Spotlight: Brian Bostick

Brian Bostick dedicates his time to find cure for disease.

The potential to aid in the treatment and eventual cure of a multitude of diseases is why Brian Bostick devotes his research to the development of gene therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy heart disease. “Gene therapy is a very exciting and fast growing field with near limitless potential for treating and curing disease,” Brian says. “Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease in desperate need of better treatments.”

The vast resources at MU are what attracted Brian to this institution.

MU is one of the few institutions in the country to have first-rate life sciences, agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine, medical school, biomedical engineering, and radio pharmaceutical departments. This opens up a lot of options for collaborations and resources for a developing researcher, Brian says.

“I was also impressed by the top-notch scientists in the school of Medicine.” Brian believes Dongsheng Duan has been a great faculty mentor during his research. “Dr. Duan has a very active, dedicated laboratory with many important projects. It is a great place to work and learn,” Brian says.

Brian not only thinks the university is great, but the city as well. He describes Central Missouri to be small-town, but with a friendly feel. “The colleges in Columbia really give the town a multicultural feel with many great restaurants and activities.”

Brian is a dual MD/PhD student in the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology. He plans to complete a residency in Internal Medicine at MU and a post doctoral research fellowship after graduation this coming May.

(Story and photo by Samantha Abbott)