Stowers Institute For Medical Research

Scientists at the Institute study the way genes determine biological fate and how they can be altered to prevent, treat, or cure disease. Stowers Institute scientists work to broaden the base of knowledge of specific cellular and molecular changes that may be involved in causing disease. This work is essential to understanding most of the illnesses that now challenge medical science, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and many more.

Research underway at the Institute relies on animal models such as mice, chick embryos, zebra fish, fruit flies, round worms, and yeast. The reason for using "model species" is that humans have a genetic plan quite similar to that of other species. But, unlike humans, these model species can be grown rapidly and their genes mutated at will. It is by studying the consequences of mutations that scientists are able to determine the function of normal genes. Research is also conducted with cultured human cells, including human embryonic stem cells. Individual scientists at the Stowers Institute generally specialize in the study of specific genes, to determine if or how those genes influence various diseases.