Daniel Klessig Email & Phone Number

Klessig’s research spans both plant and human health. During his early career as a graduate student of James Watson, he focused on DNA tumor viruses, which lead to the discovery of split genes and RNA splicing (Klessig, 1977 Cell 12:9). In the mid 1980, he initiated a research program in plant pathology, which focused on role of salicylic acid (SA) in plant immunity. In addition to SA, his group identified other important factors which contribute to plant immunity, including nitric oxide, MAP kinases, and recently nematode ascarosides. Using the approaches developed to identify dozens of SA targets in plants, his group has uncovered multiple new SA/aspirin targets in humans, which are involved in many prevalent, devastating diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. They also discovered natural and synthetic SA derivatives, which are 10-2000 times more potent than SA at inhibiting the disease-associated activities of these targets.

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  Professor

  Boyce Thompson Institute

  Aug 2000 - Present - Ithaca, Ny

  Professional Positions Held:Staff Scientist, 1979-1980, Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryAssistant Professor, 1980-1983, University of UtahAssociate Professor, 1983-1985, University of UtahProfessor of Molecular Biology and Associate Director, 1985-2000, Waksman Institute, Rutgers UniversityPresident and CEO, 2000-2004, Boyce Thompson InstituteProfessor, 2004-Present, Boyce Thompson Institute Adjunct Professor, 2001-Present, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant… Show more Professional Positions Held:Staff Scientist, 1979-1980, Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryAssistant Professor, 1980-1983, University of UtahAssociate Professor, 1983-1985, University of UtahProfessor of Molecular Biology and Associate Director, 1985-2000, Waksman Institute, Rutgers UniversityPresident and CEO, 2000-2004, Boyce Thompson InstituteProfessor, 2004-Present, Boyce Thompson Institute Adjunct Professor, 2001-Present, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology, Cornell University Show less

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  Univ Of Wisconsin-Madison (Bs 1971), Edinburgh Univ. (Hon Bsc 1973), Harvard Univ (Phd 1978)