Douglas C. Wallace, MD, PhD is the Michael and Charles Barrett Endowed Chair in Pediatric Mitochondrial Medicine and Metabolic Disease and the Director of the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is also Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Human Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania. Wallace has studied the role of mitochondrial genetics in human health and disease for 50 years. In the 1970s he defined the rules of mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetics including demonstrating the maternal inheritance of the human mtDNA. He then used the mtDNA variation of indigenous peoples to reconstruct the origins and ancient migrations of women. He was the first to identify maternally inherited mtDNA diseases thus founding the field of mitochondrial molecular medicine and showed that naturally occurring mtDNA lineages contribute significantly to the risk of common metabolic and degenerative diseases. To confirm that mitochondrial variation is sufficient to cause disease, Wallace has spent over 25 years developing a unique array of mouse models of mitochondrial disease including both nuclear DNA and mtDNA mutations. He is a member of the US National Academies of Science and Medicine, and recipient of multiple awards including the Gruber Prize in Genetics in 2012 and the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Life Sciences and the Paul Janssen Prize for Biomedical Research in 2017.
Learning Objectives:
- Know the classes of clinically relevant mitochondrial DNA variants.
- Understand the connection between the mitochondrion and the epigenome.
- Know the effects on COVID-19 on mitochondrial function.
Speaker:
- Douglas C. Wallace, MD, PhD
This seminar was delivered as a Pediatric Grand Rounds Lecture at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, on January 25, 2023.
Content Disclaimer
The Terms of Use and Privacy Policy set forth on the website of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia apply to any and all uses of and access to this site and the content found here.
The work presented in the presentations, videos, and other content on this site (“Presentations”) includes publicly available medical evidence, a consensus of medical practitioners, and/or opinions of individual practitioners that may differ from consensus opinions. These Presentations are intended only to provide general information and need to be adapted for each specific patient based on the practitioner’s professional judgment, consideration of any unique circumstances, the needs of each patient and their family, the availability of various resources at the health care institution where the patient is located, and other factors. The Presentations are not intended to constitute medical advice or treatment, nor should they be relied upon as such. The Presentations are not intended to create a doctor-patient relationship between/among The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, its physicians and the individual patients in question. The information contained in these Presentations are general in nature, and do not and are not intended to refer to specific patients.
CHOP, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation and its or their affiliates, the authors, presenters, practitioners, editors, and others associated with the creation of the Presentations (“CHOP”) are not responsible for errors or omissions in the Presentations; for any outcomes a patient might experience where a clinician reviewed one or more such Presentations in connection with providing care for that patient; and/or for any and all third party content on the site or in the Presentations. CHOP makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the currency, completeness, applicability or accuracy of the Presentations. Application of the information in or to a particular situation remains the professional responsibility of the practitioner who is directly treating the patient.
To the extent that the Presentations include information regarding drug dosing, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the viewer should not rely on the Presentation content, but rather is urged to check the package insert for each drug for indications, dosage, warnings and precautions.
Some drugs and medical devices presented in the Presentations have United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for limited use in restricted research settings. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to ascertain the FDA status of each drug or device planned for use in their clinical practice.
You shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless CHOP, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, and its/their current and former employees, officers, and agents, trustees, and their respective successors, heirs and assigns (“Indemnitees”) against any claims, liability, damage, loss or expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses of litigation) in connection with any claims, suits, actions, demands or judgments arising directly or indirectly out of your reference to or use of the Presentations.
The Presentations are protected by copyright laws and in some cases patent laws, and all rights are reserved under such laws. No part of the Presentations may be reproduced in any form by any means, or utilized in any other way, absent prior written permission from the copyright owner.
By starting this module, you agree to our Content Disclaimer and Terms of Service.
Course Content
Course Includes
- 1 Lesson
- Course Certificate