Johan den Dunnen studied biology at the Catholic University Nijmegen (Nederland). In the same university he received his PhD in Molecular Biology for his work on the "Evolution of eye-lens crystallin genes". After his PhD he moved to the department of Human Genetics (Leiden University) and became involved in the search for the gene causing Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy. He is currently employed at the Center for Human and Clinical Genetics (Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Nederland), studying genetic disease in general and neuromuscular disorders (DMD/BMD, LGMD) in particular. As professor in "Medical Genomics" he focuses on the use of new high-throughput technology in research and diagnosis of genetic disease, in particular the development of methods to detect DNA variants and the application of next generation sequencing. To spread the laboratories knowledge on hereditary muscle disease he initiated the "Leiden Muscular Dystrophy pages" (http://www.DMD.nl). As part of these efforts he currently curates over 50 gene sequence variant databases. His group developed the freely available LSDB-in-a-Box software package LOVD, the Mutalyzer tool (HGVS sequence variant description) and he participates in the EU FP7 Gen2Phen project (WP leader for gene variant databases [LSDBs]). 

Ivo Gut took on the direction of CNAG in January 2010.

He qualified in Chemistry at the University of Basel in 1985 and obtained a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the same university in 1990. Then he joined the research group of Prof. Irene Kochevar at Harvard Medical School as a research fellow.

Between 1993 and 1996 he was research fellow with Dr. Stephan Beck at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London. Later, at the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics he led a group in the Department for Vertebrate Genomics of Prof. Hans Lehrach.

In the 11 years before joining the CNAG he worked at the Centre National de Génotypage of the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique in Evry, France, first as Head of Technology Development and later as Associate Director under Prof. Mark Lathrop.

His research interests are high-throughput nucleic acid analysis, sequencing, SNP genotyping, genomics, genetics, nucleic acid and protein analysis methods (molecular biological techniques and chemical modification), implementation of methods, automation and analysis.

He is the author of over 100 research papers, inventor of 24 patents and patent applications, founder of 4 biotech companies (Genom Analytik GmbH, Biopsytec GmbH and Epigenomics AG, Integragen SA). He is the coordinator of the 12M€ EU FP7-funded Integrated Project READNA on DNA sequencing technology development.

Robert Kuhn received his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he studied the centromeres of yeast.  Following a postdoctoral fellowship studying photoreceptor genes in plants at UC Berkeley, he taught biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology at the University of California Santa Cruz.  

He joined the UCSC Genome Browser project in 2003, retiring as Associate Director in 2022.  The Genome Browser is a widely used visualization tool giving access to the genomes of human, model organisms and more than one hundred other animals.  Dr. Kuhn's responsibilities included influencing the growth and interface of the Browser, identifying important datasets for inclusion into the Browser and enabling researchers worldwide through in-person workshops and seminars as well as the YouTube channel.  He has now taught more 300 presentations (https://bit.ly/kuhnTalks).  He has a particular interest in the support of clinical geneticists teaching the use of online databases and tools for interpreting data.  

Dr Kuhn is now operating as Robert Kuhn Consulting, where he continues to offer Browser trainings, bioinformatics consultation and educational materials. 
 

Andreas Laner, PhD

Head of Genomics Program

Areas of Specialization

• Genetics of hereditary cancer syndromes
• Next-generation sequencing applications
• Interpretation and classification of sequence variants

Education & Experience

• Diploma in Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich
• PhD, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich

Professional affiliations

• MGZ Munich, Head of Genomics Applications
• Member, European Society of Human Genetics
• Curator, Leiden Open Variation Database
• Organizational Committee, Variant Effect Prediction Training Course, Crete 2016
• Scientific Program Committee, 14th International Symposium on Variants in the Genome, Santiago de Compostela 2017