Eric Olson, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Professor & Chair Endowed Title Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research; Pogue Distinguished Chair in Research on Cardiac Birth Defects; The Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Science School Medical School Department Molecular Biology Graduate Programs Genetics, Development and Disease Biography Eric N. Olson is the founding Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern. He holds the Robert A. Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair, the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research, and the Pogue Distinguished Chair in Research on Cardiac Birth Defects. Eric Olson and his trainees discovered the key transcription factors and mechanisms that control development and disease of cardiac and skeletal muscles. His discoveries at the interface of basic science and medicine have profoundly influenced our understanding of the development and dysfunction of the cardiovascular and muscular systems and have provided new targets for therapeutic development. Most recently, Olson conceived a gene editing method to correct a majority of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) mutations and demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in patient-derived muscle cells, and in mice and dogs with DMD. This method is now being advanced toward clinical translation. Olson is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received numerous awards for his research. Dr. Olson has trained scores of students and postdoctoral fellows who have emerged as the next generation of leaders in cardiovascular biology. He was awarded the Eugene Braunwald Mentorship Award from the American Heart Association, and the International Society for Heart Research established the Eric N. Olson Mentorship Award in his honor. Olson serves on the advisory boards of numerous organizations, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and has founded multiple biotechnology companies to translate the discoveries from his laboratory to the clinic. Education Undergraduate Wake Forest Univ - Undergradua (1977), Biology Undergraduate Wake Forest Univ - Undergradua (1977), Chemistry Graduate School Wake Forest Univ - Sch of Medi (1981), Biochemistry Research Interest Muscle Development Stem cells Transcriptional Regulation Publications Featured Publications A molecular pathway for cancer cachexia-induced muscle atrophy revealed at single-nucleus resolution. Zhang Y, Dos Santos M, Huang H, Chen K, Iyengar P, Infante R, Polanco PM, Brekken RA, Cai C, Caijgas A, Cano Hernandez K, Xu L, Bassel-Duby R, Liu N, Olson EN, Cell Rep 2024 Aug 43 8 114587 Coactivator condensation drives cardiovascular cell lineage specification. Gan P, Eppert M, De La Cruz N, Lyons H, Shah AM, Veettil RT, Chen K, Pradhan P, Bezprozvannaya S, Xu L, Liu N, Olson EN, Sabari BR, Sci Adv 2024 Mar 10 11 eadk7160 The PD-1-PD-L1 pathway maintains an immunosuppressive environment essential for neonatal heart regeneration. Vargas Aguilar S, Cui M, Tan W, Sanchez-Ortiz E, Bassel-Duby R, Liu N, Olson EN, Nat Cardiovasc Res 2024 Mar 3 3 389-402 Transcription factor NFYa controls cardiomyocyte metabolism and proliferation during mouse fetal heart development. Cui M, Bezprozvannaya S, Hao T, Elnwasany A, Szweda LI, Liu N, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Dev Cell 2023 Nov Cryo-EM structures of Myomaker reveal a molecular basis for myoblast fusion. Long T, Zhang Y, Donnelly L, Li H, Pien YC, Liu N, Olson EN, Li X, Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023 Sep Elimination of CaMKIIδ Autophosphorylation by CRISPR-Cas9 Base Editing Improves Survival and Cardiac Function in Heart Failure in Mice. Lebek S, Caravia XM, Chemello F, Tan W, McAnally JR, Chen K, Xu L, Liu N, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Circulation 2023 Sep Opposing gene regulatory programs governing myofiber development and maturation revealed at single nucleus resolution. Dos Santos M, Shah AM, Zhang Y, Bezprozvannaya S, Chen K, Xu L, Lin W, McAnally JR, Bassel-Duby R, Liu N, Olson EN, Nat Commun 2023 Jul 14 1 4333 Single-swap editing for the correction of common Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutations. Chai AC, Chemello F, Li H, Nishiyama T, Chen K, Zhang Y, Sánchez-Ortiz E, Alomar A, Xu L, Liu N, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2023 Jun 32 522-535 TWIST2-mediated chromatin remodeling promotes fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma. Shah AM, Guo L, Morales MG, Jaichander P, Chen K, Huang H, Cano Hernandez K, Xu L, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Liu N, Sci Adv 2023 Apr 9 17 eade8184 Base editing correction of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in human cardiomyocytes and humanized mice. Chai AC, Cui M, Chemello F, Li H, Chen K, Tan W, Atmanli A, McAnally JR, Zhang Y, Xu L, Liu N, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Nat Med 2023 Feb 29 2 401-411 Results 1-10 of 63 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Honors & Awards Eric N. Olson Mentorship Award established by International Society for Heart Research (2020) Edwin G. Conklin Medal in Developmental Biology (2019) The Eugene Braunwald Mentorship Award, American Heart Association (2016) March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology (2013) Research Achievement Award, International Society for Heart Research (2013) Passano Award (2012) Fondation Lefoulon-Delalande Grand Prize for Science (2009) Pollin Prize in Pediatric Research (2005) National Academy of Medicine (2001) National Academy of Sciences (2000) Pasarow Award in Cardiovascular Medicine (2000) American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1998) Professional Associations/Affiliations Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Medical Advisory Board Chair SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANT: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cardurion Pharma, Tenaya Therapeutics, ReCode Therapeutics
