Laura M. Pollard, PhD

Assistant Director – Biochemical Genetics Laboratory

Dr. Pollard came to the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) as a clinical laboratory fellow in 2007. She has completed fellowships in both clinical biochemical genetics and clinical molecular genetics and is currently certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics in clinical biochemical genetics. She was named assistant director of the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at the Greenwood Genetic Center in January of 2011.

Dr. Pollard is a member of the American College of Medical Genetics, American Society of Human Genetics and the Society of Inherited Metabolic Disease.

The Biochemical Genetics Laboratory offers a broad spectrum of clinical testing and serves as a follow-up laboratory for the state newborn screening program. In addition to the detection and/or quantification of many analytes such as amino acids, organic acids, acylcarnitines, mucopolysaccharides/oligosaccharides, creatine, etc., the laboratory also offers diagnostic enzyme testing for a large number of conditions, with a focus on lysosomal storage disorders.

Selected Publications

• Sowell J, Pollard L, Wood T. Quantification of branched-chain amino acids in blood spots and plasma by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the diagnosis of maple syrup urine disease. J Sep Sci. 2011 Mar;34(6):631-9.

• Pollard LM, Williams NR, Espinoza L, Wood TC, Spector EB, Schroer RJ, Holden KR. Diagnosis, treatment and long-term outcomes of late-onset (type III) multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. J Child Neurol. 2010 Aug;25(8):954-960.

• Bourn RL, Rindler PM, Pollard LM, Bidichandani SI. E. coli mismatch repair acts downstream of replication fork stalling to stabilize the expanded (GAA-TTC)n sequence. Mutat Res. 2009 Feb 10;661(1-2):71-7.

• Pollard LM, Bourn RL, Bidichandani SI. Repair of DNA double-strand breaks within the (GAA-TTC)n sequence results in frequent deletion of the triplet-repeat sequence. Nucleic Acids Res. 2008 Feb;36(2):489-500.

• Pollard LM, Chutake YK, Rindler PM, Bidichandani SI. Deficiency of RecA-dependent RecFOR ad RecBCD pathways causes increased instability of the (GAA-TTC)n sequence when GAA is the lagging strand template. Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35(20):6884-94.

• Rindler PM, Clark RM, Pollard LM, De Biase I, Bidichandani SI. Replication in mammalian cells recapitulates the locus-specific differences in somatic instability of genomic GAA triplet-repeats. Nucleic Acids Res. 2006;34(21):6352-61.

• Pollard LM, Sharma R, Gómez M, Shah S, Delatycki MB, Pianese L, Monticelli A, Keats BJ, Bidichandani SI. Replication-mediated instability of the GAA triplet repeat mutation in Friedreich ataxia. Nucleic Acids Res. 2004 Nov 8;32(19):5962-71.