David J. Samuelson

David J. Samuelson, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, where he leads a research program devoted to understanding the genetic basis of breast cancer susceptibility and prevention. His laboratory employs rat models and comparative genomics to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and unravel the molecular mechanisms governing mammary carcinoma risk.

Education:

• Ph.D., 2001, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Postdoctoral Training, McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI

Research Interests

Dr. Samuelson’s work centers on breast cancer susceptibility and prevention. Using congenic rat strains, he maps and functionally characterizes mammary carcinoma susceptibility (Mcs) loci, translating findings to human orthologous regions through integrative genomics. His studies dissect the roles of non-coding regulatory elements, immune modulation, and environmental interactions in cancer risk.

Publication Trends

Across 23 peer-reviewed articles (1995–2023), Samuelson’s research has progressively focused on:

• Identification and fine-mapping of rat Mcs QTLs (Mcs1–Mcs6).
• Comparative genomics aligning rat susceptibility loci with human GWAS hits.
• Functional validation of candidate genes such as FBXO10, MIER3, and Tenascin C.
• Development of pre-clinical models for testing preventive interventions.

Laboratory Team

• Emily Duderstadt, B.S. – Ph.D. Candidate
• Sarah McQuaide – Research Technician