Murat Günel, MD, FACS, FAHA, FAANS
Sterling Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Genetics and of NeuroscienceCards
Additional Titles
Chair, Neurosurgery
Member, National Academy of Medicine
Co-Director, Yale Program on Neurogenetics
Physician-in-Chief, Neurosurgery, Yale New Haven Health System, YNHH
Publications Overview
- 183 Publications
- 19,695 Citations
- 122 Yale Co-Authors
Administrative Support
Additional Titles
Chair, Neurosurgery
Member, National Academy of Medicine
Co-Director, Yale Program on Neurogenetics
Physician-in-Chief, Neurosurgery, Yale New Haven Health System, YNHH
Publications Overview
- 183 Publications
- 19,695 Citations
- 122 Yale Co-Authors
Administrative Support
Additional Titles
Chair, Neurosurgery
Member, National Academy of Medicine
Co-Director, Yale Program on Neurogenetics
Physician-in-Chief, Neurosurgery, Yale New Haven Health System, YNHH
Publications Overview
- 183 Publications
- 19,695 Citations
- 122 Yale Co-Authors
Administrative Support
About
Titles
Sterling Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Genetics and of Neuroscience
Chair, Neurosurgery; Member, National Academy of Medicine; Co-Director, Yale Program on Neurogenetics
Positions outside Yale
Physician-in-Chief, Neurosurgery, Yale New Haven Health System, YNHH
Biography
Dr. Murat Günel, the Sterling Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurobiology and Genetics, was appointed Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and Chief of Neurosurgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2014. He is the director of the Yale Program in Brain Tumor Research and co-director of the Yale Program on Neurogenetics. Dr. Günel obtained his medical degree at Istanbul University and completed both his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His clinical expertise is in treating complex brain aneurysms and vascular malformations, as well as brain tumors.
Dr. Günel’s research interest focuses on gene discovery in diseases of the human brain, including its development, vascular disease and tumors. Among these, the Günel lab has expertise in the application of next generation genomic technologies to study the genetic and epigenetic causes of brain and central nervous system tumors, focusing on meningiomas with various histological and pathological grades. Günel lab integrates multilevel approaches including whole exome and whole genome sequencing, molecular inversion probe sequencing (MIPS), whole genome genotyping, array based gene expression, RNA sequencing, whole genome methylation and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), followed by downstream biological studies to comprehensively analyze these tumors. The long-term goal of this approach is to define the molecular make-up of these tumors, which will then guide the development of novel therapies, including oncolytic viruses.
In 2015, Dr. Günel was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the highest distinction in medical sciences. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), both who collectively honored him in 2022 as the fourth recipient of the prestigious Ralph G. Dacey Medal for Outstanding Cerebrovascular Research. In 2021, he received the WINN award, given by the Society of Neurological Surgeons to recognize outstanding, continuous commitment to research in the neurosciences by a neurological surgeon. Dr. Günel previously served as chair of the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section in 2011 and has been elected to the Society of Neurological Surgeons and Academy of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Günel has been recognized by the Turkish Academy of Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in Health and Life Sciences and by Kadir Has University for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Neurosciences.
Appointments
Neurosurgery
ChairDualNeurosurgery
ProfessorPrimaryGenetics
ProfessorSecondaryNeuroscience
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Brain Tumor Center
- Brain Tumor Research
- Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics
- Dean's Workshops
- Gamma Knife Center
- Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
- Genetics
- Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenetics
- Gunel Lab
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Development
- Neural Disorders
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience Track
- Neurosurgery
- Neurovascular Surgery
- Stroke Center
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Chief Resident
- Yale-New Haven Hospital (1998)
- Resident
- Yale-New Haven Hospital (1997)
- Intern
- Yale-New Haven Hospital (1992)
- MD
- Istanbul University (1991)
Research
Overview
- Molecular Genetics of Intracranial Aneurysms
- Molecular Genetics and Biology of Cavernous Malformations
- Cerebral Malformations in Developmental Structural Brain Disorders
Medical Research Interests
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Kaya Bilguvar, MD, PhD
Katsuhito Yasuno, PhD
Ketu Mishra-Gorur, MSc, MS, PhD
Zeynep Erson Omay, PhD
Angeliki Louvi, PhD
Adife Gulhan Ercan-Sencicek, MSc, MS, PhD
Brain
Hemangioma, Cavernous, Central Nervous System
Molecular Biology
Publications
Featured Publications
A Founder Mutation as a Cause of Cerebral Cavernous Malformation in Hispanic Americans
Günel M, Awad I, Finberg K, Anson J, Steinberg G, Batjer H, Kopitnik T, Morrison L, Giannotta S, Nelson-Williams C, Lifton R. A Founder Mutation as a Cause of Cerebral Cavernous Malformation in Hispanic Americans. New England Journal Of Medicine 1996, 334: 946-951. PMID: 8596595, DOI: 10.1056/nejm199604113341503.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCavernous malformationsCerebral cavernous malformationsSporadic casesFamilial diseaseSame mutationSporadic cavernous malformationsDevelopment of symptomsHispanic AmericansCerebral hemorrhageVascular diseaseAsymptomatic carriersHigh prevalenceClinical casesMalformationsDiseaseFounder mutationPatientsAge dependenceAffected membersKindredsMarkersMexican descentEthnic groupsMutationsSame alleleSusceptibility loci for intracranial aneurysm in European and Japanese populations
Bilguvar K, Yasuno K, Niemelä M, Ruigrok YM, von und zu Fraunberg M, van Duijn CM, van den Berg LH, Mane S, Mason CE, Choi M, Gaál E, Bayri Y, Kolb L, Arlier Z, Ravuri S, Ronkainen A, Tajima A, Laakso A, Hata A, Kasuya H, Koivisto T, Rinne J, Öhman J, Breteler MM, Wijmenga C, State MW, Rinkel GJ, Hernesniemi J, Jääskeläinen JE, Palotie A, Inoue I, Lifton RP, Günel M. Susceptibility loci for intracranial aneurysm in European and Japanese populations. Nature Genetics 2008, 40: 1472-1477. PMID: 18997786, PMCID: PMC2682433, DOI: 10.1038/ng.240.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsApoptotic Functions of PDCD10/CCM3, the Gene Mutated in Cerebral Cavernous Malformation 3
Chen L, Tanriover G, Yano H, Friedlander R, Louvi A, Gunel M. Apoptotic Functions of PDCD10/CCM3, the Gene Mutated in Cerebral Cavernous Malformation 3. Stroke 2009, 40: 1474-1481. PMID: 19246713, PMCID: PMC2709460, DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.108.527135.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsApoptosisApoptosis Regulatory ProteinsCaspase 3Central Nervous System NeoplasmsCulture Media, Serum-FreeEndothelial CellsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHeLa CellsHemangioma, Cavernous, Central Nervous SystemHumansIn Situ Nick-End LabelingMembrane ProteinsMutationP38 Mitogen-Activated Protein KinasesProto-Oncogene ProteinsRNA, Small InterferingTransfectionUmbilical VeinsThe quest to unravel the complex genomics of intracranial aneurysms
Barak T, Günel M. The quest to unravel the complex genomics of intracranial aneurysms. Nature Cardiovascular Research 2022, 1: 281-282. PMID: 39196131, DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00051-7.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersAltmetricGenome-wide association study of intracranial aneurysm identifies three new risk loci
