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Dr. Samulski received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Florida in Gainesville. His research focuses on the study of the dependent parvovirus adeno-associated virus (AAV). AAV is the only known DNA animal virus which requires co-infection by a second unrelated virus in order to undergo productive infection. The ultimate goal of the Gene Therapy Center is to facilitate the progression and translation of gene therapy research from the laboratory into Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of human disease. Dr. Samulski has cloned the AAV genome into the bacterial plasmid pBR322 and demonstrated that this recombinant clone is infectious when introduced into human cells co-infected with a helper virus. He has established successful and long term gene expression over a year, which directly addresses the issue of molecular therapy required for genetic disorders. One of Dr. Samulski's current goals is to continue to derive delivery systems for use in human gene therapy. Dr. Samulski is a recipient of the President’s Distinguished Research Award from the University of Pittsburgh. He serves on several advisory boards and presents his material at international conferences. | 