Dr Paul Janssen Schizophrenia Research Award 2008

Dr Dan Rujescu

Dan Rujescu is heading the Section of Molecular and Clinical Neurobiology at the Department of Psychiatry of the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich, Germany. The major focus is on the genetics of neuropsychiatric diseases, especially on the genetics of schizophrenia and related intermediate phenotypes. The group has extensively phenotyped over 3,500 individuals for genetic studies in schizophrenia. The applicant follows a multidimensional translational approach to neuropsychiatric diseases and behavioral phenotypes at genetic, molecular, cellular, structural, functional, cognitive and behavioral levels, integrating animal and cellular models. A variety of neurobiological methods are used including high-throughput genotyping, allele-specific RNA expression analysis, microarray-based RNA expression techniques, protein quantification, cell cultures including a variety of assays, as well as post mortem and behavioral studies in rodents. There is also a substantial experience in clinical studies and in genetics of complex diseases. His section is involved in numerous academic and industrial national and international genome and post-genome efforts on neuropsychiatric diseases and behavioural phenotypes.