Mary-Anne Enoch, M.D.,
301.496.2727
maenoch@mail.nih.gov

Mary-Anne Enoch, M.D., (Clinical Staff Scientist) with LNG since 1995, leads population and family studies on the role of intermediate phenotypes in alcoholism. A focus of her work is electrophysiological intermediate phenotypes, particularly the low voltage alpha resting EEG trait (LVA), which she showed is more abundant in alcoholics with anxiety disorders. Psychiatric phenotype/electrophysiologic phenotype datasets Dr. Enoch developed, or for which she led electrophysiology studies, are Bethesda Caucasians, Plains Indians, and Southeastern American Indians. Dr. Enoch has studied the genetics of anxious temperament and clinical anxiety related phenotypes including OCD, Anorexia Nervosa and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Her gene findings, reported in numerous papers, include potential relationships of these phenotypes to the HTR2A gene and sex-influenced linkage of COMT Met158/Met158 to anxiety and to LVA. Recent findings include associations between GABRA2 haplotypes and alcoholism, mediated by anxiety. Dr. Enoch serves on the NIAAA IRB and is the NIAAA Women Scientists Advisor.

Colin Hodgkinson, Ph.D.,
301-443-7633
chodg@mail.nih.gov

Colin Hodgkinson, Ph.D., joined LNG in 2003 and was appointed Staff Scientist in 2004, having previously directed a research lab located at King Faisal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he mapped monogenic neurologic diseases. He joined LNG to transition to complex disease genetics, and to lead the DNA/Data core. He is extraordinarily qualified for that role because of broad knowledge in genetics and direct experience with high throughput sequencing and genotyping, genetic linkage, and functional genetic analyses. Using the high-density haplotype approach in a large case-control dataset, Dr. Hodgkinson replicated and extended linkage of DISC 1 to schizoaffective, and is exploring the relationship of DISC 1 and genes to which it is functionally related in various phenotypes.

Kornel Schuebel, Ph.D.
301.443.8282
Kornel.Schuebel@mail.nih.gov

Kornel Schuebel, Ph.D. is a staff  scientist who joined LNG in 2008 from John Hopkins and brings an expert knowledge of cancer epigenetics to understanding the molecular basis of neuropsychiatric diseases.  He is intimately involved with all aspects of genome-wide discovery and functionation of DNA methylation, chromatin, and RNA metabolism as it pertains to gene expression alterations in pathological brain disorders.  Dr Schuebel directs analyses with the ABI SOLiD, enabling massively parallel sequencing.

Vibhuti Srivastava Ph.D.,
301.443.3242
Vibhuti.Srivastava@nih.gov

Vibhuti Srivastava Ph.D., is a Fogarty fellow from the University of Delhi appointed 2008. She is interested in understanding mechanisms of genome wide epigenetic regulation using cell lines, animal models and human tissues. She uses microarray and next generation sequencing technology for whole genome transcriptome and DNA methylation analyses. She is also focusing on oxidative stress induced brain volume alterations among alcoholics. In this regard, she has found haplotype dosage specific effects on Gray matter shrinkage among chronic alcoholics. She is also identifing population specific chromosomal signatures in seemingly admixed populations.

Laura Bevilacqua, M.D.,
301.443.3242
Laura Bevilacqua@nih.gov

Laura Bevilacqua, M.D., is a Fogarty fellow appointed 2007. She received her M.D. in 2005 from the University of Pisa where she also has been trained in psychiatry. She is interested in functional genomics, from genome informatics to in vivo and in vitro functional assays. She is focusing on the role of serotonin and dopamine domain genes in impulsivity and dyscontrol towards the identification of functional alleles in addictions and related behaviors. In this respect she is performing next generation sequencing studies on dyscontrol behaviors and plans to extend it to whole genome transcriptomes and microRNAs.

Jixia Liu, Ph.D.,
301-443-3227
liujixia@mail.nih.gov

Qiaoping Yuan, Ph.D.,
301-443-7632
Qiaoping.Yuan@nih.hhs.gov

Qiaoping Yuan, Ph.D., is a bioinformatics and analytical IT tools resource for all members of LNG.  He is in the DNA/Data Core where he leads genome informatics including creating analytic frameworks and pathways for the next-gen sequencer data.  He trained at NCI and joined the lab in 2005 following his work in sequencing the rice genome published in Nature while at TIGR.

Pei-Hong Shen, M.S., with LNG since 2004, manages all clinical genetic database and analytical IT for LNG, as described in DNA/Data Core. She is facile in database and data management tools, and in programming. She is a bioinformatics and analytical IT tools resource for all members of LNG.  She joined LNG in 2004, from Celera.

Elisa Moore, Systems/Network Specialist and Robotics with LNG since 1993. She designed, installed and manages all LNG’s servers which includes a large number of DNA sequencers and dHPLC machines continually collecting data to the servers. She has also created and managed certain clinical phenotype/genotype databases. She now works on DNA robotics and other “front-end” aspects of high throughput genetic analysis. She is extremely facile in systems management, including hardware issues and programming, enabling management of terabytes of data flow from next-generation sequencing.

Longina Akhtar, M.S., with LNG since 1983, an extraordinarily talented tissue culture technician, manages the front-end of multiple collaborations requiring preparation of DNA and/or lymphoblastoid cell lines. She performs or supervises all the primary cell culture, DNA extractions from cells and blood, and cell storage – including off-site backup. She assists in the construction of DNA panels for linkage studies. Her position is broad in scope and responsibility in that she is the direct, and frequent point of interaction with many collaborating investigators.