Daniel G. Calame, MD, PhD
- Neurology
Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
Phone:
832-822-1750
Languages: English
Departments:
Office location:
Texas Medical Center
6701 Fannin Street
Suite 1250
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know Daniel G. Calame, MD, PhD
Dr. Calame is a Child Neurologist and Physician-Scientist who specializes in diagnosing and caring for children with rare genetic neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. These include cerebral palsy, hereditary spastic paraplegias, NALCN-related disorders, ATP1A3-related disorders and many others. At Texas Children's Hospital, he leads a neurogenetics clinic where he consults for patients and families from across the country and around the world. His research uses exome, genome, long-read and RNA sequencing to find answers for families whose earlier genetic testing did not provide a diagnosis.
He has helped identify dozens of new genetic disorders and has written more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and multiple book chapters. Dr. Calame is a co-investigator in the NIH-funded Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network and the Genomics Research to Elucidate the Genetics of Rare diseases (GREGoR) Consortium. He also works on bringing personalized antisense oligonucleotide therapies to children with rare diseases. He is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings and serves on the Child Neurology Society Research Committee. In addition to his clinical and research work, he teaches and mentors pediatric neurology and genetics residents and students.
Personal Statement
I believe every child and family deserves an answer. The genes we inherit are the blueprint for how the brain grows and develops. When something goes wrong, finding the cause can change a family's path by ending a long diagnostic odyssey, guiding treatment and connecting them with others facing the same condition. Many of the families I see have already been through years of testing without a diagnosis. I see it as my job to keep looking. I bring together careful clinical evaluation and the latest genomic tools, and I don't stop at a negative test result. I believe care is a partnership. I take time to listen and to explain complex genetic findings in plain language. Together with each family, I build a plan that fits their child and their goals. I also believe research and patient care belong together. The questions my patients raise drive my research, and my goal is to turn those discoveries into real treatments for children with rare diseases.
Outside the clinic, I enjoy mentoring students and trainees and spending time with my family.
Clinical Interests
Neurogenetics, neurodevelopmental disorders, cerebral palsy
Education
| School | Education | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor College of Medicine | Research Fellowship | Neurogenetics | 2021 |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Residency | Child Neurology | 2021 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center @ Houston | Medical School | Doctor of Medicine | 2016 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center @ Houston | PhD | Doctor of Philosophy | 2016 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Bachelors | Bachelor of Science in Chemistry & Biochemistry | 2007 |
Organizations
| Organization Name | Role |
|---|---|
| American Society of Human Genetics | Member |
| Child Neurology Society | Member |
| Child Neurology Society | Member; Research Committee member |
Board Certification
| Title |
|---|
| American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Board Certification in Child Neurology |
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Research interests
Neurogenetics, cerebral palsy, undiagnosed diseases, precision therapeutics, n-of-1 trials
Levine JM*, Calame DG*, Sangermano R, et al. Bi-allelic variants in neuronal adhesion molecule astrotactin 1 gene ASTN1 cause diverse neurodevelopmental disorders. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2026 Feb 5;113(2):362-379. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.12.011. PMID: 41544630. *Co-first authors
Dardas Z*, Harrold L*, Calame DG*, et al. Bi-allelic UGGT1 variants cause a congenital disorder of glycosylation. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2025 May 1;112(5):1139-1157. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.03.018. Epub 2025 Apr 22. PMID: 40267907. *Co-first authors
Calame DG, Wong JH, Panda P, et al. Biallelic variation in the choline and ethanolamine transporter FLVCR1 underlies a severe developmental disorder spectrum. Genetics in Medicine. 2025 Jan;27(1):101273. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2024.101273. Epub 2024 Sep 19. PMID: 39306721
Calame DG, Moreno Vadillo C, Berger S, et al. Cation leak through the ATP1A3 pump causes spasticity and intellectual disability. Brain. 2023 Aug 1;146(8):3162-3171. doi: 10.1093/brain/awad124. PMID: 37043503
Calame DG, Guo T, Wang C, et al. Monoallelic variation in DHX9, the gene encoding the DExH-box helicase DHX9, underlies neurodevelopment disorders and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2023 Aug 3;110(8):1394-1413. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.06.013. Epub 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37467750
Calame DG, Herman I, Maroofian R, et al. Biallelic variants in the ectonucleotidase ENTPD1 cause a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability, distinct white matter abnormalities, and spastic paraplegia. Annals of Neurology. 2022. doi: 10.1002/ana.26381. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PMID: 35471564
Calame DG, Bakhtiari S, Logan R, et al. Biallelic loss-of-function variants in the splicing regulator NSRP1 cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with spastic cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Genetics in Medicine. 2021 Dec;23(12):2455-2460. PMCID: PMC8633036