|
|
Research Emphasis: Our overall emphasis is understanding 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 stroke research group at the MCG and the VA. 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. We are also part of the Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy program at MCG. This is a major new area of Institutional focus. Factors that are important in generating stem cells for repair in stroke are also thought to be important for other disorders including bone loss and general tissue repair. The loss of these stem cells with age may be critical in the development of age associated degenerative disorders (e.g. osteoporosis) and impaired repair responses to acute injury (e.g. with stroke) with age. Therefore, we are examining the roles of cytokines in supporting mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow, regulating their mobilization and targeting them to areas of injury.
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 transplan- tation, animal surgery, motor and cognitive testing of rodents. Additionally, we make use of basic molecular biological approaches 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: 1979 B.A., Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. 1982 M.S., Otolaryngology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. 1988 Ph.D., Anatomy, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. 1988-92 Postdoctoral training - Dept. of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Selected Publications:
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 (Accepted 2006).
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.
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.)
Bartley, J.H, T. Soltau, H. Wimborne, S. Kim, A. Martin-Studdard, D.C. Hess, W.D. Hill, J.L. Waller and J.E. Carroll‡. BrdU-Positive Cells in the Neonatal Mouse Hippocampus Following Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury, BMC Neurology, 6:15 (March 2) 2005.
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.
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.
Hess, D.C., T. Abe, W.D. Hill, A. Martin-Studdard, J. Carothers, M. Masuya, P. Fleming, C. Drake, M. Ogawa‡. Hematopoetic origin of microglial and perivascular cells in brain. Experimental Neurology, 186:134-144, 2004.
Mruthinti, S., J.J. Buccafusco, W,D. Hill, J.L. Waller, T.W. Jackson, E.Y. Zamrini, and R.F. Schade. Autoimmunity in Alzheimer’s Disease: Increased Levels of Circulating IgGs Binding Ab and RAGE Peptides. Neurobiology of Aging, 25(8):1023-1032, 2004.
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.
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 NFkB inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate increases cell death in the brain in a transient cerebral ischemia model. Brain Research Bulletin 55 (3):375-386, 2001.
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.
‡ corresponding author(s) |
||||||||||
