Joseph G. Gleeson


Joseph Gleeson is an American physician-scientist and professor of neurosciences and genetics at University of California, San Diego. He is known for his research on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, including structural birth defects, epileptic encephalopathies, and spina bifida.

Early life and education

Gleeson earned his M.D. from Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago in 1991, and completed his residency in pediatrics and neurology and fellowship in neurogenetics at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. There, in the laboratory of Christopher A. Walsh, he identified the doublecortin gene as the cause for X-linked lissencephaly and double cortex syndrome, a form of pachygyria, later showing that the gene encodes a Microtubule-associated protein.

Career

Gleeson joined the faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 1999, later moving to a position within Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University, but eventually returning to UCSD, where he serves as the Rady Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences and Pediatrics, as Director of Neurosciences at Rady Children's Hospital Institute for Genomic Medicine, and as Chief Medical Officer of the n-Lorem Foundation. His laboratory focuses on understanding the genetic basis of brain development and neurological disorders, and developing novel therapies.
His publications primarily focus on causes of pediatric neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, epilepsy, and birth defects, where he has contributed to the discovery of disease-causing mutations in various genes.
His research integrates clinical studies with genomic technologies such as whole-genome sequencing and mosaic variant barcode analysis.

Research

Gleeson's research addresses:
Gleeson has been recognized for his work through several awards and honors, which include: