Eugene O. Major

Eugene O. "Gene" Major, PhD, is a senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a part of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). Major conducts research into the neurological diseases including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), caused by JC virus and often found in immunosuppressed patients such as those with HIV/AIDS. Major has published over 140 scientific articles and reviews in the peer-reviewed literature[1] and has contributed to Fields Virology, a standard virology textbook.[2]

Training and career

As an undergraduate, Major attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts [2] He earned MS and PhD degrees at the University of Illinois College of Medicine,[2] where he researched papovaviruses such as BK virus with Giampiero Di Mayorca.[3][4][5] (The papovaviruses have since been split into two categories: papillomaviruses and polyomaviruses.)

In his first faculty position, Major was an associate professor at the University of Illinois Medical School. He later moved to the Loyola University Medical School in Chicago, where he also served as Associate Dean of Graduate Programs.[2]

In 1981, Major became an investigator with the Neurology Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He currently leads a molecular medicine and neuroscience laboratory as a senior investigator in the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the NIH.[2]

Research

Throughout his career, Major has conducted research on viruses including BK virus,[6] adenoviruses,[7] JC virus,[8] simian virus 40 (SV40),[9] HIV-1,[10] HIV-2,[11] HHV-6,[12] and HPV-16.[13]

Coverage

Major has been quoted extensively in news coverage of the finding that natalizumab (Tysabri) and related monoclonal antibody-based therapies increase the risk of a rare brain disease caused by JC virus.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] A 2001 Medscape column named Major as a leading expert in white matter brain disease.[22]

References

  1. ↑ PubMed U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health PubMed search for "Major EO" as conducted on February 2, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Laboratory homepage Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience - Division of Intramural Research. Eugene O. Major, Ph.D., Senior Investigator.
  3. ↑ Molinaro, G. A.; Major, E. O.; Bernhardt, G.; Dray, S.; Di Mayorca, G. (1977). "Similar cell surface antigens on hamster cells transformed by different papovaviruses". Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 118 (6): 2295–2298. PMID 68085.
  4. ↑ Wright, P. J.; Bernhardt, G.; Major, E. O.; Di Mayorca, G. (1976). "Comparison of the serology, transforming ability, and polypeptide composition of human papovaviruses isolated from urine". Journal of Virology. 17 (3): 762–775. PMC 515475Freely accessible. PMID 56460.
  5. ↑ Major, E. O.; Di Mayorca, G. (1973). "Malignant Transformation of BHK21 Clone 13 Cells by BK Virus—A Human Papovavirus". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 70 (11): 3210–3212. Bibcode:1973PNAS...70.3210M. doi:10.1073/pnas.70.11.3210. PMC 427202Freely accessible. PMID 4361683.
  6. ↑ Olive, DM; Lampert, M; Major, EO (1980). "Comparison of wild-type BK virus DNA and BK virion DNA rescued from virus-transformed BHK cells". Virology. 103 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1016/0042-6822(80)90121-X. PMID 6245520.
  7. ↑ Bourne, KA; Major, EO; Khoobyarian, N (1978). "A variant of adenovirus 12 producing cytoplasmic accumulation of capsid proteins". The Journal of general virology. 40 (3): 685–9. doi:10.1099/0022-1317-40-3-685. PMID 690616.
  8. ↑ Major, E. O. (1983). "JC virus T protein expression in owl monkey tumor cell lines". Progress in clinical and biological research. 105: 289–298. PMID 6304765.
  9. ↑ Major, E. O.; Matsumura, P. (1984). "Human embryonic kidney cells: stable transformation with an origin-defective simian virus 40 DNA and use as hosts for human papovavirus replication". Molecular and Cellular Biology. 4 (2): 379–382. PMC 368707Freely accessible. PMID 6321962.
  10. ↑ Berger, J.; Tornatore, C.; Major, E.; Bruce, J.; Shapshak, P.; Yoshioka, M.; Houff, S.; Sheremata, W.; Horton, G.; Landy, H. (1992). "Relapsing and remitting human immunodeficiency virus-associated leukoencephalomyelopathy". Annals of Neurology. 31 (1): 34–38. doi:10.1002/ana.410310107. PMID 1311910.
  11. ↑ D'Costa, J.; Harvey-White, J.; Qasba, P.; Limaye, A.; Kaneski, C.; Davis-Warren, A.; Brady, R.; Bankiewicz, K.; Major, E.; Arya, S. K. (2003). "HIV-2 derived lentiviral vectors: gene transfer in Parkinson's and Fabry disease models in vitro". Journal of medical virology. 71 (2): 173–182. doi:10.1002/jmv.10467. PMID 12938190.
  12. ↑ Donati, D.; Martinelli, E.; Cassiani-Ingoni, R.; Ahlqvist, J.; Hou, J.; Major, E.; Jacobson, S. (2005). "Variant-specific tropism of human herpesvirus 6 in human astrocytes". Journal of Virology. 79 (15): 9439–9448. doi:10.1128/JVI.79.15.9439-9448.2005. PMC 1181567Freely accessible. PMID 16014907.
  13. ↑ Grigolo, B.; Roseti, L.; Neri, S.; Gobbi, P.; Jensen, P.; Major, E. O.; Facchini, A. (2002). "Human articular chondrocytes immortalized by HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes: Maintenance of differentiated phenotype under defined culture conditions". Osteoarthritis and cartilage / OARS, Osteoarthritis Research Society. 10 (11): 879–889. doi:10.1053/joca.2002.0836. PMID 12435333.
  14. ↑ Biogen, Elan, Roche In Brain Infection Consortium Wall Street Journal, Thomas Gryta, November 11, 2009.
  15. ↑ Biogen’s Tysabri for MS Also Lowers Defense Against Brain Virus Bloomberg, Elizabeth Lopatto, September 9, 2009.
  16. ↑ Anti-Inflammatory Drug's Potentially Deadly Side Effect Found To Be Rare Science Daily, March 3, 2006.
  17. ↑ Evaluation of Patients Treated With Natalizumab (Tysabri) Finds No New Cases of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Doctor's Guide News, March 3, 2006.
  18. ↑ Tysabri retards progression of multiple sclerosis: trials Earth Times, March 2, 2006.
  19. ↑ "NIH Study Finds No New Cases of PML in Tysabri Patients," Drug Industry Daily (Dow Jones), March 3, 2006.
  20. ↑ Tysabri(R) Two-Year Phase III Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Trial Results And Safety Evaluation Published In NEJM Medical News Today, March 6, 2006.
  21. ↑ Analysis: Tysabri review finds no more PML cases UPI Health Business, Steve Mitchell, March 1, 2006.
  22. ↑ Ask the Experts: Differential Diagnosis of White-Matter Brain Disease Medscape, David M. Simpson, MD, September 25, 2001.
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