H. Robert Horvitz
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Primary Section: 26, Genetics Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1991)
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Research Interests
My research interests are the molecular, developmental, and behavioral genetics of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; use of mutants and molecular biology to analyze the genetic control of cell lineage, cell fate, cell signaling, and cell death, with some emphasis on nervous system development; the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control animal behavior (locomotion and egg laying), including the regulation of muscle contraction and the function of serotoninergic neurons; and human molecular genetics, with focus on the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.