Scientists / Our Scientists

Brian Yaspan

Principal Scientist, OMNI Human Genetics

Postdoc Mentor

Years at Genentech

Publications

Awards & Honors

I joined Genentech in the summer of 2012 after completing my MPH in epidemiology at San Diego State University and my PhD and postdoctoral studies at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Since joining Genentech, my laboratory has focused on understanding the genetic architecture of common pulmonary and ophthalmic diseases. Here, we are especially interested in looking at disease subtypes through a genetic lens in order to enable the right medication to get to the right patient.

Postdoctoral Mentor

Being a mentor is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in science to date. Here at Genentech we are fortunate to have a post-doctoral program focusing on basic research projects. In my lab, we are working on understanding the biologic effect of variants we find that are associated with risk, progression and sub-phenotypes of disease. Merging the large scale human genetic data with novel in vitro and in vivo models will provide illumination on the function of these variants and how they may affect human health.

Featured Publication

Analysis of protein-altering variants in telomerase genes and their association with MUC5B common variant status in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a candidate gene sequencing study.

Lancet Respir Med. 2018 Aug;6(8):603-614.

Dressen A, Abbas AR, Cabanski C, Reeder J, Ramalingam TR, Neighbors M, Bhangale TR, Brauer MJ, Hunkapiller J, Reeder J, Mukhyala K, Cuenco K, Tom J, Cowgill A, Vogel J, Forrest WF, Collard HR, Wolters PJ, Kropski JA, Lancaster LH, Blackwell TS, Arron JR, Yaspan BL.

View Abstract

The Genentech OMNI Human Genetics group uses information from the human genome to discover and verify candidate biomarkers, to understand disease pathogenesis and heterogeneity, and to discover new drug targets. We are coming at this using several approaches with genetic data from consenting individuals in our clinical trials and through external collaborative studies.

My laboratory focuses on understanding common ophthalmic diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, and pulmonary diseases, such as asthma, COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Genome-wide association study of susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, ISSN: 15354970 1073449X

Richard J. Allen; Beatriz Guillen-Guio; Justin M. Oldham; Shwu-Fan Ma; Amy Stockwell; Megan L. Paynton; Luke M. Kraven; Ma'en Obeidat; Xuan Li; Michael Ng; Rebecca Braybrooke; Maria Molina-Molina; Brian D. Hobbs; Rachel K. Putman; Phuwanat Sakornsakolpat; Helen L. Booth; William A. Fahy; Simon P. Hart; Mike R. Hill; Nik Hirani; Richard B. Hubbard; Robin J. McAnulty; Ann B. Millar; Vidyia Navaratnam; Eunice Oballa; Helen Parfrey; Gauri Saini; Moira K.B. Whyte; Yingze Zhang; Naftali Kaminski; Ayodeji Adegunsoye; Mary E. Strek; Margaret Neighbors; X Rebecca Sheng; Gunnar Gudmundsson; Vilmundur Gudnason; Hiroto Hatabu; David J. Lederer; Ani W Manichaikul; John Newell; George T. O'Connor; Victor E. Ortega; Hanfei Xu; Tasha E. Fingerlin; Yohan Bossé; Ke Hao; Philippe Joubert; David C. Nickle; Don D. Sin; Timens; Dominic Furniss; Andrew P. Morris; Krina T. Zondervan; Ian P. Hall; Ian Sayers; Martin Tobin; Toby; Michael H. Cho; Gary M. Hunninghake; David A. Schwartz; Brian Yaspan; Philip L. Molyneaux; Carlos Flore

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Brian Yaspan

Principal Scientist, OMNI Human Genetics

Featured Publication

Analysis of protein-altering variants in telomerase genes and their association with MUC5B common variant status in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a candidate gene sequencing study.