Vicky L Funanage, PhD

Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803

Biography

Dr. Funanage is a molecular geneticist who joined Nemours Children's Health in July 1981. She holds faculty positions at Sidney Kimmel Medical College/Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Delaware. Dr. Funanage was appointed to the position of Operational Vice President/Executive Director of Research in 2014, having served as Director of Biomedical Research for Nemours since June 2000 and Director of Medical Research in the Delaware Valley since December 1998. She also is the Director of the CLIA-certified Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Head of the Musculoskeletal Inherited Disease Laboratory, and one of the strategic leads for the Precision Medicine Program at Nemours. Dr. Funanage received her M.S. in Genetics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1977, and her Ph.D in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware in 1981. Her undergraduate degree is from The Pennsylvania State University (1975). She has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware, the Bleyer Family Humanitarian Award from the Huntington's Disease Society, and the Academic Research Award from the Delaware Bioscience Association. Dr. Funanage also holds six U.S. patents and one international patent for her research work.

Medical/Dental School

  • B.S. with distinction - The Pennsylvania State University, Biology, 1975
  • M.S. - The Pennsylvania State University - University Park Campus, Genetics, 1977
  • Ph.D. - University of Delaware, Biological Sciences, 1981

  • Key Considerations for Selecting a Genomic Decision Support Platform for Implementing Pharmacogenomics; Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; (2021).

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  • Utilizing partnership flexibility and strengths: Key elements for driving 3d printed face-shield production during the covid-19 pandemic; Delaware Journal of Public Health; (2020).

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  • Knowledge and attitudes on pharmacogenetics among pediatricians; Journal of Human Genetics; (2020).

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  • The importance of research in addressing the covid-19 pandemic: Focus on the use of serology testing; Delaware Journal of Public Health; (2020).

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  • Smn1 and smn2 copy numbers in cell lines derived from patients with spinal muscular atrophy as measured by array digital pcr; Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine; (2015).

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  • A mutation in TRPV4 results in altered chondrocyte calcium signaling in severe metatropic dysplasia; American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A; (2015).

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  • A homozygous double mutation in SMN1: A complicated genetic diagnosis of SMA; Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine; (2013).

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  • Changes in circulating satiety hormones in obese children: A randomized controlled physical activity-based intervention study; Obesity; (2010).

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  • Erratum: Robust quantification of the SMN gene copy number by real-time TaqMan PCR (Neurogenetics (2007) 8 (271-278) DOI: 10.1007/s10048-007-0093-1); Neurogenetics; (2009).

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  • Increased susceptibility of spinal muscular atrophy fibroblasts to camptothecin is p53-independent; BMC Cell Biology; (2009).

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  • Recombinant human Clara cell secretory protein treatment increases lung mRNA expression of surfactant proteins and vascular endothelial growth factor in a premature lamb model of respiratory distress syndrome; American Journal of Perinatology; (2008).

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  • Reduction of elevated serum retinol binding protein in obese children by lifestyle intervention: Association with subclinical inflammation; Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism; (2007).

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  • Robust quantification of the SMN gene copy number by real-time TaqMan PCR; Neurogenetics; (2007).

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  • Multiple transmissions of Barth syndrome through an oocyte donor with a de novo TAZ mutation; Fertility and Sterility; (2007).

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  • 3-Methylglutaconic aciduria disorders: The clinical spectrum increases; Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; (2006).

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  • Leptin enhances lung maturity in the fetal rat; Pediatric Research; (2006).

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  • Increased susceptibility of spinal muscular atrophy fibroblasts to camptothecin-induced cell death; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2005).

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  • Reversal of obesity-related hypoadiponectinemia by lifestyle intervention: A controlled, randomized study in obese adolescents; Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism; (2005).

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  • Leptin is not present in infant formulas; Journal of Endocrinological Investigation; (2003).

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  • Leptin and estradiol as related to change in pubertal status and body weight; Medical Science Monitor; (2002).

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  • Hyperoxia and nitric oxide reduce surfactant components (DSPC and surfactant proteins) and increase apoptosis in adult and fetal rat type II pneumocytes; Lung; (2002).

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  • Leptin: A new growth factor for the small intestine; Journal of Pediatric Surgery; (2002).

