Jay Tischfield

Jay Tischfield, August 2008

Jay Tischfield (born June 15, 1946) is MacMillan Professor II and the Founding Chair of the Department of Genetics at Rutgers University.[1] He is also Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Rutgers. He is currently Director of the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey.

He also is the CEO and scientific director of RUCDR Infinite Biologics®[2] (formerly the Rutgers University Cell & DNA Repository), the largest university-based repository in the world that collects, processes and performs genomic assays on human samples.[3] Tischfield has six U.S patents to his name.[4]

Education and career

Professor Tischfield obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1967 at the City University of New York, Brooklyn College. He finished his master’s degree in biology at Yale University in 1969, where he received his PhD in 1973.

At Yale, Tischfield worked on mapping human genes to chromosomes. He used mice-man somatic cell hybrids to determine which genes are located on which chromosomes. He identified the gene for indophenol oxidase in mammals.[5] Later, this gene was identified by researchers from Duke University as the gene coding for the enzyme superoxide dismutase,[6] which is involved in Down syndrome and some cases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Professor Tischfield is a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Genetics in PhD Medical Genetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics.

Professor Tischfield’s research at Rutgers University focuses on the genetic basis of complex diseases that are caused by many genes, frequently in combination, and often triggered by environmental causes. Tischfield’s lab investigates [autism], alcohol addiction and dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis and cystinuria, kidney diseases characterized by severe kidney stones. The laboratory has developed knockout mouse models for both kidney stone diseases and is developing therapies.[7]

Another research area is focused on loss of heterozygosity, a side effect of DNA-repair and recombination. Via this mechanism, tumor suppressor genes can be deactivated, leading to cancer.

Tischfield’s group uses population studies to find genes that are involved in diseases, using samples from the RUCDR Infinite Biologics. In the past, the RUCDR contributed samples to a research project concerning the genetic causes of progeria.[8] This study revealed that progeria patients have a defect in the Lamin A gene on chromosome 1.[9] The discovery led to a clinical drug trial with a farnesyl transferase inhibitor, that started in May 2007.

In recent years Tischfield's research has turned to the genetic basis neuropsychaitric disorders such as Autism, Tourette syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, three disorders on which he has coauthored publications.

Professor Tischfield's role has extended from science to University and New Jersey State politics and in 2011 NJBIZ listed Tischfield as being the 85th most powerful person in New Jersey business because of his political influence.[10]

Personal

Tischfield is married and has three sons, all involved in biological science research. The oldest has completed his PhD in neuroscience, his middle son is working on his PhD in computational biology, while the youngest is completing an MD-PhD in neuroscience[11][12][13] Jay Tischfield is also a big fan of Donald Duck.[14] He took up scuba diving after watching Sea Hunt when he was 15, and as of 2006 he had gone diving in both Hawaii and the Cayman Islands.[14]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ The Tischfield’s Lab homepage
  2. ↑ http://genetics.rutgers.edu/component/comprofiler/userprofile/jay?Itemid=101
  3. ↑ The Rutgers University Cell & DNA repository
  4. ↑ United States Patent and Trademark Office
  5. ↑ Y. H. Tan, J. Tischfield , and F. H. Ruddle: The linkage of genes for the human interferon-induced antiviral protein and indophenol oxidase-B traits to chromosome G-21, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol 137, 317-330
  6. ↑ History of Superoxide dismutase gene discovery in Pubmed
  7. ↑ Jay Tischfield’s lab
  8. ↑ The Progeria Research Foundation’s Cell and Tissue Bank
  9. ↑ M. Eriksson et al. (2003). "Recurrent de novo point mutations in lamin A cause Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome". Nature 423: 293–298
  10. ↑ NJBIZ The 100 most powerful people in New Jersey business
  11. ↑ Max Tischfield’s research page
  12. ↑ Sam Tischfield research page
  13. ↑ David Tischfield linkdin
  14. 1 2 A most unusual Collector
  15. ↑ List of AAAS Fellows
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