User:DNAenthusiast/sandbox/Claude Gagna

Claude Gagna.

Claude Gagna, PhD, is an American Professor in the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, at the New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY [1]. He also holds adjunct positions at the Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School [2].

He is a molecular biologist, DNA nanotechnologist and anatomist [1, 2]. Claude Gagna is an active professor in the biological sciences, contributing to both lecture and laboratory learning [3]. He is well known for mentoring high-school, undergraduate, graduate and medical students in research projects leading to peer-reviewed publications with students as co-authors [4, 5]. Along with being a full professor, Claude Gagna focuses much of his time on research involving the structure and function of DNA and RNA, cell death, skin disease and cancer [6, 7, 8, 9]. As an anatomist he publishes clinically-oriented peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on topics such as melanoma, xeroderma pigmentosum and trichothiodystrophy [6, 10, 11, 12]. He and his colleagues recently received an NSF grant for $426, 621.00 in order to purchase a microCT scanner [13] for research, and advancing STEM studies for high school and undergraduates [14, 15].

Claude Gagna has been granted patents for his invention of novel DNA and RNA microarrays in the United States [16, 17, 18] and internationally. These next generation microarrays go beyond conventional gene expression studies and can enhance the "drug discovery" part of drug discovery and development, and DNA structure/function research [19, 20, 21, 22]. His invention allows the immobilization of unaltered, intact, undamaged DNA or RNA onto modified microscope slides used in basic biological research and drug efficacy testing [19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25]. This achievement resulted in his being awarded the 2006 New Jersey Inventor of the Year [25, 26]. He has also received other awards [4, 25, 27]. He has published numerous peer-reviewed original research-based publications, review articles, book chapters, abstracts, and trade magazines [18,  23, 28,  29,  30, 31, 32]. Additionally, he has published several biology-based undergraduate laboratory manuals via XanEdu Publishers [33, 34]. His research has resulted in citations within Wikipedia pages concerning DNA microarrays and skin pathologies [22, 35]. Claude Gagna has written many editorials and letters to the editors in magazines relating to many different scientific disciplines (36, 37, 38, 39).

Early life and education

Gagna was born in Manhattan and grew up in New York City, Europe  and New Jersey. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Peters University in Biology/Natural Sciences, a Master of Science degree in Human Anatomy from Fairleigh Dickinson University – College of Dental Medicine, and a Doctorate degree in Human Anatomy from New York University – Basic Medical Sciences [1, 40]. He completed successful postdoctoral training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry – Medical School in the Departments of Ophthalmology, and Physiology and Pharmacology [1, 7].

Academic career

Gagna advanced in his career by receiving an Adjunct Visiting Research Professorship at Fairleigh Dickinson University, School of Natural Sciences (Biology) in 1998. He then began a tenure-track position in the Department of Life Sciences at New York Institute of Technology in 1999 [1]. He continued his adjunct position at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and then in 1997 received an adjunct position (i.e., Assistant Professor) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UMDNJ - Medical School, and in 2009 he was promoted to Associate Professor [30]. Gagna then obtained an adjunct position in the Department of Medicine (i.e., Dermatology) in 2002 [2, 30, 41]. From 2009 to 2013 he was the Administrative Director of the biology teaching labs at NYIT. In 2006 he received tenure and promotion at the New York Institute of Technology (i.e., Associate Professor). In 2020 Gagna was promoted to full professor in the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences at NYIT. In 2015 he co-founded a chapter of the TriBeta Biology Honor Society at NYIT [42]. He has been an active member in the Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) since its inception in 2004 [5]. Gagna has also been the advisor to undergraduate students clubs and organizations (i.e., Sponsored Student Organizations), such as the Biomedical  Society (2000-2017), Kappa Phi Gamma Society (i.e., Sororities) (2013-2015), American Medical Student Association (2013-present) and Unite For Site (2015-present) [43, 44].

Personal Life

Gagna is married to Judy Gagna, has a daughter, i.e., Olivia Gagna, and lives in Westchester County.