Dr. Naviaux is a Professor of Genetics in the departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pathology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He is the founder and codirector of the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center (MMDC) at UCSD, and the co-founder and former President of the Mitochondrial Medicine Society (MMS). He is a founding associate editor of the journal Mitochondrion. Dr. Naviaux is the discoverer of the first POLG1 mutations that cause Alpers syndrome—the oldest Mendelian form of mitochondrial disease. He directed the first FDA-approved clinical trial to study the safety and efficacy of the antipurinergic drug suramin as a new treatment for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Naviaux’s lab characterized the metabolic features of the cell danger response (CDR). He coined the word salugenesis to create new scientific focus on the choreographed sequence of molecular and cellular steps needed to heal after any stress or injury. Information about Naviaux Lab research can be found on the web at: https://naviauxlab.ucsd.edu.