Dr. Edward Benz

Biography

Edward Benz is the Richard Susan Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, focusing his research on the molecular pathology and physiology of red cell development and inherited hemolytic anemias. His laboratory continues to study the red cell homeostatic system as a model for investigating gene regulation and growth control in tissues. Over the past five years, his team has concentrated on the structural and functional properties of protein 4.1, a cytoskeletal protein initially identified in red blood cells, which forms a complex with spectrin and actin to maintain the integrity of the cell membrane. They have characterized several isoforms of the protein that arise from the alternative splicing of the 4.1R gene and have identified specific sequences targeting splicing factors that regulate these isoforms during erythroid differentiation. Benz's group has demonstrated that the isoforms of protein 4.1R exhibit complex intracellular localization patterns and interact with NuMa, which is critical for mitosis. Their current studies are investigating how changes in the localization of protein 4.1R may signal the terminal differentiation of cells, as they transition away from proliferation.

Research Interests

Experience