Douglas C. Wallace

Douglas Cecil Wallace
Born (1946-11-06) November 6, 1946[1]
Cumberland, Maryland
Nationality United States
Fields Human Genetics
Institutions Stanford University School of Medicine, Emory University, Human Genome Organisation, University of California, Irvine, Academia Sinica, University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Alma mater Cornell University (B.S., 1968)
Yale University (Ph.M., 1968) (Ph.D., 1975)
Thesis Cytoplasmic genetics in mammalian tissue culture cells
Known for Pioneering human mitochondrial genetics
Notable awards Passano Award
Gruber Prize in Genetics (2012)
Spouse Elizabeth (2 children)[2]
Website
www.chop.edu/doctors/wallace-douglas-c.html

Douglas Cecil Wallace (born November 6, 1946) is a geneticist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.[3][4] He pioneered the use of human mitochondrial DNA as a molecular marker.

Career

Wallace earned a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and Developmental Biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1968, a Master of Philosophy in Microbiology and Human Genetics at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1972 and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Human Genetics at Yale University in 1975.[3] His dissertation was titled Cytoplasmic genetics in mammalian tissue culture cells.[5]

He remained at Yale University as a postdoctoral fellow until he was awarded a professorship (Assistant Professor) at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California in 1976. In 1983 he became professor (Adjunct Professor) for Biochemistry, Anthropology and Pediatrics (Genetics) at the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1996 to 2002, he was Chairperson and Senior Editor of the Mitochondrial DNA Locus-Specific Database for the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO). In 2002 he assumed a professorship of Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Irvine and founded the Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics there. In 2006 he was awarded a visiting professorship at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2010 he became professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and became the founding director of the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.[2][6][7][8]

Work

Wallace is a pioneer in the study of mitochondrial DNA. Wallace and his colleagues introduced human mitochondrial genetics into the field of molecular genetics.[9] In 1975, for the first time ever, Wallace could associate a genetic disorder with the mitochondrial DNA region (resistance to chloramphenicol)[10] and in 1990 he described a mitochondrial DNA mutation as the cause of a particular form of myoclonic epilepsy.[11] He has been instrumental in the study of the mitochondrial genome and has developed new methods for the analysis of mitochondrial DNA.[12]

Wallace and his colleagues demonstrated that human mitochondrial DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother[13] and reconstructed the origin and ancient migration patterns of women using variations in mitochondrial DNA sequences.[2][9][14][15]

Honours and awards

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Book of Members: Chapter W" (PDF). American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "2012 Genetics Prize: Douglas C. Wallace". Gruber Foundation. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Douglas C Wallace". The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Douglas C Wallace, PhD: Bio". The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Wallace DC; et al. (1976). "Cytoplasmic inheritance in mammalian tissue culture cells". NCBI. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Douglas C. Wallace to Join UCI Faculty in Biology and Medicine". UC. 18 March 2002. Retrieved 28 February 2013. Founder of 'Mitochondrial Eve' Research to Establish Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine Center at Irvine
  7. ↑ "Douglas C. Wallace, Ph.D. (CV)" (PDF). Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Top Expert on Mitochondrial Disorders Launches Center at Children's Hospital". Newswise, Inc. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Douglas C Wallace, PhD: Expanded Bio". The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Wallace DC; et al. (1975). "Cytoplasmic transfer of chloramphenicol resistance in human tissue culture cells". NCBI. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Shoffner JM; et al. (1990). "Myoclonic epilepsy and ragged-red fiber disease (MERRF) is associated with a mitochondrial DNA tRNA(Lys) mutation". NCBI. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  12. 1 2 "The Passano Awards". Passano Foundation. Retrieved 25 February 2013. Drs. Attardi and Wallace were selected for their landmark contributions to the mitochondrial genome project and their development of innovative methods for studying mitochondrial genetics and human disease.
  13. ↑ Giles RE; et al. (1980). "Maternal inheritance of human mitochondrial DNA". NCBI. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Torroni A; et al. (1993). "Asian affinities and continental radiation of the four founding Native American mtDNAs". NCBI. Retrieved 27 February 2013. The term haplogroup was coined in this paper.
  15. ↑ Wallace DC; et al. (1999). "Mitochondrial DNA variation in human evolution and disease". NCBI. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Douglas C. Wallace elected to Institute of Medicine". University of California, Irvine. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "IOM Class of 2009". Institute of Medicine. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "2012 Gruber Genetics Prize Citation". Gruber Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2013. The Gruber Foundation proudly presents the 2012 Genetics Prize to Douglas Wallace for the discovery of mutations in the mitochondrial genome and their impact on human health.
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