Dean H. Hamer, Ph. D.

Laboratory of Biochemistry, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

Phone: 301-402-2709
Fax: 301-402-5565

deanh@helix.nih.gov

Biography:

Dr. Dean Hamer was born in  Montclair, N.J.  He received his B.A. from Trinity College, Connecticut and his Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School . He has worked at the National Institutes of Health for 24 years, where he is currently the Chief of the Section on Gene Structure and Regulation in the Laboratory of Biochemistry of the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Hamer's research has led to contributions in a variety of areas including recombinant DNA, drug and vaccine production, and gene regulation.  He was a coinventor of animal cell gene transfer, and recently has begun a program on molecular therapeutics for HIV/AIDS.  For the past nine years, Dr. Hamer has studied the role of inheritance in human behavior, personality traits, and cancer risk-related behaviors such as cigarette smoking. His discovery of genetic links to sexual orientation and the temperamental traits of sensation seeking and anxiety have changed the way we think about human behavior and raise a host of important scientific, social and ethical issues.

Dr. Hamer has published over 100 scientific papers and holds three patents in the biotechnology area. His book The Science of Desire, co-authored with journalist Peter Copeland, has won widespread critical acclaim and was a 1994 New York Times "Notable Book of the Year".  Their new book, Living With Our Genes, is a science best seller.   Dr. Hamer's research has been described in Discover magazine and other national publications.

Research:

Many aspects of human personality and behavior are genetically influenced. Our laboratory is currently studying the role of genes in cancer risk-related behaviors such as cigarette smoking, the major preventable cause of cancer in the United States, and other complex human traits.

Behavioral genetic studies have shown that cigarette smoking is 53% heritable and that there are different genes for starting and continuing to smoke. Some of these genes may directly affect nicotine sensitivity whereas others probably act indirectly through personality traits. We are seeking to identify such genes through DNA linkage and allelic association studies. Toward this end, we are collecting behavioral data, personality test scores and DNA samples from a series of nuclear families in which at least one of the siblings is a heavy cigarette smoker. We are also screening a series of candidate genes, such as the neuronal nicotine receptor loci, for functional DNA sequence polymorphisms. Lastly we are developing statistical methods to identify significant gene-environment-phenotype associations and interactions within our dataset.

To date, two potentially relevant associations have been discovered. First, a coding sequence polymorphism in the dopamine D4 receptor gene has been linked to the temperamental trait of Novelty Seeking, which is related to sensation-seeking behaviors including the initiation of cigarette smoking. Second, an upstream regulatory region polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene has been associated with anxiety-related traits that contribute to the persistence of addictive behaviors. Our long-term aim in understanding the interaction between genes, environment and cancer risk factors is to develop better methods for behavioral intervention.

The laboratory also studies the role of genes in personality and sexual orientation, and recently has initiated a program on HIV/AIDS. The aim is to use molecular biology to develop novel therapeutic agents.  The availability of potent anti-retroviral regimens has focused attention on the need for strategies that target HIV latency or regenerate the immune system.  Current projects include immunotoxins, dominant negative mutants, and nucleic acid mimetics.

Recent Publications:

1. Hamer DH, Hu S, Magnuson VL, Hu N. and Pattatucci AML. A linkage between DNA markers on the X chromosome and male sexual orientation.Science 1993; 261:320-326.
2. LeVay S and Hamer DH. Evidence for a biological influence in male homosexuality. Sci Am 1994; 270:20-25.
3. Hamer DH and Copeland P. The Science of Desire (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1994).
4. Zeng J, Gorski RA, Hamer DH. Differential cDNA cloning by enzymatic degrading subtraction (EDS). Nucleic Acids Res 1994; 22:4381-4385.
5. Pattatucci AML and Hamer D: Development and familiality of sexual orientation in females. Behav Genet 1994; 25: 407-420.
6. Hu S, Pattatucci AML, Patterson C, Li L, Fulker DW, Cherny SS, Kruglyak L. and Hamer DH. Linkage between sexual orientation and chromosome Xq28 in males but not in females.Nature Genetics 1994; 11: 248-256.
7. Benjamin J, Li L, Patterson C, Greenberg BD, Murphy DL and Hamer DH. Population and familial association between the D4 dopamine receptor gene and measures of Novelty Seeking. Nature Genetics 1996; 2: 81-84.
8. Lesch K-P, Bengel D, Heils A, Sabol S, Greenberg BD, Petri S, Benjamin J, Muller C, Hamer D and Murphy DL. Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region. Science 1996; 274: 1527-1531.
9. Hamer DH and Copeland P. Living With Our Genes (Doubleday, New York 1998).
10. Hu S, Brody CL, Fisher C, Gunzerath L, Nelson ML, Sabol SZ, Sirota LA, Marcus SE, Greenberg BD, Murphy DL, Hamer DH.   Interaction between the serotonin transporter gene and neuroticism in cigarette smoking behavior. Mol Psychiatry 2000; 5:181-8.
11. Myakishev MV, Khripin Y, Hu S, and Hamer DH.  High-throughput SNP genotyping by allele-specific PCR with universal energy-transfer-labelled primers.   . Genome Res 2001; 11: 163-9.

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