Linda M. Brzustowicz

Linda M. Brzustowicz (born November 13, 1960) is a professor of genetics at Rutgers University and a member of the Motif BioSciences Scientific Advisory Board, whose main purpose is to develop technology that will benefit all laboratories using "biosamples," or samples of blood, DNA, stem cells, etc. that advance the field of human genetics.[1][2] She has produced notable research in human gene functions in both the pathologic and normal states, contributing to the understanding of genetics of schizophrenia, autism, and specific language impairment (SLI).[1] Because the diagnosed cases of childhood autism have experienced an unprecedented spike in recent times, causing speculation about the debatable "autism epidemic," such research is invaluable.[3]

Research

Brzustowicz and other geneticists at Rutgers are currently organizing a project to collect a new sample of families chosen for both autism and a history of language impairment in non-autistic family members in order to conduct a genome scan. In addition they are currently conducting genetic association studies of autism using samples from the AGRE and NIMH Human Genetics Initiative collections.[4]

Brzustowicz and others, in collaboration with Dr. Anne Bassett at the University of Toronto, have conducted a genome-wide genetic linkage study of schizophrenia with a set of moderately large extended families from eastern Canada, and have identified "a major schizophrenia susceptibility locus on chromosome 1q21-22 with a multipoint lod score of 6.50 (p<0.0002)." Using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), they have also detected a significant linkage of the severity of positive symptoms of schizophrenia to chromosome 6.[4]

Awards

Education

See also

References

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