Carl Thummel, PhD

Professor, Department of Human Genetics

Carl Thummel, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah and a member of the Nuclear Control of Cell Growth and Differentiation Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Thummel studies the role of small hormones, including steroids, retinoids, and thyroid hormones, in development and physiology of cells using the fruit fly as a model. These hormones convey signals to cells through receptors, much like a lock and key, and in turn can reprogram the messages within a cell to change. The pathways that these hormones affect are often altered in cancer cells; there is some evidence of their utility in cancer treatments.

Thummel received a bachelor's degree from Colgate University, New York, and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.