He performed his post-doctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the lab of Raymond White, where he created the first full length genetic linkage map of the human X chromosome.
[2] After completing his post-doctoral training, Drayna joined the scientific staff of Genentech in 1985, where, most notably, he cloned and sequenced cholesteryl ester transfer protein[3] among other contributions.
In 1992, Drayna left Genentech to co-found Mercator Genetics, a bio-technology company focused on commercializing human genomic discoveries.
[5][6] After Mercator Genetics was acquired by Progenitor in 1997, Drayna joined the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health.
Since moving to the NIH, his research has focused across broad areas of human genetics, including pitch,[7] taste, and stuttering.