Professor Blumenthal is well known in the fields of biochemistry and molecular genetics. By studying RNA processing in the small nematode worm, C. elegans, as a model to understand gene regulation and expression in higher animals, Professor Blumenthal contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms of gene expression. Based on his lab’s research, a previously unknown cellular “switch” was discovered that could provide researchers with a new means of triggering programmed cell death. This novel finding has wide implications. Because the failure of programmed cell death is one of the main contributors to the development of tumors, biomedical researchers believe that a better understanding of the programmed cell death process could lead to potential therapeutic agents for individuals suffering from a number of diseases. A member of various key boards and panels in his field and the recipient of support from NIH and NSF as well as a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, Blumenthal serves on the editorial board of the WormBook, an online C. elegans model organism database. He has been at CU-Boulder since 2006.
