David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA names winner of Switzer Prize for research excellence

Dr. Huda Zoghbi, a neurologist whose work has revealed the molecular basis of neurological disorders, is the recipient of the 2017 Switzer Prize awarded by theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for excellence in biological and biomedical sciences research.Zoghbi ’s lab at the Baylor College of Medicine identified a gene mutation that causes Rett syndrome, a severe genetic disorder that mostly affects girls. After a short period of apparently normal development, the disorder causes them to lose language and motor skills, typically by 18 months of age. The discovery paved the way for a genetic test to diagnose the disorder. The same gene mutation can also cause autism, juvenile-onset schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.Zoghbi also discovered the molecular mechanism of spinocerebellar ataxia 1, a neurodegenerative disorder in which people ’s balance and coordination progressively worsens. Zoghbi and collaborator Harry Orr identified the gene mutation responsible for the disorder.These and other discoveries by Zoghbi have opened up new areas of inquiry with the potential to advance diagnoses and treatments for Alzheimer ’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases.“Dr. Zoghbi’s extraordinary work represents a powerful example of the direct impact that biological and biomedical research have on the lives of patients,” said Dr. Kelsey Martin, dean of the Geffen School of Medicine.Zoghbi is scheduled to deliver theSwitzer Prize le...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news