Dr. Bryan Traynor, M.D., Ph.D., is a neurologist and senior investigator at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Bethesda, Maryland, whose career has focused on understanding the genetic causes of devastating neurodegenerative diseases. His research has helped transform scientists’ understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), while his more recent work is exploring ways that genetic and molecular discoveries can lead to better diagnosis and future treatments.
Traynor earned his medical and doctoral degrees from University College Dublin before pursuing additional graduate training in medical science at Harvard University and MIT. He completed neurological and neuromuscular training in both Ireland and Boston, including at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He joined the NIH in 2005 and has since built an extensive research program centered on ALS, FTD and related disorders.
One of the defining accomplishments of Traynor’s career came in 2011, when his research team, working with an international consortium, identified an expansion in the C9ORF72 gene as a major genetic cause of ALS and FTD. The discovery helped establish an important biological connection between the two neurological disorders and opened new avenues for understanding how neurodegeneration develops.
His laboratory has continued investigating the genetic architecture of ALS. Researchers working with Traynor have identified additional disease-associated genes and studied the biological processes involved in motor-neuron degeneration, including RNA biology, protein regulation, axonal transport and lipid metabolism. His work has also expanded into biomarker research, an area that could eventually help physicians identify and monitor disease more effectively.
A particularly notable recent development came in 2026, when Traynor received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, together with Mayo Clinic researcher Rosa Rademakers, for their discovery of the C9ORF72 repeat expansion. The prize recognizes transformative advances in life-sciences research and is one of the major international honors in biomedical science.
Traynor’s research is also moving toward the development of biomarkers. A 2025 Nature Medicine study from his laboratory identified a blood-based protein signature that could distinguish ALS from controls and other neurological conditions with high accuracy. The findings suggested that molecular changes associated with ALS may be detectable before obvious symptoms appear, potentially creating opportunities for earlier diagnosis and future clinical trials.
With more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and additional work involving gene discovery, biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets, Dr. Traynor continues to combine clinical neurology with advanced genetics. His career demonstrates how understanding the underlying biology of disease can provide a foundation for new diagnostic approaches and, eventually, new treatments for patients facing some of the most challenging neurological conditions.
