Bruce A. Sullenger

Bruce A. Sullenger, Ph.D is a professor in the Department of Surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine, and a Founding Director of the Duke Translational Research Institute. Dr. Sullenger completed his Ph.D. studies at Weill Cornell University Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where he published the first study demonstrating that short structured RNA molecules, subsequently termed aptamers, can directly bind to and inhibit the activity of clinically relevant proteins (Cell, 1990). He performed his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas Cech at the University of Colorado where he invented the concept of using RNA guided endonucleases to revise genetic instructions for therapeutic applications (Nature, 1994). Through the work in his internationally recognized translational research program, Dr. Sullenger was elected as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2014, presented the Outstanding Achievement Award by the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) in 2015, asked to testify about the importance of medical innovation to the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in 2015, presented the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017, and elected to the National Academy of Inventors in 2018.