David B. Goldstein
Professor
Director, IGSP Center for Population Genomics & Pharmacogenetics

The Goldstein laboratory focuses on the characterization of human genetic variation, and on the implications of genetic variation in medicine. The lab has a primary focus on the genetic basis of variable drug response (pharmacogenetics) but also carries out studies of both disease genetics and the genetics of normal human variation. The lab currently focuses on the treatment of common neurological conditions and cardiovascular conditions, as well as well as more general questions such how genetic variation influences cognitive function.

A key priority of our work is to move beyond simple correlations between genetic variation and disease, and to ground the study of genetic variation squarely within human biology. For this reason, we focus considerable attention on understanding the functional effects of common genetic variation, both in pathological and non-pathological settings. For instance, we investigate how genetic variation can predispose to epilepsy, how it can affect response to epilepsy treatment, and how it contributes to inter-individual variation in characteristics of epileptogenic brain regions and related functions such as memory and cognition.