Yasuno K, Bilguvar K, Bijlenga P, Low SK, Krischek B, Auburger G, Simon M, Krex D, Arlier Z, Nayak N, Ruigrok YM, Niemelä M, Tajima A, von und zu Fraunberg M, Dóczi T, Wirjatijasa F, Hata A, Blasco J, Oszvald A, Kasuya H, Zilani G, Schoch B, Singh P, Stüer C, Risselada R, Beck J, Sola T, Ricciardi F, Aromaa A, Illig T, Schreiber S, van Duijn CM, van den Berg LH, Perret C, Proust C, Roder C, Ozturk AK, Gaál E, Berg D, Geisen C, Friedrich CM, Summers P, Frangi AF, State MW, Wichmann HE, Breteler MM, Wijmenga C, Mane S, Peltonen L, Elio V, Sturkenboom MC, Lawford P, Byrne J, Macho J, Sandalcioglu EI, Meyer B, Raabe A, Steinmetz H, Rüfenacht D, Jääskeläinen JE, Hernesniemi J, Rinkel GJ, Zembutsu H, Inoue I, Palotie A, Cambien F, Nakamura Y, Lifton RP, Günel M. Genome-wide association study of intracranial aneurysm identifies three new risk loci. Nature Genetics 2010, 42: 420-425. PMID: 20364137, PMCID: PMC2861730, DOI: 10.1038/ng.563.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsWhole-exome sequencing identifies recessive WDR62 mutations in severe brain malformations
Bilgüvar K, Öztürk A, Louvi A, Kwan KY, Choi M, Tatlı B, Yalnızoğlu D, Tüysüz B, Çağlayan A, Gökben S, Kaymakçalan H, Barak T, Bakırcıoğlu M, Yasuno K, Ho W, Sanders S, Zhu Y, Yılmaz S, Dinçer A, Johnson MH, Bronen RA, Koçer N, Per H, Mane S, Pamir MN, Yalçınkaya C, Kumandaş S, Topçu M, Özmen M, Šestan N, Lifton RP, State MW, Günel M. Whole-exome sequencing identifies recessive WDR62 mutations in severe brain malformations. Nature 2010, 467: 207-210. PMID: 20729831, PMCID: PMC3129007, DOI: 10.1038/nature09327.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAbnormal cortical developmentWD repeat domain 62 (WDR62) geneSevere brain malformationsWhole-exome sequencingBrain abnormalitiesBrain malformationsCortical developmentMolecular pathogenesisCerebellar hypoplasiaWDR62 mutationsEmbryonic neurogenesisDiagnostic classificationMicrocephaly genesSmall family sizeGenetic heterogeneityWide spectrumRecessive mutationsPachygyriaPathogenesisHypoplasiaNeocortexNeurogenesisAbnormalitiesMalformationsMutationsCommon variant near the endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) gene is associated with intracranial aneurysm risk
Yasuno K, Bakırcıoğlu M, Low SK, Bilgüvar K, Gaál E, Ruigrok YM, Niemelä M, Hata A, Bijlenga P, Kasuya H, Jääskeläinen JE, Krex D, Auburger G, Simon M, Krischek B, Ozturk AK, Mane S, Rinkel GJ, Steinmetz H, Hernesniemi J, Schaller K, Zembutsu H, Inoue I, Palotie A, Cambien F, Nakamura Y, Lifton RP, Günel M. Common variant near the endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) gene is associated with intracranial aneurysm risk. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2011, 108: 19707-19712. PMID: 22106312, PMCID: PMC3241810, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1117137108.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGenome-wide association studiesDiscovery cohortDisease-related lociReplication cohortSignificant associationEndothelin receptor type AGenomic regionsChromosome 12q22Genetic evidenceIndependent Japanese cohortsIntracranial aneurysm formationRisk lociA geneEvidence of associationAssociation studiesEndothelin pathwayAneurysm formationEndothelin signalingCardiovascular disordersJapanese cohortLociCohortCommon variantsGenetic factorsTreatment of IADe novo mutations revealed by whole-exome sequencing are strongly associated with autism
Sanders SJ, Murtha MT, Gupta AR, Murdoch JD, Raubeson MJ, Willsey AJ, Ercan-Sencicek AG, DiLullo NM, Parikshak NN, Stein JL, Walker MF, Ober GT, Teran NA, Song Y, El-Fishawy P, Murtha RC, Choi M, Overton JD, Bjornson RD, Carriero NJ, Meyer KA, Bilguvar K, Mane SM, Šestan N, Lifton RP, Günel M, Roeder K, Geschwind DH, Devlin B, State MW. De novo mutations revealed by whole-exome sequencing are strongly associated with autism. Nature 2012, 485: 237-241. PMID: 22495306, PMCID: PMC3667984, DOI: 10.1038/nature10945.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricGenomic Analysis of Non-NF2 Meningiomas Reveals Mutations in TRAF7, KLF4, AKT1, and SMO
