Michael Boehnke | |
---|---|
Spouse(s) | Betsy Foxman |
Academic background | |
Education | BA, mathematics, 1977, University of Oregon PhD, biomathematics, 1983, University of California, Los Angeles |
Thesis | Advances in pedigree analysis: ascertainment, goodness of fit, and optimization (1983) |
Doctoral advisor | Kenneth Lange [1] |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of Michigan |
Doctoral students | Mingyao Li |
Michael Lee Boehnke is an American geneticist. He is the Richard G. Cornell Distinguished University Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health,where he also directs the Center for Statistical Genetics. His research focuses on the genetic dissection of complex traits;in a career spanning 25 years,he has developed methods for analysis of human pedigrees,examined the history of breast cancer in genetically at risk individuals,and contributed important discoveries on the genetics of type 2 diabetes and related traits,such as obesity and blood lipid levels.
Boehnke completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of Oregon before applying for a Fulbright Scholarship in Freiburg,Germany. Upon returning to North America,he volunteered in the lab of ecologists Bill Bradshaw and Chris Holzapfel who convinced him to apply for graduate school instead of law school. On their advice,he received his doctoral degree from the University of California,Los Angeles in biomathematics. [2]
Upon concluding his education,Boehnke joined the faculty at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1984. [3] By 1993,he was promoted from associate professor with tenure to professor with tenure. [4]
In 2007,Boehnke collaborated with researchers at deCODE genetics and Mark McCarthy of the University of Oxford to identify seven new genes connected to type 2 diabetes. The groups identified at least four new genetic factors associated with increased risk of diabetes and confirmed the existence of six more. [5] [6] In recognition of the discovery,Science magazine named their discovery as the 2007 breakthrough of the year and Time magazine listed their work among the top 20 medical discoveries of 2007. [7] He was subsequently appointed the Richard G. Cornell Distinguished University Professor of Biostatistics [7] and elected a member of the Institute of Medicine. [8]
After being elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, [9] Boehnke co-led an international research team which located 12 more regions on the genome with DNA variants that are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. [10] The following year,he discovered that several of the newly discovered genetic variants may increase the risk of developing bipolar disorder,schizophrenia or both. [11] By 2013,Boehnke was a member of another international research team which uncovered 157 changes in human DNA that alter the levels of cholesterol and other blood fats. [12]
Boehnke and his wife Betsy Foxman have three sons together. [13]
Genetic testing,also known as DNA testing,is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes,such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression,or through biochemical analysis to measure specific protein output. In a medical setting,genetic testing can be used to diagnose or rule out suspected genetic disorders,predict risks for specific conditions,or gain information that can be used to customize medical treatments based on an individual's genetic makeup. Genetic testing can also be used to determine biological relatives,such as a child's biological parentage through DNA paternity testing,or be used to broadly predict an individual's ancestry. Genetic testing of plants and animals can be used for similar reasons as in humans,to gain information used for selective breeding,or for efforts to boost genetic diversity in endangered populations.
deCODE genetics is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík,Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the human genome associated with common diseases,and to apply these discoveries "to develop novel methods to identify,treat and prevent diseases."
Kári Stefánsson is an Icelandic neurologist and founder and CEO of Reykjavik-based biopharmaceutical company deCODE genetics. In Iceland he has pioneered the use of population-scale genetics to understand variation in the sequence of the human genome. His work has focused on how genomic diversity is generated and on the discovery of sequence variants impacting susceptibility to common diseases. This population approach has served as a model for national genome projects around the world and contributed to the realization of several aspects of precision medicine.
Harry Ostrer is a medical geneticist who investigates the genetic basis of common and rare disorders. In the diagnostic laboratory,he translates the findings of genetic discoveries into tests that can be used to identify people's risks for disease prior to occurrence,or for predicting its outcome once it has occurred. He is also known for his study,writing and lectures on the origins of the Jewish people.
Ranajit Chakraborty was a human and population geneticist. At the time of his death,he was Director of the Center for Computational Genomics at the Institute of Applied Genetics and Professor in the Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth,Texas. His scientific contributions include studies in human genetics,population genetics,genetic epidemiology,statistical genetics,and forensic genetics.
Zinc transporter 8 (ZNT8) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC30A8 gene. ZNT8 is a zinc transporter related to insulin secretion in humans. Certain alleles of the SLC30A8 gene may increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes,but a loss-of-function mutation appears to greatly reduce the risk of diabetes.
In genomics,a genome-wide association study,also known as whole genome association study,is an observational study of a genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals to see if any variant is associated with a trait. GWA studies typically focus on associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and traits like major human diseases,but can equally be applied to any other genetic variants and any other organisms.
Rick Antonius Kittles is an American biologist specializing in human genetics. He is of African-American ancestry,and achieved renown in the 1990s for his pioneering work in tracing the ancestry of African Americans via DNA testing.
Pierre Zalloua is a Lebanese biologist. His contributions to biology include numerous researches in genetic predisposition to diseases such as type 1 diabetes and β-thalassemia. He is most noted for taking part in the National Geographic Society's Genographic Project.
Stephen Wayne "Steve" Scherer is a Canadian scientist who studies genetic variation in human disease. He obtained his PhD at the University of Toronto under Professor Lap-chee Tsui. Together they founded Canada's first human genome centre,the Centre for Applied Genomics (TCAG) at the Hospital for Sick Children. He continues to serve as director of TCAG,and is also director of the McLaughlin Centre at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.
The Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) is part of the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine. The Centre is located at the British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) in Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada. Research at CMMT is focused on discovering genetic susceptibility to illnesses such as Huntington Disease,Type 2 diabetes and bipolar disorder.
Karen L. Mohlke is a biologist at University of North Carolina,Chapel Hill. She is known for her work in human genetics,especially in the area of diabetes research. She was one of the first researchers to use exome array genotyping.
Nilanjan Chatterjee is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics and Genetic Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University,with appointments in the Department of Biostatistics in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and in the Department of Oncology in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was formerly the chief of the Biostatistics Branch of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
Georgia Mae Dunston is a professor of human immunogenetics at Howard University and founding director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University.
Charles Nohuoma Rotimi is the Director of the Trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) center for research in genomics and global health. He works to ensure that population genetics include genomes from African populations and founded the African Society of Human Genetics in 2003. Rotimi was instrumental in the launch of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) with the NIH and the Wellcome Trust. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018.
Elly Nedivi is an American neuroscientist. She is a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the William R. (1964) and Linda R. Young Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Cristen Jennifer Willer is an American-Canadian bioinformatician and geneticist. She is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine,Human Genetics,and Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan.
Katalin Susztak (Suszták) is a Hungarian American scientist and nephrologist at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a professor of medicine and genetics,and currently the codirector of the Complications Unit at the Institute for Diabetes,Obesity and Metabolism. Her laboratory made major contributions to the current understanding of kidney disease development. She is also the founder of the Transformative Research In DiabEtic NephropaThy (TRIDENT),a collaborative network of physicians and basic scientists,to find cures for diabetic kidney disease.
Grant Robert Sutherland is a retired Australian human geneticist and celebrated cytogeneticist. He was the Director,Department of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics,Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital for 27 years (1975-2002),then became the Foundation Research Fellow there until 2007. He is an Emeritus Professor in the Departments of Paediatrics and Genetics at the University of Adelaide.
Mingyao Li is a Chinese-American biostatistician and statistical geneticist known for her research on genetic factors related to heart disease,and as one of the creators of the ANNOVAR bioinformatics software tool. She is a professor of biostatistics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.