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Eric Olson, Ph.D.

Eric Olson, Ph.D.

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

    Star Featured Publications

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  • Honors & Awards
    • Eric N. Olson Mentorship Award established by International Society for Heart Research
      (2020)
    • Edwin G. Conklin Medal in Developmental Biology
      (2019)
    • Libin Prize for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research, Heritage Foundation, Canada
      (2017)
    • Dallas Historical Society Award for Excellence in Medicine
      (2016)
    • 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)
    • Institute of Medicine
      (2001)
    • National Academy of Sciences
      (2000)
    • Pasarow Award in Cardiovascular Medicine
      (2000)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • Editorial Board, Circulation (1993)
    • Editorial Board, Developmental Cell (2005)
    • Editorial Board, EMBO Molecular Medicine (2008)
    • Editorial Board, Molecular and Cellular Biology (1993)