Dr. Pragna Patel is Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Before joining USC, Dr. Patel was a member of the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston from 1987 through 2003. Her laboratory played a major role in the discovery of novel mechanisms underlying several inherited diseases including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, Friedreich ataxia and congenital generalized hypertrichosis. DNA-based tests for some of these diseases have enabled easier diagnosis. Her laboratory has also contributed to an understanding of how the genes are normally regulated using cell culture and animal models, and worked on developing therapies for these diseases. Her lab has also been interested in the genetics of common diseases in Asian Indians and examined the genetic structure of Asian Indian populations speaking 15 different languages as well as studies on the impact of restricted marital practices within an endogamic Indian population.