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David J. Galas PhD was an internationally recognized expert in molecular biology and human genetics, a former leader of the Human Genome Project, and Principal Scientist at Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI).

Biography

Galas was born in 1944 in St. Petersburg, FL. He earned his A.B. (with honors) in Physics at University of California Berkeley and his M.S. in Physics at University of California Davis. After receiving his Ph.D in Physics from University of California Davis, he served as Scientific Advisor to the Defense Science Board, Task Force on Strategic Vulnerability as a Captain in the USAF. He then completed summer study (1974, 1975) at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and was Senior Staff Scientist, Biomedical Division, University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 1974 - 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, Galas held academic positions with multiple institutes, including University of Geneva and University of Southern California.

David was married to Diane R. Isonaka; he has two adult sons.

Career

In 1990 while on leave from the University of Southern California, Galas became the Director of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the U.S. Department of Energy, where he worked on the Human Genome Project.^[4]. Galas co-founded and directed Darwin Molecular Corporation in 1993, serving as Vice President for Research and Development (1993 - 1994), President, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer (1994 - 1996), and Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Director (1995 -1997). Following Darwin's 1996 merge with Chiroscience, David became President and Chief Scientific Officer, and Director of the resulting Chiroscience R&D, Inc.

In 1998, Galas became the Founding Chief Academic Officer of the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) of Applied Life Science and served as Dean of Faculty, Vice President, Norris Professor of Applied Life Sciences through 2002. From 2002 to 2005, he held the positions of Chancellor, Chief Scientific Officer and Norris Professor of Applied Life Sciences with KGI. From 2005 - 2008, Galas was the Vice President, Chief Science Officer for Biology and Life Sciences at Battelle Memorial Institute. In 2005, he joined the Institute for Systems Biology, first as Professor (2005 - 2008), and then as Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships (2008 - 2012), notably working with the University of Luxembourg to create the Center for Systems Biology Luxembourg ^[5]. It was also at this time that working with Lynn Jorde and Chad Huff at University of Utah, the sequencing of the entire genomes of a full family of four was completed (first time ever accomplished) and two novel disease genes were discovered (see Miller Syndrome) ^[6],^[7]

From 2012 to 2023, Galas was a Principal Scientist with Pacific Northwest Research Institute, where his lab focused primarily on computational biology, developing and improving technical laboratory methods like RNA sequencing RNA-Seq, and developing new mathematical tools and methods for the analysis of large amounts of complex biological data ^[8]. Most recently, David and fellow PNRI Principal Scientist Lisa Stubbs launched the Decoding Stress Study, aiming to answer questions about the role of people’s genes in determining how they respond to chronic stress.^[9],^[10]. The Decoding Stress pilot studies and continuing work (under Dr. Stubbs' leadership) strive to provide the biomedical basis for future treatments and interventions that address a patient’s specific genetic makeup.

Additionally, Galas was a Washington Research Foundation (WRF) Board Member (since 2010) and Founder of the WRF Postdoc Fellowship Program, presiding as its Selection Committee Chair ^[11],^[12]. Galas was also Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation (2008 – 2022), and was a Hertz Fellowship candidate interviewer for nearly 50 years, recently receiving the honor of being named Hertz's first "Chairman Emeritus". April, 2022. ^[13].

Top scientific achievements

·Publications: Approx. 180 collected scientific publications with a total of more than 33,000 citations in the scientific literature​ ^[14]

·Citation indices: h index= 71, i10 index =152 ^[15]

·20 issued US patents

·Founder or co-founder of 5 biotechnology companies: Darwin Molecular Corporation (co-founder), Rapigene (founder), Ionian Technologies, Inc. (founder), Zuyder, Inc. (founder), and Integrated Diagnostics (co-founder).

·Inventor of several technologies, including DNAse footprinting (published 1978), still the most widely used method to determine the DNA binding sites of regulatory proteins on DNA

·Human gene discovery

- Susceptibility to early onset Alzheimer’s disease can be caused by missense mutations in a membrane protein gene Presenilin-2 (PSEN-2). The mutant protein mis-processes amyloid protein as well as others. This protein is now recognized as one of two gamma-secretase enzymes involved in amyloid protein processing. ^[16]

- New human gene regulating bone mineral density called SOST. The recessive genetic disorder, sclerosteosis is caused by loss of gene function in a gene encoding a cystine-knot protein called sclerostin. Identified a new pathway for regulation of bone mineral metabolism (involving the Wnt pathway) that is now known as a promising area for therapeutic discovery for osteoporosis (1999) ^[17]

Awards

Rhodes Scholarship finalist (1967); Hertz Foundation predoctoral fellowship (1968-1972); National Science Foundation predoctoral fellowship, AEC predoctoral fellowship (declined, 1968); Friedrich-Miescher Award in Biochemistry, nominee for DNA footprinting ^[18], Swiss Biochemical Society (1981); Parker Award and Lecturer, Battelle-Pacific Northwest Laboratories, 1995; Smithsonian Institution – Computerworld Pioneer Medal (for role in International Human Genome Project), 1999