Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics

Dr. Reed Pyeritz is a medical genetics doctor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian. Dr. Pyeritz focuses his research in two areas - Mendelian disorders of the cardiovascular system (especially those involving defects of connective tissue) and ethical, legal and social implications of human genetics. He is continuing his studies, begun over 20 years ago, of Marfan syndrome and related conditions - diseases in which the aorta and occasionally major arterial branches gradually enlarge and dissect, leading to early demise if untreated. Current efforts include a multicenter trial of angiotensin receptor blockade in Marfan syndrome, the identification of additional genes that predispose to arteriopathy, and improving methods for diagnosing and treating arterio-venous malformations, especially in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Dr. Pyeritz directs Penn CIGHT (Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies). Supported by the ELSI Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Penn CIGHT conducts research in the broad area of 'uncertainty' as related to the introduction of evolving approaches to assaying a patient's genotype.