معرفی
William T. Dauer, M.D., is the inaugural Director of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and holds the Lois C.A. and Darwin E. Smith Distinguished Chair in Neurological Mobility Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is a Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, with prior roles as Director of the Movement Disorders Group and the Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Dauer earned his M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine, followed by an internship at Beth Israel Hospital, neurology residency, and movement disorders fellowship at Columbia University. His postdoctoral research under René Hen, Ph.D., focused on alpha-synuclein null mice and Parkinson’s disease mechanisms.
His research interests center on dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, particularly the molecular basis of dystonia (via torsinA protein studies) and neurodegenerative pathways in Parkinson’s. His work has pioneered therapies for Parkinson’s gait disorders and revealed torsinA’s role in neuronal nuclear pore complex formation and lipid metabolism.
Dr. Dauer’s honors include the Fahn Award (Dystonia Medical Research Foundation) and the Harold and Golden Lamport Award (Columbia University). His lab (Dauer Lab) explores motor system diseases, focusing on selective neuronal vulnerability and disease mechanisms in dystonia and Parkinson’s. They investigate torsinA’s role in nuclear pore biogenesis and lipid pathways, with implications for therapies targeting motor dysfunction.
His research integrates molecular, cellular, and whole-animal models, emphasizing translational applications. Ongoing studies address cholinergic neuron survival, striatal circuitry, and novel treatments for untreatable Parkinson’s symptoms like falls and freezing of gait.
