D.C. Dr. Belfort studies genetic elements known as introns, segments of DNA that interrupt genes and can therefore disrupt the flow of genetic information.
Genes are the units of heredity.
They are composed of sequences that code for proteins, the molecular workhorses of life, and non-coding sequences with no apparent function. These non-coding sequences are introns. Introns are also mobile, and when they migrate into functional human genes, they can cause DNA rearrangements that lead to congenital abnormalities or some cancers. Dr. Belfort investigates the dynamic process by which introns move. Research has been integral to the mission of our laboratories since they were founded in 1914, a tradition that today continues in the era of molecular genetics, said Dennis Whalen, Acting Commissioner of Health.