Leading neuroscientist and AI geneticist Anders Dale, Ph.D. named president of J. Craig Venter Institute and joins Board

Through two multimillion-dollar NIH grants, Dr. Dale will continue leading key centers for the largest long-term studies of brain development and child health

LA JOLLA, CA, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) today announced the appointment of renowned neuroscientist and AI geneticist Anders M. Dale, Ph.D., as its new president and member of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Dale will report to JCVI Founder, CEO and Board Chair J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. and brings with him a team of 22 scientists and software engineers to manage key centers for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, the largest long-term studies of brain development and child health in the United States, supported by multi-million dollar NIH grants.

Dr. Venter remarked, “We are thrilled to welcome Anders as JCVI’s new president and board member. For more than thirty years, he has assembled an impressive resume of scientific leadership and scholarship, having authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications with more than 200,000 citations. Anders and I have worked together for more than a decade as his extensive experience in neurosciences and radiology, combined with pioneering work in multimodal imaging, genomics, and data analysis was key to my efforts in developing a clinic to combine phenotype and genotype data to improve health outcomes. Anders and his team are part of an ongoing effort to recruit new faculty and expand new programs at JCVI.”

Upon his appointment, Dr. Dale added, “I am honored to join JCVI as faculty and president and excited to collaborate with J. Craig Venter and his team in advancing the next generation of tools that integrate genomics and biomedical imaging through cutting-edge data science methods. I also look forward to maintaining my strong collaboration with UC San Diego and other leading institutions across the U.S. and globally.”

Since 2015, Dr. Dale has led the Data Analysis, Informatics, and Resource Center (DAIRC) for the ABCD Study, funded by 10 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) and led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The ABCD Study is a large-scale, longitudinal research project that aims to understand the development of the adolescent brain. The cohort includes over 11,800 children enrolled at ages 9 and 10, tracking their biological and behavioral development through adolescence. The study uses a variety of methods, including brain imaging, cognitive tests, and biospecimen collection, to gather comprehensive data.

Funded through the NIH HEAL initiative with contributions from 11 NIH ICOs, also led by NIDA, the HBCD Study is a large-scale, long-term research initiative launched in 2021. HBCD will follow a large cohort of pregnant women and their offspring through childhood, collecting data using brain imaging, medical history, and assessments of cognitive social and emotional development. The goal is to identify critical developmental windows, and risk and resilience factors, that influence neurodevelopmental outcomes, ultimately informing prevention and early intervention strategies to promote optimal health. Dr. Dale leads the Data Coordinating Center (HDCC) for the HBCD Study.

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Prior to joining JCVI, Dr. Dale held a position as professor of neurosciences, radiology, psychiatry, cognitive science, and data science at the University of California San Diego. His research program is focused on the development and application of advanced techniques for acquisition and analysis of multimodal structural and functional medical imaging data (which combines different imaging techniques to capture both physical structure and functional processes (like blood flow and metabolism in the brain).

Dr. Dale and his research teams have developed several transformative methods across various fields, including automated AI methods for identifying brain regions from MRI scans, resulting in the widely adopted FreeSurfer software, improved early cancer detection and characterization in multiple organs through Restriction Spectrum Imaging (RSI), integration of electrophysiology and MRI for dynamic mapping of brain activity, and integration of genetics with imaging and other health information for improved early detection and prediction of disease outcomes.

They have also established standards for image acquisition and analysis, enabling the use of quantitative image biomarkers to enhance interpretation accuracy in large research studies. Additionally, their work has led to the integration of quantitative imaging with genomics, molecular lab tests, behavioral measures, sensor data, and electronic health records for clinical diagnosis and prognosis.

These technologies have been fundamental to the success of several large NIH-funded studies, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the Pediatric Imaging Neurocognition and Genetics (PING) Study, the ABCD Study, and the HBCD Study.

In addition to his role at UC San Diego, Dr. Dale has founded and led several AI-focused biotech startups. They include Cortechs.ai, Precision-Health.ai, and Precision-Pro.ai. Founded in 1996, Cortechs.ai has pioneered the use of AI methods in radiology with products that automate various aspects of brain and cancer imaging, providing quantitative measures and facilitating cancer detection. Precision-Health.ai specializes in integrating information from different sources, including imaging, genetics, molecular biomarkers, sensors, and electronic health records. Precision-Pro.ai focuses on developing proprietary AI image analysis methods for image-guided radiation therapy planning, biopsy, and focal therapy, with key applications in prostate, breast, and cervical cancers.

Dr. Dale has received numerous honors, including the Olav Thon Foundation Prize for Natural Sciences and Medicine, is a member of several boards and prestigious academic societies, and was recognized as one of the top ten most influential brain scientists of the modern era by Science magazine in 2016.

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Funding for the ABCD-USA Consortium: Data Analysis, Informatics, and Resource Center (DAIRC) is through NIH award U24DA041123. Funding for the Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium Data Coordinating Center (HDCC) is through NIH award U24DA055330.

About J. Craig Venter Institute

The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is a not-for-profit research institute in Rockville, Maryland and La Jolla, California dedicated to the advancement of the science of genomics; the understanding of its implications for society; and communication of those results to the scientific community, the public, and policymakers. Founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., JCVI is home to approximately 120 scientists and staff with expertise in human and evolutionary biology, genetics, bioinformatics/informatics, information technology, high-throughput DNA sequencing, genomic and environmental policy research, and public education in science and science policy. JCVI is a 501(c)(3) organization. For additional information, please visit www.jcvi.org.

Matthew LaPointe
J. Craig Venter Institute
+1 301-795-7918
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