Member
Robert Grahn
University of California-Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
Davis, CA United States

Term of service (3rd, 2023-2027)

Dr. Grahn received his bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of California, Davis. He completed his doctoral training in biology from the University of Idaho, Moscow, where he studied the molecular systematics of South American rodents using retrotransposable elements. After the completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Grahn returned to UC Davis and spent 14 years investigating inherited genetic diseases and expanding available forensic resources for domestic cats with Dr. Leslie Lyons. In 2013, Dr. Grahn joined the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory in order to expand the portfolio of available genetic tests in domesticated mammalian species. In 2019, he was appointed as the Associate Director of Service and Test Development at the VGL, managing the commercial testing units while continuing to actively participate in research of inherited genetic diseases across domesticated species. Additionally, as either a forensic analyst or technical reviewer, Dr. Grahn has participated in over 200 criminal cases involving domestic animals and was recently appointed as the Associate Director of the VGL Forensics Unit.

Member
Gabriela Rudd Garces
Generatio GmbH
Heidelberg, Germany

Term of service (1st, 2023-2027)

Gabriela Rudd-Garces earned her PhD in 2022, focusing on the molecular genetic characterization of osteo-articular diseases in dogs and cats. Her doctoral studies were conducted at the National University of La Plata (La Plata, Argentina) and the University of Bern, (Bern, Switzerland). Upon completing her PhD, she joined the Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Giessen (Giessen, Germany), as a postdoctoral researcher. During her time there, she specialized in computational biology methods to characterize sequence variants associated with rare diseases and complex traits in livestock. Her work contributed to the discovery of genetic variants responsible for skeletal dysplasia, auditory-pigmentary syndrome, and neurological and eye disorders in several domestic species, enabling the development of commercially available genetic tests. In 2024, Rudd-Garces took on the role of research and development manager at Generatio GmbH (Heidelberg, Germany), a company specializing in genetic diagnostics for domestic animals. There, she built and led a new R&D team and spearheaded the development of innovative genetic diagnostic tests for pets, horses, and camels, including an inbreeding and fitness test to evaluate key genetic-diversity parameters and support breeders in optimizing mating strategies. She is currently an independent researcher focusing on animal health and welfare innovation.

Member
Wesley Warren
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO United States

Term of service (2nd, 2023-2027)

Wesley Warren received his BS in animal sciences from the Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK) in 1984, MS in reproductive physiology from Clemson University (Clemson, SC) in 1987, and PhD in molecular endocrinology from the University of Missouri (Columbia, MO) in 1990. A postdoctoral fellowship was completed at G.D. Searle Pharmaceutical (New York, NY) before joining Monsanto Company (St. Louis, MO) in 1991, where from 1992 to 1999 he held several leadership roles, including group manager of genome initiatives. Prior to joining Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO), he was senior director of operations at Incyte Genomics (Wilmington, DE). Warren joined the McDonnell Genome Institute (St. Louis, MO) in 2001, where he held various appointments as assistant director, associate professor of genetics, a secondary appointment in molecular microbiology, both in the Washington University School of Medicine, and as an affiliate scientist at the St Louis Zoo. He is currently a professor of genomics at the Bond Life Sciences Center (Columbia, MO) and is an internationally recognized expert in comparative genomics. He has received the honor of being published multiple times on the cover of Nature publications featuring the chicken, platypus, orangutan, elephant shark, and Y chromosomes and, most recently, the hummingbird on the cover of Nature. The application of evolutionary medicine practices toward the identification of molecular mechanisms of action for a variety of traits unique to multiple phyla remains a key research focus for Warren. His research group uses various whole-genome comparative and, more recently, single cell-transcriptomic methods to examine changes in gene evolution and regulation as a means to better understand human biology, with a recent focus on comparative oncology. The identification of these species-specific gene aberrations in evolutionary time promises to engender new thoughts on the molecular workings of observed phenotypes such as cancer. Warren also leads campus-wide initiatives to adopt high-throughput sequencing technology. He is the author of four book chapters and more than 180 peer-reviewed articles. Warren is now a Curators Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri.

Member
Anna Letko
University of Bern
Bern, Switzerland

Term of service (1st, 2025–2029)

Anna Letko received her BS in animal husbandry and went on to complete her MS in animal biotechnology at Mendel University (Brno, Czech Republic). In 2021, Letko obtained a PhD in computational biology at the University of Bern (Bern, Switzerland), with a focus on inherited canine neurological diseases as models for corresponding human conditions. For one part of this canine research, she was awarded the Albert–Heim–Stiftung Recognition Prize 2019. Later that year, she received the Yoshi Suzuki Award from ISAG for a study of chromosomal aberrations in pigs. During her postdoctoral research as a member of the Dog Genetics team at the Institute Genetics & Development of Rennes at the University of Rennes (Rennes, France), Letko worked on a molecular genetics and bioinformatics project on the genetic and functional mechanisms of pain and sensory neuropathies in dogs. In 2023, she returned to Switzerland to join the Institute of Genetics and became involved in various projects exploring the underlying genetics of different hereditary traits and disorders in many domestic animal species. Letko works with large genomic data, using her skills and expertise in computational biology, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, data analysis, and several programming languages.

Member
Nuket Bilgen
GeneControl GmbH
Poing, Germany

Term of service (2nd, 2025–2029)

Nüket Bilgen graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ankara University (Ankara, Turkey) and earned her PhD in animal genetics from the Institute of Health Sciences at the same university. During her doctoral studies, she took part in numerous research projects, contributed to ISAG committee activities, and gained international experience as a visiting scholar at the Royal Veterinary College (London, UK). Appointed as a faculty member at Ankara University in 2018, Bilgen has since led pioneering projects investigating the genetic basis of hereditary anomalies in cats and dogs. She continues to contribute actively to the Cat and Dog Genome Consortiums through interdisciplinary collaborations. She currently serves as the General Manager of GeneControl GmbH (Poing, Germany), where she integrates her academic expertise with innovative applications in animal genetics.