Muriel Davisson is an American

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...

who developed the

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

mouse model Ts65Dn. In 1959 she graduated from Pemetic High School in Southwest Harbor, Maine. She holds Ph. D. from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

(1969). She was director of Genetic Resource Science at Jackson Laboratory. Her work concentrates on developing mouse models of human genetic disorders including

. She is now semiretired from

Jackson Laboratory The Jackson Laboratory (often abbreviated as JAX) is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution which was founded by a eugenicist. It employs more than 3,000 employees in Bar Harbor, Maine; Sacramento, California; Farmington, Con ...

. Her mice was used in a number of Down syndrome studies leading to promising drug therapies.Dan Huerly
A Drug for Down Syndrome
July 29, 2011, New York Times In 2002 the

National Down Syndrome Society The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is an American organization that offers support to people with Down syndrome, their families, friends, teachers, and coworkers, and educates the general public about Down syndrome. The mission of the NDS ...

named her "Researcher of the Year."

Selected publications

* Davisson MT, Linder CC. 2004. Historical Functions. In: The Laboratory Mouse, The Handbook of Experimental Animals, Hedrich, HJ, Bullock G, Petrusz P, ds Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp. 15–24. * Davisson MT. 2006. Genetic Mapping. In: Mouse in Biomedical Research, 2nd edition, Volume 1 Fox J, Barthold S, Davisson MT, Newcomer C, Quimby F, Smith A (eds.), Elsevier, Inc., San Diego, CA, Chapter 7 pp. 115–133. * Davisson MT, Handel MA. 2006. Cytogenetics. In: Mouse in Biomedical Research, 2nd edition, Volume 1, Fox J, Barthold S. Davisson MT, Newcomer C, Quimby F, Smith A (eds.), Elsevier, Inc., San Diego, CA, Chapter 9 pp. 145–164. * Chang B, Hawes NL, Davisson MT, Heckenlively JR. 2007. Mouse Models of RP. In: Retinal Degenerations: Biology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics. Tombran-Tink J, Barnstable CJ (eds.), The Humana Press, Inc., Totowa, NJ, pp. 149–164.

References

American neuroscientists American women neuroscientists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Pennsylvania State University alumni 21st-century American women scientists 20th-century American women scientists {{US-scientist-stub