Lawrence C. Brody is the Director of the Division of Genomics and Society in the Extramural Research Program at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Brody is also the Chief Scientific Officer of the Center for Inherited Disease Research and Senior Investigator leading the Gene and Environment Interaction Section in the Division of Intramural Research at NHGRI. NHGRI is the largest organization in the world solely dedicated to genomics research. Previously, he served as Chief of the NHGRI Genome Technology Branch (2010-2014).
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Brody received his B.Sc. degree in Biology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1982, and his Ph.D. degree in human genetics from John Hopkins University in 1990. He completed his postdoctoral fellowships at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan Medical Center. He joined NHGRI in 1993 as an investigator. From 2010 to 2014, he served as the Chief of NHGRI’s Genome Technology Branch. In 2013, he was named Director of the Division of Genomics and Society, one of NHGRI three extramural divisions. Dr. Brody also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer for NIH’s Center for Inherited Disease Research, a high throughput genotyping and sequencing center that serves 10 of NIH’s 27 Institutes.
Dr. Brody’s laboratory investigates the genetics of cancer, metabolism, birth defects and the application of genetics to clinical care. He is interested in using multidisciplinary approaches to understand how inherited variations lead to perturbations in normal metabolic pathways and cause disorders such as cancer and birth defects. His laboratory investigates mutations in two known breast cancer-linked genes, breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), and their roles in inherited breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. In 1995, his group discovered an unusually high frequency of specific BRCA1 mutations in the Jewish population. Soon after this discovery he helped lead the first large studied designed to determine the risk of cancer in those carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants. He later demonstrated that the BRCA1 protein interacts with other proteins involved in DNA repair.
Dr. Brody’s other major area of investigation is the genetics of folate and vitamin B12 metabolism. These pathways have been implicated in neural tube defects (NTDs), one of the most common birth defects in the United States. His laboratory is collaborating with researchers at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, a country with a historically high rate of NTDs to identify genes controlling NTD risk in a large series of affected Irish families.
As Director of the Division of Genomics and Society at NHGRI, Dr. Brody oversees a portfolio of grants, including ones focusing on the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research.