Franklin Grosveld has conducted significant studies of the structure and expression of human globin genes, particularly during development and in the thalassaemias. He has identified promoter and enhancer sequences required for developmental and tissue-specific expression of the beta globin gene, and he has discovered a novel region at great distance from the promoter, which allows integration-position-independent and high-level expression of the gene in transgenic animals. He has, in addition, contributed significantly to studies of the genes for major histocompatibility antigens, for neurofilaments, for collagen and for Thy-1 (CD90).