Bruce Lahn

Bruce Lahn
Born1969
China
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materHarvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forMCPH1
Human Genetics
Human Evolutionary Genetics
Stem Cell Biology
Scientific career
FieldsHuman Evolutionary Genetics
Stem Cell Biology
Tissue Engineering
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago
Doctoral advisorDavid C. Page

Bruce Lahn is a Chinese-born American geneticist. Lahn came to the U.S. from China to continue his education in the late 1980s.[1] He is the William B. Graham professor of Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. He is also the founder of the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. Lahn currently serves as the chief scientist of VectorBuilder, Inc.[2]

Lahn's honors include the Merrill Lynch Forum Global Innovation Award, the TR100 Award from Technology Review,[3] the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award, and a Searle Scholarship.[4] He was also named to the 40-Under-40 list by Crains Chicago Business. Lahn received his B.A. in General Biology from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the lab of David C. Page.[5] From 2000 to 2012, Lahn was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute sponsored Investigator.[6]

His previous research specialized in human genetics and evolutionary genetics, especially human sex chromosome evolution and the genetic basis that underlies the evolutionary expansion of the human brain. Lahn's current research interests include stem cell biology and epigenetics.[7]

Biography

Bruce Lahn is a Chinese-born American scientist. He is the founder and Chief Scientist of VectorBuilder, a global leader in gene delivery solutions. [1] In the past he has studied human genetics and evolutionary genetics. His main objective with previous studies was to study the evolution of human sex chromosomes and the underlying basis for the growth of the human brain. Lahn is currently doing a wide spread of stem cell research as well as working with epigenetics.[7] Lahn's previous research has led to the hypothesis that the Neanderthals contributed to evolution of the human brain's size.[8] Lahn is currently working to contribute a better understanding of the widespread use of stem cells to the science world.

Contributions to science

His research on the microcephaly-associated gene, MCPH1, led to the hypothesis that an archaic Homo sapiens lineage such as the Neanderthals might have contributed to the recent development of the human brain.[8] His research also suggested that newly arisen variants of two brain size genes, ASPM and MCPH1, might have been favored by positive natural selection in recent human history.[9] This research provoked controversy due to the finding that the positively selected variants of these genes had spread to higher frequencies in some parts of the world than in others (for ASPM, it is higher in Europe and surrounding regions than other parts of the world; for MCPH1, it is higher outside sub-Saharan Africa than inside).[10] He has advocated the moral position that human genetic diversity should be embraced and celebrated as among humanity's great assets.[11] Later studies did not find the ASPM and MCPH1 gene variants identified by Lahn to be associated with mental ability or cognition in modern populations,[12][13][14] and the haplotype was not found in the individuals used to prepare the first draft of the Neanderthal genome.[15][16]

Lahn has many different studies with stem cells that he is currently working on. They range anywhere from looking at if the suicide gene can be modified with stem cells,[17] to looking at stem cells as a potential source to treat testicular dysfunctions.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Hopkin, Karen (29 August 2005). "Rebel with a Lab". The Scientist. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  2. ^ "VectorBuilder and Landau enter into strategic partnership to establish world's first primate gene therapy R&D center". The Scientist. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ^ Technology Review Bio. (biography) 2013, "MIT Technology Review."
  4. ^ Searle Scholars Bio. Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine (biography) 2009, "Searle Scholars."
  5. ^ UChicago News Profile. (biography) 2015, "UChicago News".
  6. ^ HHMI Investigator Alumni Bio. (biography) 2015, "HHMI".
  7. ^ a b Lahn's Lab Website Archived May 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b Could interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals have led to an enhanced human brain? Howard Hughes Medical Institute, November 6, 2006
  9. ^ Lahn's analysis of genes indicates human brain continues to evolve
  10. ^ Scientist's Study Of Brain Genes Sparks a Backlash. June 16, 2006. Wall Street Journal. Accessed 2015-04-07.
  11. ^ Lahn, Bruce T.; Ebenstein, Lanny (8 October 2009). "Let's celebrate human genetic diversity". Nature. 461 (7265): 726–728. Bibcode:2009Natur.461..726L. doi:10.1038/461726a. PMID 19812654. S2CID 205050141.
  12. ^ Mekel-Bobrov N, Posthuma D, Gilbert SL, Lind P, Gosso MF, Luciano M, et al. (March 2007). "The ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM and Microcephalin is not explained by increased intelligence" (PDF). Human Molecular Genetics. 16 (6): 600–8. doi:10.1093/hmg/ddl487. PMID 17220170.
  13. ^ Timpson N, Heron J, Smith GD, Enard W (August 2007). "Comment on papers by Evans et al. and Mekel-Bobrov et al. on Evidence for Positive Selection of MCPH1 and ASPM". Science. 317 (5841): 1036, author reply 1036. Bibcode:2007Sci...317.1036T. doi:10.1126/science.1141705. PMID 17717170.
  14. ^ Rushton JP, Vernon PA, Bons TA (April 2007). "No evidence that polymorphisms of brain regulator genes Microcephalin and ASPM are associated with general mental ability, head circumference or altruism". Biology Letters. 3 (2): 157–60. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0586. PMC 2104484. PMID 17251122.
  15. ^ Pennisi E (February 2009). "Neandertal genomics. Tales of a prehistoric human genome". Science. 323 (5916): 866–71. doi:10.1126/science.323.5916.866. PMID 19213888. S2CID 206584252.
  16. ^ Green RE, Krause J, Briggs AW, Maricic T, Stenzel U, Kircher M, et al. (May 2010). "A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome". Science. 328 (5979): 710–722. Bibcode:2010Sci...328..710G. doi:10.1126/science.1188021. PMC 5100745. PMID 20448178.
  17. ^ Chen, Fei; Cai, Bing; Gao, Yong; Yuan, Xiaofeng; Cheng, Fuyi; Wang, Tao; Jiang, Meihua; Zhou, Yijia; Lahn, Bruce T.; Li, Weiqiang; Xiang, Andy Peng (February 2013). "Suicide gene-mediated ablation of tumor-initiating mouse pluripotent stem cells". Biomaterials. 34 (6): 1701–1711. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.11.018. PMID 23218839.
  18. ^ Jiang, Mei Hua; Cai, Bing; Tuo, Ying; Wang, Jiancheng; Zang, Zhi Jun; Tu, Xiang'an; Gao, Yong; Su, Zhijian; Li, Weiqiang; Li, Guilan; Zhang, Min; Jiao, Jianwei; Wan, Zi; Deng, Chunhua; Lahn, Bruce T; Xiang, Andy Peng (21 November 2014). "Characterization of Nestin-positive stem Leydig cells as a potential source for the treatment of testicular Leydig cell dysfunction". Cell Research. 24 (12): 1466–1485. doi:10.1038/cr.2014.149. PMC 4260348. PMID 25418539.