Ron was a student at the University of Western Ontario, McGill University, and The University of Texas at Austin. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Janet Rossant's laboratory in Toronto where he was introduced to embryonic stem cells and gene targeting.
Trained as a developmental biologist, Ron has used genetics to probe its basic mechanisms. His research laboratory has developed new genetic techniques, including means to make large multi-gene deletions, and transgenics with intact human genes. His work has exploited CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to create novel reporters and humanized alleles. His current work focuses on translating gene-corrective techniques into therapies for genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis.
I focus on targeted mutagenesis, gene controlling morphogenesis and pattern formation, and genome mapping in mice.
Research Information
Research Interests
A new generation of therapies are transforming treatment of human genetic disease. These gene-centered approaches--gene editing, gene therapy, mRNA replacement, oligonucleotide therapy and related approaches--represent a significant new and rapidly growing sector in biomedical research that will transform healthcare. Development of these therapies will require new pipelines to translate basic research into treatments for patients. The CWRU Therapeutics Pipeline for Genetic Disease is leading the way with tools to advance gene-corrective therapeutics into clinical trials.