Researcher Known for Unraveling Much of the Mystery of Marfan Syndrome to Lecture at SBUMC

Newswise — On Wednesday, June 11, at 9:00 am, Harry (Hal) C. Dietz, M.D., Victor A. McKusick Professor of Genetics and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will discuss his groundbreaking work regarding the pathogenesis and treatment of Marfan syndrome at Stony Brook University Medical Center. This genetic and potentially fatal connective tissue disease, which enlarges the aorta making it likely to tear or burst, was shrouded in mystery for decades and is thought to have affected Abraham Lincoln, Charles de Gaulle, among thousands of others.

Dr. Dietz will present "Marfan Syndrome and Related Disorders: From Molecules to Medicines" during the fifth annual Dr. Peter F. Cohn Visiting Professor in Cardiology Lecture at a Grand Rounds through the SBUMC Department of Medicine. His work investigating the molecular cause of the syndrome led to a current clinical trial of a surprising potential treatment for Marfan syndrome: a medication used to treat high blood pressure.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Dietz cares for young patients with Marfan syndrome. His clinical expertise includes Marfan syndrome, connective tissue disorders, and cardiovascular genetics. The basis of his research involves investigating Marfan syndrome as a disease caused by mutations in a single gene.

Dr. Dietz has won numerous distinctions and awards for his research, including the Antoine Marfan Award from the National Marfan Foundation and the Richard D. Rowe Award for Outstanding Research in Pediatric Cardiology. He is a member of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and on the Board of Governors, National Human Genome Research Institute.

The lecture takes place at Stony Brook University Health Sciences Center, the connecting building to Stony Brook University Hospital, on level 3, lecture hall 6.