Research Bio
The Bowers laboratory is interested in assessing the contribution of inflammation in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. Novel transgenic modeling and gene transfer-based methodologies are being employed to experimentally control the expression and/or activity of potent inflammatory cytokines/chemokines due to their purported role(s) in brain inflammation and neurodegeneration. Elucidating the role of inflammation in the AD pathogenic cascade will undoubtedly result in the development of novel diagnostic methodologies and stage-specific therapeutics. The laboratory's line of research addresses both the role of inflammation temporally and spatially in pathogenesis as well as examines the interplay between disease-modifying therapies and inflammation to either slow or exacerbate neurodegeneration.
The laboratory also develops novel vaccines and therapeutics based upon the Herpes simplex virus (HSV) amplicon vector platform for future clinical implementation. Amplicon vectors are attractive because they may be manipulated to express virtually any combination of genes and possess the largest transgene capacity of any virus vector in current use. The laboratory continues to refine amplicon-based therapeutics in preclinical disease models and is currently engaged in translation of amplicon-based therapies for Phase I clinical trial evaluation. The laboratory has recently adapted the amplicon vector platform for efficient and long-term molecular manipulation of neural stem cells during embryogenesis in situ, thus providing a novel and robust means for gene replacement/repair in neurodegenerative diseases arising during early mammalian development.
2013 Jun
Montgomery SL, Narrow WC, Mastrangelo MA, Olschowka JA, O'Banion MK, Bowers WJ. "Chronic Neuron- and Age-Selective Down-Regulation of TNF Receptor Expression in Triple-Transgenic Alzheimer Disease Mice Leads to Significant Modulation of Amyloid- and Tau-Related Pathologies." The American journal of pathology. 2013 Jun 0; 182(6):2285-97. Epub 2013 Apr 06. |
2012 Mar
Montgomery SL, Bowers WJ. "Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and the roles it plays in homeostatic and degenerative processes within the central nervous system." Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the
Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology. 2012 Mar 0; 7(1):42-59. Epub 2011 Jul 05. |
2011 Oct
de Silva S, Bowers WJ. "Targeting the central nervous system with herpes simplex virus / Sleeping Beauty hybrid amplicon vectors." Current gene therapy. 2011 Oct 0; 11(5):332-40. |
2011 Oct
Montgomery SL, Mastrangelo MA, Habib D, Narrow WC, Burrell SA, Wright TW, Bowers WJ. "Ablation of TNF-RI/RII expression in Alzheimer's disease mice leads to an unexpected enhancement of pathology: implications for chronic pan-TNF-? suppressive therapeutic strategies in the brain." The American journal of pathology. 2011 Oct 0; 179(4):2053-70. Epub 2011 Aug 09. |
2011 Oct
Schnell L, Hunanyan AS, Bowers WJ, Horner PJ, Federoff HJ, Gullo M, Schwab ME, Mendell LM, Arvanian VL. "Combined delivery of Nogo-A antibody, neurotrophin-3 and the NMDA-NR2d subunit establishes a functional 'detour' in the hemisected spinal cord." The European journal of neuroscience. 2011 Oct 0; 34(8):1256-67. Epub 2011 Oct 13. |
