Professor David Patterson holds the Theodore T. Puck Endowed Chair and is Professor of Biological Sciences and Senior Scientist and President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA.
David has been studying Down syndrome for about 30 years. He was a collaborator on the sequencing of the DNA of chromosome 21, a major contributor to the physical mapping of the chromosome including mapping of genes on chromosome 21 important for Alzheimer's disease and motor neuron disease, and he has studied a number of genes on chromosome 21 that we believe may have relevance to Down syndrome.
David has carried out studies on motor coordination of individuals with Down syndrome. The laboratory currently focuses on analysis of selected mouse models that may reveal fundamental information about Down syndrome. These include analysis of the protein content of brain regions of the Ts65Dn mouse, the most widely studied mouse model of Down syndrome.
One of his major efforts is to identify possible metabolic or biochemical alterations in these mouse models that may be associated with intellectual disabilities, increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, and altered susceptibility, including decreased susceptibility, to certain cancers seen in individuals with Down syndrome. He hopes that these studies will lead to ways to improve the lives of individuals with Down syndrome.
