William D. Hill, Ph.D.
whill@mcg.edu

RESEARCH GOALS:

Our overall goal is to understand pathogenic and reparative processes associated with neurologic disorders. We have two overarching research projects. The first and primary is related to Stroke and the second to regulation of stem cell populations in the bone marrow. We are part of a productive, growing, and collaborative multi-disciplined stroke research group. We are investigating the use of adult stem cells in repairing CNS ischemic injury. This includes determining if bone marrow derived "stem" cells can be used to make new neurons, as well as contribute to rapid repair and generation of new blood vessels in injured brain areas. In conjunction with this we are exploring the mechanisms of mobilizing stem cells from the bone marrow and homing them to areas of injury.

Additionally, we are looking at ways to limit the initial stroke injuries focusing on controlling the early inflammatory response at the level of the blood vessel. We are part of the Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy program at MCG. This is a major new area of Institutional focus. Due to our interest in bone marrow stem cells we are also part of the interdisciplinary “Bone” group at MCG.

We are looking at factors that regulate bone marrow stem cell populations with age that might be of use in enhancing repairative stem cell based responses that affect osteoporosis and fracture repair, as well as stroke.  Indeed, factors that are important in generating and mediating stem cells in stroke injury repair should also be important in other injuries and even in aging in general.  

APPROACHES: We use numerous techniques ranging from molecular labeling to in vivo animal experiments. These include immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, FISH, ELISA, various spectrophotometeric biochemical assays, western blotting, tissue culture, use of transgenic mice, bone marrow transplantation, animal surgery, MRI brain imaging, in vivo 2-photon brain imaging, motor and cognitive testing of rodents. 

Additionally, we make use of basic molecular biological approaches, qRT-PCR, miRNA, as well as various protein-protein interaction technologies. We also maintain a human and primate brain tissue bank. We adopt whatever approaches are best suited to answer our questions. 

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

1974-1979     BA           Wake Forest University, Winston–Salem, NC

1980-1982     MS           Bowman Gray School of Medicine – Wake Forest University

1982-1988     Ph.D.       Bowman Gray School of Medicine – Wake Forest University

POST-DOCTORAL TRAINING:

1988-1992               Individual National Research Service Award (NIH/NIA AG05465) Fellowship. Laboratory of John Q. Trojanowski & Virginia M.-Y. Lee, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Research Experience:

1992-1999           Assistant Professor, Dept. of Cell. Biol. and Anat., Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA.

1999-Present      Associate Professor, Dept. of Cell. Biol. and Anat., MCG.

2001-Present      5/8th appointment Research Physiologist, Department of Veteran's Affairs, Charlie Norwood Medical Center, Augusta GA.

2003-Present      Associate Professor, Dept. of Neurology, MCG.

2005-Present      Associate Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Regenerative Medicine, MCG.

2008-Present    Associate Professor, Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute, MCG.

AWARDS & HONORS:

2008        Medical College of Georgia General Faculty Assembly Award for “Outstanding Service”, 2008.

2006        Augusta VAMC Department of Veterans Affairs Southeast Network (VISN) 7 Henry M. Middelton Research Excellence Award, 2006.

2005        Medical College of Georgia General Faculty Assembly Award for “Outstanding Service and Leadership”, 2005.

1999        Certificate of Recognition, from the National Alzheimer's Association for service.

1998        Distinguished Teaching Award - Medical College of Georgia, School of Graduate Studies.

CURRENT FUNDING:

VA Merit Award (4-1-08 to 3-31-12) “Enhancement of marrow stromal cell's role in repair of stroke injury” Annual Direct Costs $280,914.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS: * corresponding author(s)

1. Zhang, W., M. Hamrick, W.D. Hill, J. Borke, K. Wenger, N. Chutkan, J. Yu, Q.-S. Mi, C.M. Isales, X.-M. Shi*. Age-Related Changes in the Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Mouse Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Mar 4, 2008.

