Nicholas Muzyczka, Ph.D., a UF College of Medicine professor emeritus and eminent scholar
in the department of molecular genetics and microbiology, died peacefully on Jan. 6 in his Cocoa, Florida, home.

Muzyczka and his team studied the biology of adeno-associated virus, or AAV, replication, leading to the development of AAV as the dominant viral vector for gene therapy applications worldwide. He is listed as an inventor on seven patents related to the use of AAV as a gene therapy vector.

He also founded UF’s Powell Gene Therapy Center, serving as its director for six years, as well as Applied Genetic Technologies Corp., a Florida-based company that commercializes gene therapy applications, and Lacerta Therapeutics, whose mission is to develop therapies for central nervous system and lysosomal storage diseases. Muzyczka was also awarded the American Cancer Society Edward R. Koger chair.

Learn more about Muzyczka’s life and legacy.

This story originally ran in the Spring 2023 issue of the Doctor Gator newsletter.