Douglas Gould, PhD
I earned a BSc in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Genetics from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. My interest in science derived from a desire to understand, and ideally prevent or treat, human disease and so I joined Dr. Michael Walter’s lab in the Department of Medical Genetics for my PhD work. For my thesis project I used genetic linkage analysis and candidate gene approaches in small families with highly penetrant ocular dysgenesis to identify genes that, when mutated, cause developmental glaucoma. I then decided to approach these problems using genetic approaches in model organisms and so I joined Dr. Simon John’s lab at The Jackson Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow. While using mutagenesis to develop new genetic models of glaucoma I discovered a mutation in the gene encoding type IV collagen alpha 1 (COL4A1) in mice. We now know that mutations in COL4A1 and COL4A2 are pleiotropic and genetically complex and lead to a vast spectrum of seemingly unrelated human diseases. My lab now works to characterize these diverse pathologies and understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie disease with the hope that we may develop therapeutic interventions. When not working I enjoy music, sports and the great outdoors.
Interests: Roles of the extracellular matrix in development and disease