Clement Chow: Finding Cures for Rare Diseases
Clement Chow, associate professor in the Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, will discuss "Flying to the Clinic: Drug Repurposing Screen for Rare Diseases" at a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Monday, May 6.
He will speak at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs and via Zoom. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/9 5882849672
"Our lab," Professor Chow says in his abstract, "is focused on understanding the role of genetic variation on disease outcomes. We employ quantitative and functional tools, in a variety of model organisms, to study how genetic variation impacts basic cellular traits important to human health. Our work in model organisms will help to model and inform studies of genetic variation in the human population. We hope to identify variation that can lead to more precise, personalized therapies, especially for rare disease."
His research includes the fruit fly as the model. "Because the fruit fly is small, cheap and fast, we can do massive experiments that people in mouse labs can only dream of,” Chow says on a University of Utah website heralding Academia in Action: Treating Patients as Individuals. “We take a model of a particular rare disease, and we cross it into a couple hundred different genetic backgrounds in the flies. What that gives us is basically a number of fly strains that you can think of as different individuals with different genetic backgrounds, all with the same disorder.”
"Dr. Chow's research has made a tremendous impact on the lives of patients with rare diseases as well as their families and caretakers," said molecular geneticist and physicist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology. "His research program provides a shining example of how one can leverage many of the advantages of the Drosophila fly model to investigate molecular mechanisms disrupted in human diseases and efficiently translate that to medical interventions andFDA-approved drugs." The Chiu lab is hosting the seminar.
Chow received his bachelor's degree in biology, neurobiology and behavior from Cornell University in 2003. He completed his Ph.D. in human genetics in 2008 in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan, where he worked with Miriam Meisler. Clement completed his postdoctoral training as a co-mentored postdoc with Andy Clark and Mariana Wolfner at Cornell University.
For any technical Zoom issues, contact seminar coordinator Brian Johnson at brnjohnson@ucdavis.edu. The full list of spring seminars is here.
UC Davis ENT Department Ranked Third in the Country
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is ranked third among “The Best Entomology Colleges in the United States for 2024" by universities.com. The department includes 24 active and 19 retired faculty; 28 graduate students (five in the master's degree program and 23 in the doctoral degree program); 47 undergraduate entomology majors (based on the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) Student Reports); and a staff comprised of 27 academics (non-faculty), 24 career, and 56 student assistants. Professor and chair of the department is molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu. Community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor, serves as the vice chair.