Simon Lawrance, Ph.D
Department of Biology and Earth Science
Professor
Education
Yale University, PhD,1986
Earlham University, B.A, 1975
Research and Teaching Interests - Immunogenetics of the major histocompatibility gene complex
- The role of integrin proteins in psoriasis, and the equine genome project.
Personal Bio
Simon teaches biology and genetics courses as well a Senior Year
Experience service-learning class that travels to Africa each year. His
Ph.D. dissertation focused on the molecular genetics of human
histocompatibility genes complex and pioneered the application of pulsed
field gel electrophoresis to human gene mapping. Following his Ph.D.
studies, Simon undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Research
Institute of Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California in the laboratory of
Dr. Per Peterson. At Scripps, Simon led a team that produced and
studied transgenic mice expressing human MHC genes. Simon’s current
research interests are an ongoing application of these studies on the
human MHC. Variation in the MHC has long been known to be associated
with a variety of autoimmune conditions. In collaboration with Dr. Chack
Yang-Yu at Columbus’ Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Simon and his
students are dissecting the association of copy number variation in the
MHC with systemic lupus erythematosis.