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Werner Syndrome (WS) was first described by a German physician, Otto Werner, in 1904. WS has been described as "adult onset progeria", as a "caricature of aging", and as a "segmental progeroid syndrome". Affected individuals have inherited two copies of a mutation in a gene that unwinds double stands DNA. The US affected gene, WRN, was cloned by an international group of collaborating researchers, many from the University of Washington. Following this milestone discovery, progress has been made towards the understanding of the gene and the effect of its mutations, but much more needs to be learned.

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This web site was primarily designed as a resource for clinicians and basic scientists interested in Werner syndrome medicine and biology. The UW WRN Research Web Site is curated by George M. Martin M.D., Ray Monnat M.D., Mike Moser Ph.D., and Junko Oshima M.D., Ph.D. Please read the disclaimer. Copyright © 2000 University of Washington Department of Pathology Webmasters: Kevin Fung & Chi-Ju Chen