Dennis Drayna

Dennis T. Drayna (born 1952) is an American human geneticist known for his contributions to stuttering, human haemochromatosis, pitch, and taste. He is currently the Section Chief of Genetics of Communication Disorders at the U.S. National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.[1]

Biography

Drayna graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1976, and obtained a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1981. He performed his post-doctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the lab of Raymond White, where he created the first full length genetic linkage map of the human X chromosome.[2]

After completing his post-doctoral training, Drayna joined the scientific staff of Genentech in 1985, where, most notably, he cloned and sequenced cholesteryl ester transfer protein[3] among other contributions.

In 1992, Drayna left Genentech to co-found Mercator Genetics, a bio-technology company focused on commercializing human genomic discoveries.[4] Here, Drayna discovered the genetic basis of hereditary haemochromatosis.[5][6] After Mercator Genetics was acquired by Progenitor in 1997, Drayna joined the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health.

Since moving to the NIH, his research has focused across broad areas of human genetics, including pitch,[7] taste, and stuttering. In 2010, Drayna uncovered the first genetic basis of stuttering in humans.[8][9] Since the initial discovery, he has expanded the understanding of genetic and neurological causes of human stuttering, including discovering additional genetic correlates of stuttering[10] and creating 'knock-out' stuttering mice.[11][12] Drayna has also investigated the genetic underpinnings of complex taste traits, including PTC,[13][14] and also menthol cigarettes.[15]

Drayna is currently a member of the board of directors of The Stuttering Foundation of America,[16] and a member of the faculty of the program in neuroscience and cognitive science at the University of Maryland.[17]

References
  1. "Dennis Drayna, Ph.D." NIDCD. 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  2. Drayna, D.; White, R. (1985-11-15). "The genetic linkage map of the human X chromosome". Science. 230 (4727): 753–758. doi:10.1126/science.4059909. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 4059909.
  3. Drayna, Dennis; Jarnagin, Alisha Stephens; McLean, John; Henzel, William; Kohr, William; Fielding, Christopher; Lawn, Richard (June 1987). "Cloning and sequencing of human cholesteryl ester transfer protein cDNA". Nature. 327 (6123): 632–634. doi:10.1038/327632a0. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 3600759.
  4. Chandrasekharan, Subhashini; Pitlick, Emily; Heaney, Christopher; Cook-Deegan, Robert (April 2010). "Impact of Gene Patents and Licensing Practices on Access to Genetic Testing for Hereditary Hemochromatosis". Genetics in Medicine. 12 (4 Suppl): S155–S170. doi:10.1097/GIM.0b013e3181d7acb0. ISSN 1098-3600. PMC 3131230. PMID 20393306.
  5. Feder, J. N.; Gnirke, A.; Thomas, W.; Tsuchihashi, Z.; Ruddy, D. A.; Basava, A.; Dormishian, F.; Domingo, R.; Ellis, M. C. (August 1996). "A novel MHC class I-like gene is mutated in patients with hereditary haemochromatosis". Nature Genetics. 13 (4): 399–408. doi:10.1038/ng0896-399. ISSN 1061-4036. PMID 8696333.
  6. Davies, Kevin (2010-09-07). The $1,000 Genome: The Revolution in DNA Sequencing and the New Era of Personalized Medicine. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781416570189.
  7. Drayna, Dennis; Manichaikul, Ani; Lange, Marlies de; Snieder, Harold; Spector, Tim (2001-03-09). "Genetic Correlates of Musical Pitch Recognition in Humans". Science. 291 (5510): 1969–1972. doi:10.1126/science.291.5510.1969. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 11239158.
  8. Kang, Changsoo; Riazuddin, Sheikh; Mundorff, Jennifer; Krasnewich, Donna; Friedman, Penelope; Mullikin, James C.; Drayna, Dennis (2010-02-25). "Mutations in the Lysosomal Enzyme–Targeting Pathway and Persistent Stuttering". New England Journal of Medicine. 362 (8): 677–685. doi:10.1056/nejmoa0902630. ISSN 0028-4793. PMC 2936507. PMID 20147709.
  9. "Researchers Discover First Genes for Stuttering". National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  10. Frigerio-Domingues, Carlos; Drayna, Dennis (2017-02-19). "Genetic contributions to stuttering: the current evidence". Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine. 5 (2): 95–102. doi:10.1002/mgg3.276. ISSN 2324-9269. PMC 5370225. PMID 28361094.
  11. Barnes, Terra D.; Wozniak, David F.; Gutierrez, Joanne; Han, Tae-Un; Drayna, Dennis; Holy, Timothy E. (April 2016). "A Mutation Associated with Stuttering Alters Mouse Pup Ultrasonic Vocalizations". Current Biology. 26 (8): 1009–1018. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.068. ISSN 0960-9822. PMC 5063665. PMID 27151663.
  12. "Mice with genetic defect for human stuttering offer new insight into speech disorder | Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis". Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  13. Kim, Un-kyung; Jorgenson, Eric; Coon, Hilary; Leppert, Mark; Risch, Neil; Drayna, Dennis (2003-02-21). "Positional Cloning of the Human Quantitative Trait Locus Underlying Taste Sensitivity to Phenylthiocarbamide". Science. 299 (5610): 1221–1225. doi:10.1126/science.1080190. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 12595690.
  14. "Scientist Finds The Gene That Determines Major Sensitivity to Bitter Taste". NIDCD. 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  15. Risso, Davide; Sainz, Eduardo; Gutierrez, Joanne; Kirchner, Thomas; Niaura, Raymond; Drayna, Dennis (2017-04-01). "Association of TAS2R38 Haplotypes and Menthol Cigarette Preference in an African American Cohort". Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 19 (4): 493–494. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntw275. ISSN 1462-2203. PMC 5896488. PMID 27733510.
  16. "Meet Board Member Dennis Drayna". Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  17. "Dennis Drayna | NACS l Neuroscience and Cognitive Science l University of Maryland". nacs.umd.edu. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  • Drayna's NIH research page
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