhD". Morton Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
  2. 1 2 3 "Featured Investigator, Cynthia C. Morton, PhD". Brigham Research Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prof Cynthia Morton, Chair in Auditory Genetics". The University of Manchester. (with online links to publications)
  4. ↑ Morton, Cynthia Casson (2011). "Time to Say Goodbye ..." The American Journal of Human Genetics. 89 (6): 687. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.11.017 . ISSN   0002-9297. PMC   3234365 .
  5. ↑ Morton, Cynthia Casson (2015). "2014 Presidential Address: The Time of Our Lives". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 96 (3): 347–351. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.11.017 . PMC   4375456 . PMID   25748349.
  6. ↑ Morton, Cynthia C. (1998). "Many Tumors and Many Genes". The American Journal of Pathology. 153 (4): 1015–1020. doi:10.1016/S0002-9440(10)65645-3. ISSN   0002-9440. PMC   1853042 . PMID   9777932.
  7. ↑ Cotran, R. S. (1998). "Forty Years of the Warner-Lambert/ Parke-Davis Award : A Remarkable Record". The American Journal of Pathology. 153 (4): 1014. doi:10.1016/S0002-9440(10)65644-1. PMC   1853043 . PMID   9777931.
  8. ↑ Stern, Gavin (16 November 2015). "2015 AAAS Fellows Recognized for Contributions to Advancing Science". American Association for the Advancement of Science (aaas.org).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.