2. Walker. A.L., J.Zheng, L. Xu, J. Miller, A. Martin-Studdard, Z. Wang, S.C.Peiper, J.L Waller, J.E. Carroll, D.C. Hess, W.D. Hill*. Stromal cell derived factor-1 and its antagonist, FC 122, increase bone-marrow-derived cell migration to the ischemic penumbra in a mouse model of stroke. (Submitted 2008).

3.  Ding K.H., Shi X.M., Zhong Q., Kang B., Xie D., Bollag W.B., Bollag R.J., Hill W., Washington W., Mi Q.S., Insogna K, Chutkan N, Hamrick M, Isales CM*. Impact of Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Peptide on Age-Induced Bone Loss. J Bone Miner Res. Dec 11, 2007

4. Wu Y.D., C.H. Chien, Y.J. Chao, W.D. Hill, J. Yu, and X. Li. Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) Treatment Alters Femoral Biomechanical Properties in C57BL/6 Mice. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. Feb. 6, 2008.

5. Perry R.T., D.A. Gearhart, H.W. Wiener, L.E. Harrell, J.C. Barton, A. Kutlar, F. Kutlar, O. Ozcan, R.C.P. Go*, W.D. Hill*. Hemoglobin binding to Ab and HBG2 SNP association suggest a role in Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiology of Aging, 29:185-193, 2008.

6. Fagan S.C., Kozak A., Hill W.D., Pollock D.M., Xu L., Johnson M.H., Ergul A., Hess D.C.: Hypertension after cerebral ischemia: candesartan provides neurovascular protection. J Hypertens, 24:535-539, 2006.

7. Miller J., J. Bartley, H.C. Wimborne, A. Walker, D.C. Hess, W.D. Hill*, J.E. Carroll*. The Neuroblast And Angioblast Chemotaxtic Factor SDF-1 (CXCL12) Expression Is Briefly Upregulated By Reactive Astrocytes In Brain Following Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury. BMC Neuroscience, 6:63, (October 31) 2005. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/6/63

8. Wang, J, Q. Wei, C.-Y. Wang, W.D. Hill , D.C. Hess , Z. Dong*. Minocycline up-regulates Bcl-2 and protects against cell death in the mitochondria, J. Biol. Chem., 279(19):19948-19954, 2004.

9. Hill, W. D. *, D.C. Hess. A. Martin-Studdard, J. Carothers, J Zheng,  D. Hale, M. Maeda, S. Fagan, J.E. Carroll and S. Conway. SDF-1 (CXCL12) is Upregulated in the Ischemic Penumbra Following Stroke: Association with Bone Marrow Cell Homing to Injury.   J. Neuropath and Exp. Neurol., 63:84-96, 2004.

10. Hess, D.C. *, W.D. Hill*,  J.E. Carroll, C. Cheng, A. Martin-Studdard, J. Brailer, J. Carothers.  Bone marrow as a source of endothelial cells and neurons after stroke. Stroke, 33 (5):1362-1368, 2002.

11. *Hill, W.D., D.C. Hess, J.E. Carroll, C.G. Wakade, E.F. Howard, Q. Chen, C. Cheng, A. Martin-Studdard, J.L. Waller and R.A. Beswick. The NFB inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate increases cell death in the brain in a transient cerebral ischemia model. Brain Research Bulletin  55 (3):375-386, 2001.

12. Hess, D.C., EF. Howard, C. Cheng, J.E. Carroll, and W.D. Hill. Hypertonic loading of NFB transcription factor decoys in human brain microvascular endothelial cells with mannitol blocks upregulation of ICAM-1. Stroke, 31: 1179-86, 2000.

13. Tompkins, M.M., E. Basgall, E. Zamrini, and W.D. Hill*.  Apoptotic-like changes in the substantia nigra in Lewy body-associated disorders and aging.  American Journal of Pathology,  150:119-131, 1997.