Benoit Bruneau, PhD

Benoit Bruneau is an internationally recognized leader in the field gene regulation. To that, he adds expertise in the potential within stem cells to develop into diverse types of cells, and chromatin, which packages DNA into compact structures. In his lab, he centers this range of knowledge on his studies of the developing heart.

While an undergraduate, Bruneau was first drawn to developmental biology when he had the opportunity to work with axolotls, amphibians with the ability to regenerate limbs. A subsequent project on plant genetics stimulated his interest in genes, and Bruneau went on to explore heart gene expression and earn his PhD in physiology at the University of Ottawa. His focus on the organ has additionally been driven by the fact that heart disease impacts his own family.

Bruneau completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Genetics at Harvard University Medical School, where he worked in the joint lab of Jonathan and Christine Seidman, each highly regarded for their studies of the genetic mechanisms of heart disease. He distinguished himself within their lab by making landmark discoveries involving transcriptional dysregulation in disease. Over the years, mentorship has also been provided by Janet Rossant, a global leader in developmental biology, and Eric Olson, a molecular biologist whose research into heart formation and failure has garnered numerous awards.

From 2001 to 2006, Bruneau led a cardiovascular research and developmental biology lab at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and was an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto. He joined Gladstone Institutes in 2006.

Bruneau serves as an editor for the journal Development and also participates on the editorial board of Genes & Development. In 2016, he helped found Tenaya Therapeutics, a biotechnology company combining gene therapy, cellular regeneration, and precision medicine to address the underlying drivers of heart disease.