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    Created in 1998, the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, formerly Genetics and Developmental Biology, offers new and exciting opportunities for research and graduate education.

Welcome

Brenton R. Graveley, Ph.D.

Welcome to the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. Created in 1998, the department offers many exciting opportunities for research and graduate education. The department is located in the state-of-the-art Cell and Genome Sciences Building. The department is also the academic home of the Division of Medical Genetics which provides clinical and laboratory genetics services to Connecticut. Our research strengths include RNA biology, developmental biology, signal transduction, and the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation. We are continually increasing external funding for our current research programs, enhancing the national and international reputation of our faculty and their research, and recruiting outstanding faculty members with new and complementary areas of research expertise. We also have a close working relationship with the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX-GM), and most JAX-GM faculty have academic appointments in our department. 
 
Dr. Brenton R. Graveley, Professor and Chair of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, and Endowed Chair, Genomics and Personalized Healthcare; Director, UConn Stem Cell Institute and Associate Director, Institute for System Genomics, University of Connecticut.

MIRA Awards Reflect Innovation of UConn Scientists

Five UConn researchers, all with faculty appointments in Genetics and Genome Sciences, received Maximizing Investigator's Research Awards from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (read more).

Herbert & Esther Bennett Brandwein Lecture - March 21 POSTPONED, new date to be determined

Dr. Adrian R. Krainer, St Giles Foundation Professor of Molecular Genetics and Program Chair of Cancer and Molecular Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, will present the Herbert & Esther Bennett Brandwein Lecture on March 21, 2018, from 12:00-1:00PM in the Edmund and Arlene Grossman Auditorium.  His seminar title is: “Spinraza®: The First Approved Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy”.  Dr. Krainer is a world-leader in the field of pre-mRNA splicing and recently has developed a splicing-based therapeutic to cure Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Don’t miss out on hearing about this remarkable story of bench-to-bedside success.

Gordon Carmichael inducted into CASE

Gordon G. Carmichael, Ph.D.Professor Gordon Carmichael has been inducted into the 2018 Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) for his pioneering contributions to the field of RNA biology in mammalian cells and their viruses.  His work has provided key insights into the mechanisms of splicing, polyadenylation and RNA export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, as well as the mechanism of action of naturally-occurring antisense RNA regulations and RNA editing.

Noelle Germain receives award to study Angelman Syndrome

Noelle Germain, a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of genetics and genome sciences at UConn Health has received a fellowship from the Angelman Syndrome Foundation to investigate two novel approaches to reversing the abnormal genetic expression that causes the rare genetic disease (read full article).

Raising Awareness about Rare Diseases

Stormy Chamberlain, associate professor of genetics and genome sciences, speaks at the Connecticut Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2018.  Chamberlain’s research focuses on three rare diseases affecting children: Prader-Willi syndrome, 15q duplication syndrome and Angelman syndrome. She was joined by Jim Kubicza, director of the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and father of a child suffering from the condition (read full article).