Maurice Swanson, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Associate Director, Center for NeuroGenetics
College of Medicine
A world leader in the study of RNA gene processing, Maurice Swanson explores the causes of neurological and neuromuscular diseases at the molecular level.
During more than three decades at UF, Swanson’s research has encompassed the study of RNAs and RNA binding proteins that control gene expression. More than 60 hereditary diseases have been linked to the abnormal expansion of DNA short tandem repeats, and RNA toxicity of these expanded repeats has been proposed as a potential cause for a number of these diseases, including ALS and Huntington’s disease.
“The biology and mechanisms underlying aging have always fascinated me, so I first addressed these questions experimentally using biochemical strategies,” Swanson said. “That subsequently led to my current interest in the genetics of hereditary diseases, such as myotonic dystrophy, characterized by features of premature aging.”
Recently, his team has developed mouse short tandem repeat expansion models to study myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting. Using CRISPR-Cas technology, Swanson and colleagues studied the neurological systems and intellectual disability in specific forms of the disease.
“We discovered that when abnormal expansion of DNA short tandem repeats occurs in two different genes, the resulting expanded RNA is toxic to cells since they inhibit the activities of specific RNA binding proteins,” Swanson said. “Current clinical trials are now focused on targeting and degrading these toxic RNAs and restoring protein activity, leading to the restoration of normal gene expression patterns in affected tissues and reversing symptoms of the disorder.”
Swanson has authored nearly 150 peer-reviewed articles, many in high-impact journals like Cell, Science and Nature Neuroscience. Over the past five years, he has served as principal investigator for a Department of Defense contract, director of a National Institutes of Health-funded specialized research center and received awards from the Marigold Foundation totaling over $3.8 million.
Swanson joined the UF College of Medicine faculty in 1989 and he is a longtime member of the Powell Gene Therapy Center and the UF Genetics Institute. Since 2011, he has served as the associate director for the Center for NeuroGenetics.
Swanson has been recognised by the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. He has also received the Hans Steinert Award for Basic Science Research from the International Myotonic Dystrophy Consortium and was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2022.