Cathleen (Cat) Lutz, Ph.D., MBA

Senior Director, Mouse Repository & In Vivo Pharmacology Genetic Resource Science / Senior research scientist

Bar Harbor, ME

The primary research goals of the Lutz lab involve developing preclinical mouse models of neurodegeneration to test therapeutics and inform clinical trials.

Contact me at: 207-288-6341

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About Cathleen (Cat) Lutz, Ph.D., MBA

Dr. Lutz is Director of the Mouse Repository and the Rare and Orphan Disease Center at The Jackson Laboratory. She has fiscal and managerial oversight of a growing collection of more than 8,500 unique strains, including over 1,700 live colonies for distribution to the scientific community. As part of the Mouse Repository program, Dr. Lutz is the Principal investigator on a number of NIH sponsored resource grants, including the Mutant Mouse Regional and Research Center at JAX, The SMSR grant to support recombinant inbred and Chromosome substitution panels, as well as the NICHD Cytogenetic Resource to support Down Syndrome related strains and research. Dr. Lutz also serves as the Director of In Vivo Pharmacology and Efficacy Testing Program in Bar Harbor, which interfaces with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to pursue novel therapeutics across a variety of therapeutic areas.

A neuroscientist by training, Dr. Lutz conducts research in neurodegenerative diseases, including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Friedreich’s ataxia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemperal Lobe Dementia (FTD. Her lab works closely with multiple disease foundations and researchers in the development, characterization and validation of mouse models that support their research and drug discovery goals. These organizations include The ALS Association, The Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Foundation, Cure SMA, and the Grace Science Foundation.

Education and experience

Education

1997
Ph.D., biochemistry
University of Maine, Orono, ME

1990
B.S., biochemistry
The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Experience

2012-
Director, Rare and Orphan Disease Center, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2011-
Director, Repository, and Research Scientist, Genetic Resource Science, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2008-2011
Associate Director and Research Scientist, Genetic Resource Science, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2004-2008
Mouse Repository Operations Manager and Associate Research Scientist, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1998-2004
Senior Scientific Curator, Mouse Genome Informatics, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1996-1998
Postdoctoral Associate, Laboratory of Dr. David Hosford, Duke University, Durham North Carolina

1993-1996
Predoctoral Associate, Laboratory of Dr. Wayne Frankel, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1991-1993
Senior Research Assistant, Laboratory of Dr. Wayne Frankel, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1990-1991
Research Assistant, Laboratory of Dr. Benjamin Taylor, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1987-1990
Research Technician, Laboratory of Dr. Mary Edmonds, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Selected Publications

View full list of publications

The Search Magazine Article June 20, 2017
Genetic self-discovery

Cortney Lavorgna is a college student who is exploring the neuromuscular disease she lives with in a JAX research experience.
Press Release October 14, 2015
Jackson Laboratory researchers report some restored function in animal models of spinal muscular atrophy

In work involving several new generations of mouse model development, Jackson Laboratory (JAX) researchers have tested a therapeutic intervention for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) that restores some function lost due to a mutation in one gene (SMN1) and amplifies the levels of protective genes (SMN2). Moreover, unlike current interventions, the therapy appears to work after symptoms of SMA have already appeared, and may not need to be administered directly into the central nervous system.
eNews December 12, 2014
Collaborative efforts expand ALS research tools

Scientists are rapidly engineering mice that model these genetic lesions which will be critical for understanding pathogenesis of these diseases.
eNews August 08, 2012
A novel, allelic series of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) mouse models created

A novel, allelic series of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) mouse models have been created that differ in SMN expression levels and SMA-related disease severity.

The Search Magazine Article February 28, 2017
Our mouse model paved the way for a new SMA drug

A mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy developed at The Jackson Laboratory lay the foundation for the successful clinical trials of a new SMA drug, Spinraza.
Research Highlight December 07, 2015
New mouse model displays typical pathologic features of ALS/FTD

Most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are sporadic, meaning that there is no family history of the disease.
Personal Story May 27, 2015
Running for SMARD

Families have banded together from across the globe to make awareness and research for SMARD a reality.
eNews August 23, 2011
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) attacked on two fronts

Two 2011 studies demonstrate that restoring or increasing spinal motor neuron (SMN) protein alleviates or even reverses disease in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) mouse models.