Frank Baas
Fellowship 2015
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Frank Baas MD, PhD is Professor of Neurogenetics, current head of the Neurogenetics laboratory at the AMC at the University of Amsterdam and a board certified Clinical Molecular geneticist. In 2006 he became Head of the Ge- nome Analysis facility AMC. In 1991 he became assistant Professor at the Department of Neurology, University of Amsterdam Academic Medical Centre, and specializes in human molecular (neuro) genetics, staying on as an hon- orary staff member of the Netherlands Cancer Institute from 1991-1996. In 1989-1991 he was scientist at the Neth- erlands Cancer Institute, Division of Molecular Biology, establishing a research group on the regulation of gene expression and the identification of new mechanisms for multidrug resistance. Frank Baas obtained his MD (1982) and his PhD (1986) in Amsterdam (UvA). From 1987-1988 he was visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cancer Center (D.E. Housman) and Harvard University (T. Maniatis). Frank Baas has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers in the field of human genetics. He is also a named inventor on patents in the fields of neurode- generation and cancer.
Human blinding diseases: breaking new ground using a novel small mammal model to analyze cone function and survival
USIAS Fellows : Franck Baas, David Hicks and Maarten Kamermans
Loss of central vision in humans leads to severe handicap; age-related macular degeneration (AMD) represents the 3rd cause of blindness worldwide. The principal cause of sight loss is cone degeneration: cones are concentrated within the macula and provide high acuity chromatic vision. However, detailed study of cone gene expression, structure and function has been greatly hampered by their paucity in mouse models (1-3% cones). The diurnal rodent Arvicanthis ansorgei possesses ~33% cones organised in rows, greatly facilitating their analysis. Arvicanthis are highly resistant to drug- and light-induced retinal toxicity, suggesting the existence of endogenous neuroprotective mechanisms. Using next generation sequencing techniques, the project aims to sequence the Arvicanthis whole genome, and to perform gene expression profiling on cones isolated by laser capture micro-dissection (LCM). Sequence data will be validated by quantitative PCR, and roles of candidate genes will be explored by shRNA knockdown or preparation of knockout mice.
