Michael Snyder, Ph.D.

Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Genetics

Bio

1977 B.A, Chemistry and Biology, University of Rochester, NY
1978-1982 Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, CA Advisor: Dr. Norman Davidson
1982-1986 Postdoctoral Research Stanford University School of Medicine, CA Advisor: Dr. Ronald Davis
1986-2009 Faculty Dept of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
2009-present Dept of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

Academic Appointments

Professor, Genetics
Member, Bio-X
Member, Cardiovascular Institute
Member, Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Member, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for IBD and Celiac Disease
Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute

Administrative Appointments

Chair, Dept. of Genetics (2009 - Present)
Director, Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine (2009 - Present)

Honors & Awards

George Beadle Award, GSA (2019)
Elected Member, American Academy of Science (2015)
Stanford B. Ascherman Professor, Stanford (2011)
Pioneer Award, Human Proteome Organization (2009)
CT Medal of Science, Connection Academy of Science (2007)
Pew Scholar Award, Pew Foundation (1987-1991)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

We are presently in an omics revolution in which genomes and other omes can be readily characterized. Our laboratory uses a variety of approaches to analyze genomes and regulatory networks. Our research focuses on yeast, an ideal model organism ideally suited to genetic analysis, and humans.

1) Transcriptomes
To annotate genomes, we developed RNA sequencing for annotation the yeast and human transcriptomes. We discovered that the eukaryotic transcriptome is much more complex than previously appreciated and that embryonic stem cells have more transcript isoforms than differentiated cells.

2) Transcription Factor Binding Networks
We have also developed methods for mapping transcription factor binding sites through the genome. We used this to develop regulatory maps and have been using this to help decipher the combinatorial regulatory code which factors work together to regulate which genes. Using this approach we have mapped out pathways crucial for metabolism and inflammation.

3) Integrated Regulatory Networks
In addition to transcriptional factor binding networks we have also been mapping phosphorylation and metabolite-protein interaction networks. These studies have revealed novel global regulators and key points in integrated regulatory networks.

4) Variation
We have been analyzing differences between individuals and species at two levels: DNA sequence variation and regulatory information variations. We developed paired end sequencing for humans and found that humans have extensive structural variation (SV), i.e. deletions, insertions and inversions. This is likely to be a major cause of phenotypic variation and human disease. In addition, by mapping binding sites difference among different yeast strains and humans, we have found that individuals differ much more in their regulatory information than in coding sequence differences. We can correlate these differences with those in SNPS and SVs, thereby associating noncoding DNA differences with regulatory information.

5) Human Disease
Finally, we are applying omics approaches of genome sequencing, transcriptomics proteomics metabolomics, DNA methylation and microbiome assays to the analysis of human disease. These integrative omics approaches are being applied to help understand the molecular basis of disease and the development of diagnostics and therapeutics.

Clinical Trials

The Lasting Change Study Not Recruiting
More
The study approach is to leverage the most cutting-edge techniques of multi-omics biology, wearable physiology, and digital real-time psychology profiling and using machine learning models to understand the mechanisms underlying the strategies and techniques that enable participants the power to initiate and maintain sustainable behavior change. Over the years, millions of people worldwide have attended immersive personal development seminars aiming to improve participants' health behaviors and wellness. Nevertheless, there's a scarcity of large-scale studies to assess their effects on behavior change and investigate their mechanism of action. A recent publication by the Science of Behavior Change Program (SOBC), launched by the National Institute of Health (NIH), recognized that: "science has not yet delivered a unified understanding of basic mechanisms of behavior change across a broad range of health-related behaviors, limiting progress in the development and translation of effective and efficacious behavioral intervention." As such, understanding the mechanisms underlying sustainable behavior change is key. The Date With Destiny (DWD) seminar is among the largest worldwide, and tens of thousands of people have already attended and testified to its transformative effect. The main objective of the study is to uncover the underlying mechanism of behavior change through longitudinal data collection of psychometrics Ecological Momentary Assessments, physiology (wearables), and biology (multi-omics) in study participants. The study specific objectives include: (1) To evaluate the impact of DWD on sustainable behavior change; (2) To investigate the mechanism of behavior change by collecting longitudinal real-time measurements of psychometrics (e.g., Ecological Momentary Assessments [EMA]), physiological (e.g., heart rate, blood oxygen level, breathing rate, and EDA), and biological (multi-omics analyses) features in study participants; (3) To assess the effect of the DWD on professional fulfillment, resilience, and mental wellness.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact SPECTRUM, .

