Daniel J. Rader, M.D.

Daniel J. Rader, M.D., Director of ASPE, is Chair of the Department of Genetics and Chief of the Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine. He is also Associate Director of Penn’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics. Dr. Rader has a special interest in using human genetics to provide biological insight into human disease and identify new targets for therapeutic development. His own area of research is in cholesterol metabolism and heart disease. His lab helped to identify mutations that cause low cholesterol. Subsequently, the gene carrying these mutations became a target for a new therapy, for which he led the clinical development. This decade-long endeavor led to FDA and European approval of lomitapide, the first effective medication for the treatment of a severe inherited form of high cholesterol. Dr. Rader is focused on leveraging human genetics across a wide range of human disorders to facilitate the development of new therapies.