Scientific Advisory Board of the Linda Crnic Institute

Basic science, including translational science, is a key focus of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. To this end, the Crnic Institute has a Scientific Advisory Board. The Scientific Advisory Board is responsible to assist in creating and implementing the Crnic Institute’s scientific plan aimed at eradicating the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with Down syndrome.

This includes providing guidance regarding key scientific hires, competitive grants and strategic scientific investments. The Scientific Advisory Board is made up of world-renowned scientists who are truly committed to our children with Down syndrome and the Crnic Institute’s mission.

Tom Cech, PhDThomas R. Cech, PhD
Professor, Director Biofrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder,
Former President, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Nobel Laureate Tom Cech has been on the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder since 1978. In 2000, he was named president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and remained in the position until 2009. Currently his lab in Boulder investigates the structure and replication of telomeric DNA. A telomere protects the end of a chromosome from degenerating or fusing with another chromosome.

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Larry Gold, PhDLarry Gold, PhD
Chairman, Founder, and CEO of SomaLogic; Founder of NeXstar and Synergen

During his prestigious career, Gold has received many citations including the University of Colorado Distinguished Lectureship Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, the Career Development Award, and the Chiron Prize for Biotechnology. In addition, Gold has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1993 and the National Academy of Sciences since 1995.

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Jeanne Lawrence, PhDJeanne Lawrence, PhD
Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Jeanne Lawrence is an internationally recognized leader in the field of epigenetics, chromosome regulation, and non-coding RNAs, whose work reflects her inter-disciplinary background in developmental biology and clinical genetics. Dr. Lawrence’s work bridges fundamental questions in epi-genome biology with human clinical genetics, as she is interested in translating basic science discovery to problems that impact people, particularly Down Syndrome.

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LeslieLeinwand, PhDLeslie Leinwand, PhD
Professor, Chief Scientific Officer Biofrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder
Ex-officio Board Member, Global Down Syndrome Foundation

An expert in cardiovascular research, Leinwand is principal investigator of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant and National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Training Grant.  She established and co-directs the University of Colorado’s Cardiovascular Research Institute (CU-CVI), a collaborative group of physicians, molecular biologists and geneticists. The team works to integrate research and clinical applications, as well as initiate effective treatment programs and preventive therapies.

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Roger Reeves, PhDRoger Reeves, PhD
Professor, Department of Physiology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Dr. Roger Reeves is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and a Core Faculty Member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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