Genetics

Ohio State’s Human Cancer Genetics Program was already world renowned when Carlo Croce, MD, was recruited in 2004 to assume leadership from program founder Albert de la Chapelle, MD, PhD, who wanted to devote more time to research. Since then, these two internationally acclaimed geneticists and their colleagues have worked in tandem to guide the program to even greater heights in the study of genetics, which may hold the keys to curing cancer and other diseases.

The Human Cancer Genetics Program is aligned with the Medical Center’s Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics (MVIMG), which has been chaired by Croce since he arrived at Ohio State. Researchers in this Department study the molecular genetics of human disease and disease-causing organisms. Their expertise ranges from basic biophysical analysis to clinical translation in molecular genetics of cancer, immunology and immunogenetics, and bacterial and viral pathogenesis.

Genetics Support Program highlights of 2006:

MVIMG has 34 tenure track faculty and 13 research track faculty. More than 65 percent of faculty garner independent research funds and nearly 65 percent maintain multiple grant awards.
Faculty were awarded more than $8.9 million in research funds; 46 percent of Department faculty salaries are covered by research awards.
In 2006, the Department recruited researcher Matthew During, MD, PhD, an expert in neurobiology, gene therapy and vector development.
Carlo Croce, MD, Albert de la Chapelle, MD, PhD, and Kay Huebner, PhD, identified specific microRNAs as causative for solid and hematopoietic tumors.
Richard Fishel, PhD, vice chair of research for MVIMG, discovered novel DNA repair-based cellular mechanisms for defense against retroviral infection.
Tim Huang, PhD, Christoph Plass, PhD, and Ramana Davuluri, PhD, devised new combined bioinformatics methods for systems biology analysis.
Christoph Plass, PhD, described epigenetic regulation of tumor-suppressor genes in lung and head and neck tumors.