Julian Antonio Martinez-Agosto is an Associate Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine with appointments in the Department of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. Board-certified in Medical Genetics, he has served on the UCLA faculty since 2007 after completing his MD/PhD at Yale University and pediatric training at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. His research focuses on novel growth regulatory pathways in progenitor and stem cell maintenance, particularly studying human growth disorders with cancer predisposition. Yale University: MD/PhD in Medicine/Neuroscience (2000) UCLA: Pediatric Residency and Medical Genetics Training Postdoctoral Fellow: Laboratory of Utpal Banerjee at UCLA Dr. Martinez-Agosto's research spans genetics, developmental biology, and neurogenetics with specific emphasis on overgrowth disorders, cancer predisposition syndromes, and autism spectrum disorders. His laboratory investigates molecular pathways including PTEN, mTOR, and other growth regulatory mechanisms using both human clinical studies and Drosophila models. His clinical practice focuses on genetic syndromes leading to overgrowth, vascular malformations, and cancer predisposition. His recent publications reveal strong trends in autism genomics, PTEN-related disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, and molecular mechanisms of growth regulation. The research demonstrates interdisciplinary collaboration across genetics, neurology, and pediatrics with emphasis on translational applications. Cell Press 2021 Faces of Cell Pediatric Department Outstanding Research Award David W. Smith Pediatric Trainee Research Award Dr. Martinez-Agosto serves as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects including studies on PTEN-associated autism, undiagnosed disorders, and Drosophila hematopoietic stem cell niches. His laboratory has trained numerous researchers in the field of medical genetics and developmental biology. His research is conducted through the Martinez Lab, which maintains active collaborations with multiple research groups at UCLA and other institutions, focusing on translational approaches to understanding genetic growth disorders.