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
- Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
View full details
The 28 Day Challenge Not Recruiting
More
The purpose of this study is to determine how a 28 Day Challenge influences mental health and well-being. This is a blinded study. Participants both with and without depression and anxiety, will be included. A moderation analysis will be performed to see whether changes in depression after the intervention are a function of baseline depression and anxiety levels.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Ariel Ganz, PhD, 650-736-8099.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
- Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
View full details
Multiomic Signatures of Microbial Metabolites Following Prebiotic Fiber Supplementation Recruiting
More
The investigators propose a comprehensive, multiomic study that will integrate longitudinal data associating changes in specific gut bacteria and host in response to prebiotic fiber supplementation. These data will guide the development of an integrative biological signature relating bacterial-derived metabolites with biological outcome in the host. The open sharing of data generated by the proposed research represents a significant public resource that will support and accelerate future novel studies.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
- Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
View full details
Precision Diets for Diabetes Prevention Recruiting
More
With this study the investigators want to understand the physiological differences for people developing pre-diabetes and diabetes. The investigators hypothesize that different individuals go through different paths in the development of the disease. By understanding the personal mechanism for developing disease, the investigators will find a personalized approach to prevent that development. The investigators are also hoping to be able to find a biomarker that will pinpoint to the particular defect and thus, diagnose the problem at an earlier stage and have the information to give personalized diet recommendations to prevent the development of diabetes more effectively.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
- Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
View full details
Understanding and Diagnosing Allergic Disease in Twins Not Recruiting
More
The purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of how the immune system works in twins with and without allergic disease. Healthy volunteers are not specifically targeted. Healthy non-allergic study participants may be found through the course of evaluation for the presence of allergies.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Kari A Nadeau, MD, PhD, 650-521-7237.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
- Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
View full details

All Publications

Profiles With Related Publications

close
Russ B. Altman

Kenneth Fong Professor and Professor of Bioengineering, of Genetics, of Medicine, of Biomedical Data Science, Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for HAI and Professor, by courtesy, of Computer Science
Research Interests
I refer you to my web page for detailed list of interests, projects and publications. In addition to pressing the link here, you can search "Russ Altman" on http://www.google.com/

706 Total Publications
close
Gill Bejerano

Professor of Developmental Biology, of Computer Science, of Pediatrics (Genetics) and of Biomedical Data Science
Research Interests
1. Automating monogenic patient diagnosis.
2. The genomic signatures of independent divergent and convergent trait evolution in mammals.
3. The logic of human gene regulation.
4. The reasons for sequence ultraconservation.
5. Cryptogenomics to bridge medical silos.
6. Cryptogenetics to debate social injustice.
7. Managing patient risk using machine learning.
8. Understanding the flow of money in the US healthcare system.

128 Total Publications
close
Patrick O. Brown

Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
Research Interests
Dr. Brown, currently an emeritus professor, is founder of Impossible Foods, a company dedicated to replacing the world's most destructive technology - the use of animals to transform plant biomass into meat, fish and dairy foods - by developing a new and better way to produce the world's most delicious, nutritious and affordable meats, fish and dairy foods directly from plants. Visit impossiblefoods.com for more information. He is also founder and president of the Impossible Foundation.

319 Total Publications
close
Anne Brunet

Michele and Timothy Barakett Endowed Professor
Research Interests
Our lab studies the molecular basis of longevity. We are interested in the mechanism of action of known longevity genes, including FOXO and SIRT, in the mammalian nervous system. We are particularly interested in the role of these longevity genes in neural stem cells. We are also discovering novel genes and processes involved in aging using two short-lived model systems, the invertebrate C. elegans and an extremely short-lived vertebrate, the African killifish N. furzeri.

155 Total Publications
close
Mike Cherry

Professor (Research) of Genetics, Emeritus
Research Interests
My research involves identifying, validating and integrating scientific facts into encyclopedic databases essential for research and scientific education. Published results of scientific experimentation are a foundation of our understanding of the natural world and provide motivation for new experiments. The combination of in-depth understanding reported in the literature with computational analyses is an essential ingredient of modern biological research.

145 Total Publications
close
Gerald Crabtree

David Korn, MD, Professor of Pathology and Professor of Developmental Biology
Research Interests
Chromatin regulation and its roles in human cancer and the development of the nervous system. Engineering new methods for studying and controlling chromatin and epigenetic regulation in living cells.

262 Total Publications
close
Jesse Engreitz

Assistant Professor of Genetics
Research Interests
Regulatory elements in the human genome harbor thousands of genetic risk variants for common diseases and could reveal targets for therapeutics — if only we could map the complex regulatory wiring that connects 2 million regulatory elements with 21,000 genes in thousands of cell types in the human body.

We combine experimental and computational genomics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics to assemble regulatory maps of the human genome and uncover biological mechanisms of disease.

62 Total Publications
close
Andrew Fire

George D. Smith Professor of Molecular and Genetic Medicine and Professor of Pathology and of Genetics
Research Interests
We study natural cellular mechanisms for adapting to genetic change. These include systems activated during normal development and those for detecting and responding to foreign or unwanted genetic activity. Underlying these studies are questions of how a cells can distinguish information as "self" versus "nonself" or "wanted" versus "unwanted".

189 Total Publications
close
Hunter Fraser

Professor of Biology
Research Interests
We study the evolution of complex traits by developing new experimental and computational methods.

Our work brings together quantitative genetics, genomics, epigenetics, and evolutionary biology to achieve a deeper understanding of how genetic variation shapes the phenotypic diversity of life. Our main focus is on the evolution of gene expression, which is the primary fuel for natural selection. Our long-term goal is to be able to introduce complex traits into new species via genome editing.

93 Total Publications
close
Andrew Gentles

Assistant Professor (Research) of Pathology, of Medicine (BMIR) and, by courtesy, of Biomedical Data Science

115 Total Publications
close
Peter K. Jackson

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology (Baxter Labs) and of Pathology
Research Interests
Cell cycle and cyclin control of DNA replication .

180 Total Publications
close
Maya M. Kasowski

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Sean N Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research) of Pathology and, by courtesy, of Genetics
Clinical Focus
Pathology

22 Total Publications