Aron Geurts

Aron Geurts is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, holding the John E. and Genevieve M. Butenhoff Cardiovascular Research Professorship. He is affiliated with the Cardiovascular Research Center and the Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine. His research focuses on developing genetic engineering tools like CRISPR, ZFNs, and TALENs to create animal models for complex human diseases, including hypertension, renal disease, and diabetes. He leads an NIH-funded team and received a prestigious New Innovator Award from the NIH in 2011.

Geurts' lab has pioneered techniques such as using ZFNs to create the first targeted gene knockout rats and has developed rat embryonic stem cells for genetic modification. His work emphasizes creating models for diseases like Type 1 Diabetes, renal dysfunction, and drug abuse. Notable models include GH-deficient rats for aging studies and Adcy3-mutant rats for adiposity and behavioral research. Collaborations with other institutions expand the applicability of these technologies across species like mice, pigs, and rabbits.

His recent studies utilize chromatin interaction maps and single-nucleus RNA sequencing to dissect disease mechanisms in hypertension and renal dysfunction. The lab also contributes to resources like the Hybrid Rat Diversity Program and improved rat genome references, advancing systems genetics research.

• Awards: NIH New Innovator Award (2011)
• Grants: NIH-funded projects on genetic engineering and disease modeling
• Labs/Teams: Aron Geurts Lab, part of the Cardiovascular Research Center and Genomic Sciences Center