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  • Immaturity or starvation? Longitudinal study of leptin levels in premature infants; Biology of the Neonate; (2001).

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  • Leptin levels in preterm human breast milk and infant formula.; Pediatrics; (2001).

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  • A new polymorphism in the proteolipid protein (PLP1) gene and its use for carrier detection of PLP1 gene duplication in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease.; Human mutation; (2001).

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  • Effect of triplet repeat expansion on chromatin structure and expression of dmpk and neighboring genes, six5 and dmwd, in myotonic dystrophy; Molecular Genetics and Metabolism; (2001).

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  • Mutations in noncoding regions of the proteolipid protein gene in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease; Neurology; (2000).

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  • Developmental expression of creatine kinase isoenzymes in chicken growth cartilage; Journal of Bone and Mineral Research; (1999).

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  • Glucocorticoids decrease interleukin-6 levels and induce mineralization of cultured osteogenic cells from children with fibrous dysplasia; Journal of Bone and Mineral Research; (1999).

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  • Molecular diagnosis of thiopurine s-methyltransferase deficiency as a guide to 6-mercaptopurine therapy in childhood ibd; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (1998).

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  • Leptin expression in human mammary epithelial cells and breast milk; Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism; (1998).

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  • Mutation characterization and genotype, phenotype correlation in Barth syndrome; American Journal of Human Genetics; (1997).

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  • Placental leptin: an important new growth factor in intrauterine and neonatal development?; Pediatrics; (1997).

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  • Thiopurine s-methyltransferase genotyping for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: 39; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (1997).

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  • Identification and functional characterization of human intestinal creatine transport activity; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (1996).

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  • Identification of a testis-expressed creatine transporter gene at 16p11.2 and confirmation of the X-linked locus to Xq28; Genomics; (1996).

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  • Regional chromosomal assignments for four members of the mads domain transcription enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) gene family to human chromosomes 15q26, 19p12, 5q14, and 1q12-q23; Genomics; (1995).

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  • Overexpression of DM20 messenger RNA in two brothers with pelizaeus-merzbacher disease; Annals of Neurology; (1995).

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  • Effect of myotonic dystrophy trinucleotide repeat expansion on dmpk transcription and processing; Genomics; (1995).

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  • Absence of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase (DMPK) mRNA as a result of a triplet repeat expansion in myotonic dystrophy; Genomics; (1993).

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  • Creatine kinase activity is required for mineral deposition and matrix synthesis in endochondral growth cartilage; Bone and Mineral; (1992).

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  • Entactin promotes adhesion and long-term maintenance of cultured regenerated skeletal myotubes; Journal of Cellular Physiology; (1992).

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  • Developmental regulation of creatine kinase activity in cells of the epiphyseal growth cartilage; Journal of Bone and Mineral Research; (1992).

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  • A genetic linkage map of human chromosome 5 with 60 RFLP loci; Genomics; (1991).

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  • Hemin enhances differentiation and maturation of cultured regenerated skeletal myotubes; Journal of Cellular Physiology; (1989).

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  • Hemin increases aerobic capacity of cultured regenerating skeletal myotubes; American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology; (1988).

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  • Effect of gamma rays at the dihydrofolate reductase locus: Deletions and inversions; Somatic Cell and Molecular Genetics; (1986).

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  • Localization of Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase gene to band p23 of chromosome 2; Somatic Cell and Molecular Genetics; (1986).

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  • Coregulation of dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase B in Bacillus subtilis; BBA - Gene Structure and Expression; (1985).

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  • Assignment of the human dihydrofolate reductase gene to the q11----q22 region of chromosome 5; Molecular and Cellular Biology; (1984).

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  • Cloning and mapping of the dihydrofolate reductase gene of Bacillus subtilis; Gene; (1984).

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  • Isolation and characterization of 5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole-resistant mutants of the Chinese hamster ovary cell line; Molecular and Cellular Biology; (1982).

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  • Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 mutants with altered glutamine synthetase levels and amino acid uptake activities; Journal of Bacteriology; (1978).

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  • Characterization of Salmonella typhimurium mutants with altered glutamine synthetase activity; Genetics; (1977).

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