A. Jamie Cuticchia
Encyclopedia
A. Jamie Cuticchia, Ph.D., J.D. is an American geneticist
and bioinformatics
scientist with longstanding reputation in the areas of bioinformatics
and genomics
. In particular, he is was responsible for the collection of the data constituting the human gene map, prior to the final sequencing of the genome. He is also a practicing attorney
.
. He received his B.A. in Biological Sciences, with honors, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1987. In March 1992, he completed his Ph.D.
in Genetics
at the University of Georgia
studying under population scientist Jonathan Arnold. He went on to receive a J.D. magna cum laude, from the North Carolina Central School of Law in 2009.
as a method for genomic mapping. Through the use of binary fingerprinting of DNA (assigning the presence or absence of a particular sequence a 1/0) it was possible to quickly map the genome of Aspergillus nidulans
. This was one of the first genomes physically mapped
In addition to his work in the development of mapping tools, in 1988, along with others, he applied the Markov chain
model to predict the occurrence of DNA patterns.
He was the original Data Manager of the Genome Data Bank (GDB) Human Genome Database and served as its director both in Toronto at The Hospital for Sick Children as well as at RTI International. He has published several books on the human genome during the genetic mapping phase of the human genome project
.
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
and bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
scientist with longstanding reputation in the areas of bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
and genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
. In particular, he is was responsible for the collection of the data constituting the human gene map, prior to the final sequencing of the genome. He is also a practicing attorney
Attorney at law
An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...
.
Early life
He was born Anthony James Cuticchia Jr. on December 28, 1966 and grew up in College Park, MarylandCollege Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
. He received his B.A. in Biological Sciences, with honors, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1987. In March 1992, he completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
studying under population scientist Jonathan Arnold. He went on to receive a J.D. magna cum laude, from the North Carolina Central School of Law in 2009.
Accomplishments
In the late 1980s Cuticchia applied the probabilistic metaheuristic method of simulated annealingSimulated annealing
Simulated annealing is a generic probabilistic metaheuristic for the global optimization problem of locating a good approximation to the global optimum of a given function in a large search space. It is often used when the search space is discrete...
as a method for genomic mapping. Through the use of binary fingerprinting of DNA (assigning the presence or absence of a particular sequence a 1/0) it was possible to quickly map the genome of Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus nidulans is one of many species of filamentous fungi in the phylum Ascomycota...
. This was one of the first genomes physically mapped
In addition to his work in the development of mapping tools, in 1988, along with others, he applied the Markov chain
Markov chain
A Markov chain, named after Andrey Markov, is a mathematical system that undergoes transitions from one state to another, between a finite or countable number of possible states. It is a random process characterized as memoryless: the next state depends only on the current state and not on the...
model to predict the occurrence of DNA patterns.
He was the original Data Manager of the Genome Data Bank (GDB) Human Genome Database and served as its director both in Toronto at The Hospital for Sick Children as well as at RTI International. He has published several books on the human genome during the genetic mapping phase of the human genome project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
.
Career
- Johns Hopkins School of MedicineJohns Hopkins School of MedicineThe Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
: In 1992 he took a position as Assistant Professor of Medical Genetics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During that period he served as Data Manager for the Genome Data Bank (GDB) Human Genome Database and later as Director of Data Acquisition and Curation. He remained an adjunct professor with Johns Hopkins until 2001.
- Mitre Corporation: In 1995 he took the position of Director of Computational Biology and developed a consulting business for the company in McLean Virginia.
- ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals: In 1997 Cuticchia moved to Boston where he took on an executive position as Director of Genomics and Information technology at ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals. In 1998 the company was merged with Millennium Pharmacueticals and Cuticchia returned to academics.
- Hospital for Sick ChildrenHospital for Sick ChildrenThe Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
: In 1998 Cuticchia took the first of several roles at the HSC. Initially appointed as Director of Bioinformatics, he later raised approximately $52,000,000 in research support to form numerous projects and organizations. First, he relocated the Genome Data Bank (GDB) Human Genome Database to HSC while maintaining some of its operations at Johns Hopkins. Later, he established the Ontario Center for Genomic Computing which was one of the Top 500 supercomputing sites in the world.
- RTI InternationalRTI InternationalRTI International is the trade name of the Research Triangle Institute, an independent research institute established in 1958. The founding tenant of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, RTI was created as part of a larger effort to harness the intellectual capital of the area’s three major...
: In 2002 he returned to the United States to build a bioinformatics department at the Research Triangle Institute.
- Duke University School of MedicineDuke University School of MedicineThe Duke University School of Medicine is Duke University's medical school operating under the auspices of the Duke University Medical Center. Established in 1925 by James B...
: Since 2006, Cuticchia has served in various bioinformatics related roles at Duke. In 2008 he was named the Duke Bioinformatics Scholar and built a research portfolio in cancer bioinformatics.
- AJC Legal Services: In 2010, Cuticchia applied his newly acquired license to practice law in North Carolina. He focuses on biotechnology and pharmaceutical law.
Biotechnology Involvement
Cuticchia was a scientific founder of New Chemical Entities, a drug discovery and information company founded in 1997. In 1999 it merged with Thetagen, a provided of pharmacogenomic services. New Chemical Entities was merged with Albany Molecular Research in 2001.Awards
He has won numerous awards including:- National Cancer Institute caBIGCaBIGThe cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid is an open source, open access information network with the mission of enabling secure data exchange throughout the cancer community...
Outstanding Achievement Award for his work in developing bioinformatics tools for the NCI in 2007. - Numerous awards from the Research Triangle Institute including the Presidential Award for his work in the development of bioinformatics.
- He was ranked as one of the Top Three Bioinformatics Scientists by Genome Technology in 2001.
- In 2003 he was inducted in the GT All-Stars Academy for his international contributions in bioinformatics.
Books
- Chromosome Coordinating Meeting 1992 (CCM92 : Baltimore Conference), with P.L. Pearson, Basel: S. Karger Pub, 1993, ISBN 978-3-8055-5763-4
- Human Gene Mapping, 1993: A Compendium, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0-8018-4892-6
- Human Gene Mapping, 1994: A Compendium, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-8018-5180-3
- Human Gene Mapping, 1995: A Compendium, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-8018-5343-2
- Methods of Microarray Data Analysis VI, Scotts Valley: Create Space Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4414-8367-6
- Genetics: A Handbook for Lawyers, Chicago, ABA Book Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-60442-969-5