Lukasz Sznajder, PhD, MSc
Assistant Professor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, US

Dr. Łukasz J. Sznajder specializes in deciphering molecular mechanisms in human disorders caused by tandem repeat expansions and developing preclinical models and therapeutic strategies. Holding a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland and having completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida in Molecular Neurogenetics, he now serves as a Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV).

Since 2010, Dr. Sznajder has concentrated on myotonic dystrophy types 1 (DM1) and 2 (DM2). His research focuses on post-transcriptional gene regulation in DM1 and DM2, emphasizing muscleblind-like (MBNL) proteins, RNA splicing, and expanded RNA-MBNL phase separation. His notable achievements include identifying DM2-specific blood RNA biomarkers and testing therapeutic approaches which resulted in twelve research and two review papers on myotonic dystrophy. Acknowledged for his contributions, Dr. Sznajder has received many prestigious awards, including a Polish National Science Centre Predoctoral Fellowship, a Myotonic Dystrophy and Wyck Foundations Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute Career Enhancement Award, and Muscular Dystrophy Association Development Grant.

As a tenure-track Assistant Professor at UNLV since 2023, he remains dedicated to exploring the roles of RNA biology in DM1 and DM2. His DM2-focused research proposal builds upon prior accomplishments, addressing the disease's understudied nature relative to DM1, particularly in Poland, and forging a unique path from his doctoral and postdoctoral supervisors' efforts.

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