Clark VE, Erson-Omay EZ, Serin A, Yin J, Cotney J, Özduman K, Avşar T, Li J, Murray PB, Henegariu O, Yilmaz S, Günel JM, Carrión-Grant G, Yılmaz B, Grady C, Tanrıkulu B, Bakırcıoğlu M, Kaymakçalan H, Caglayan AO, Sencar L, Ceyhun E, Atik AF, Bayri Y, Bai H, Kolb LE, Hebert RM, Omay SB, Mishra-Gorur K, Choi M, Overton JD, Holland EC, Mane S, State MW, Bilgüvar K, Baehring JM, Gutin PH, Piepmeier JM, Vortmeyer A, Brennan CW, Pamir MN, Kılıç T, Lifton RP, Noonan JP, Yasuno K, Günel M. Genomic Analysis of Non-NF2 Meningiomas Reveals Mutations in TRAF7, KLF4, AKT1, and SMO. Science 2013, 339: 1077-1080. PMID: 23348505, PMCID: PMC4808587, DOI: 10.1126/science.1233009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBrain NeoplasmsChromosomes, Human, Pair 22DNA Mutational AnalysisFemaleGenes, Neurofibromatosis 2Genomic InstabilityGenomicsHumansKruppel-Like Factor 4Kruppel-Like Transcription FactorsMaleMeningeal NeoplasmsMeningiomaMiddle AgedMutationNeoplasm GradingProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktReceptors, G-Protein-CoupledSmoothened ReceptorTumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Peptides and ProteinsRecessive loss of function of the neuronal ubiquitin hydrolase UCHL1 leads to early-onset progressive neurodegeneration
Bilguvar K, Tyagi NK, Ozkara C, Tuysuz B, Bakircioglu M, Choi M, Delil S, Caglayan AO, Baranoski JF, Erturk O, Yalcinkaya C, Karacorlu M, Dincer A, Johnson MH, Mane S, Chandra SS, Louvi A, Boggon TJ, Lifton RP, Horwich AL, Gunel M. Recessive loss of function of the neuronal ubiquitin hydrolase UCHL1 leads to early-onset progressive neurodegeneration. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2013, 110: 3489-3494. PMID: 23359680, PMCID: PMC3587195, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1222732110.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAdultAge of OnsetAmino Acid SequenceBase SequenceChild, PreschoolExomeFemaleGenes, RecessiveHomozygoteHumansHydrolysisMaleModels, MolecularMolecular Sequence DataMutation, MissenseNerve DegenerationNeuronsPedigreeProtein BindingSequence Analysis, DNASubstrate SpecificitySyndromeThermodynamicsUbiquitinUbiquitin ThiolesteraseConceptsUbiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1Upper motor neuron dysfunctionMotor neuron dysfunctionProgressive neurodegenerative syndromeEarly-onset progressive neurodegenerationChildhood-onset blindnessWhole-exome sequencingNeuron dysfunctionHomozygous missense mutationIndex caseNervous systemProgressive neurodegenerationNeurodegenerative syndromeCerebellar ataxiaHydrolase activityNear complete lossComplete lossAffected individualsConsanguineous unionsMissense mutationsRecessive lossHomozygosity mappingProper positioningReduced affinitySpasticity
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor Ralph G. Dacey Medal for Outstanding Cerebrovascular Research
National AwardAmerican Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological SurgeonsDetails09/12/2022United Stateshonor Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree
International AwardBahcesehir University, TurkeyDetails09/27/2010United Stateshonor Honorary Master of Arts Privatim Degree
Yale University AwardYale UniversityDetails01/01/2010United Stateshonor Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award
International AwardMinister of Health, TurkeyDetails01/01/2010United Stateshonor Nixdorff-German Professor
Yale School of Medicine AwardYale UniversityDetails12/04/2009United States
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News
- August 09, 2024
Rebecca Starble and Danielle Miyagishima win 2024 Carolyn Slayman Prize in Genetics for exceptional research and service
- February 07, 2023
Daniela Renedo, MD Wins American Heart Association Stroke Basic Science Award
- December 21, 2021Source: BioWorld
Discovery of a familial intracranial aneurysm gene
- December 09, 2021Source: YaleNews
Yale Researchers Find Early Developmental Gene Can Cause Deadly Aneurysms
Related Links
- Dr. Murat Gunel Is Appointed the Nixdorff-German Professor
- Gene Scan Finds Link across Array of Childhood Brain Disorders-NINDS
- Mapping the Genetic Landscape of Brain Tumors
- Massive Yale-Led Genome Analysis Reveals New Genetic Risks for Aneurysms
- Nixdorff-German Professor is neurosurgeon and geneticist
- Yale Researchers Unravel Mystery of Brain Aneurysms
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PO Box 208082
New Haven, CT 06520-8082
United States
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