864-889-0519 chg@clemson.edu

Clemson University Center for Human Genetics: Working to unravel the secrets of human illness

Leading scientists from around the globe are working at the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics to advance our understanding of the fundamental principles by which genetic and environmental factors determine and predict both healthy traits and susceptibility to disease in humans.

Clemson University Center for Human Genetics

Working to unravel the secrets of human illness

Leading scientists from around the globe are working at the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics to advance our understanding of the fundamental principles by which genetic and environmental factors determine and predict both healthy traits and susceptibility to disease in humans.

Vision

To be a nationally and internationally recognized center of excellence for discovery, education and engagement in human genetics.

Woman looking at test tube in lab

The Clemson University Center for Human Genetics is housed in Self Regional Hall, a state-of-the-art research and educational facility located in Greenwood, South Carolina. Research in the center focuses on genomic, computational and comparative genetic approaches to gain insights in genetic and environmental risk factors for human diseases.

The Center promotes a collaborative interdisciplinary environment that involves faculty in Self Regional Hall and affiliated Center members from the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, and the School for Mathematics and Statistics on the main Clemson University campus. The Center for Human Genetics actively engages regional, national and international partnerships and provides excellent opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral research.

Center faculty interact closely with clinicians and research scientists at the adjacent Greenwood Genetic Center (www.ggc.org). Collaborative studies utilize the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, a classic model for large scale genetic studies; and the zebrafish, Danio rerio, a widely used model for developmental genetics, as well as studies on human cell lines and patient samples. Faculty in the Center integrate high-throughput genome sequencing technologies and analyses of large data sets with advanced computational approaches to acquire broad-based insights in the composition and dynamics of genetic networks that are associated with variation in complex traits in human health and disease.

The center is directed by Dr. Trudy F. C. Mackay, Self Family Endowed Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry in the College of Science. Dr. Mackay is widely recognized as a leading authority on the genetics of complex traits.

Front of building

Mission

To advance and disseminate knowledge of the principles and mechanisms by which genetic and environmental factors affect human health and disease through discovery, education and engagement to benefit the health and well-being of the people of South Carolina, the nation and the world.

Goals

To leverage comprehensive systems genetic approaches and comparative genomics to elucidate fundamental principles of the genetic underpinnings of human complex traits, including disease risk.

To develop local, regional, national and international collaborations to advance human genetics.

To educate the next generation of human geneticists by providing educational opportunities for high school students and their teachers, for undergraduate and graduate students, for postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists.

To promote precision medicine by developing advanced mathematical models to predict disease risk and assess therapeutic benefits based on genetic and environmental factors.

To generate genetic repositories and databases as resources for the scientific community.

To promote public understanding of human genetics through community outreach.

Man looking through microscope

Questions?

For further information about the Clemson Center for Human Genetics please contact us.

864-889-0519
or
chg@clemson.edu