Member SpotlightsAn Interview with Steering Committee Member Juergen Reichardt Juergen Reichardt, Ph.D. A Science Advisory Board Member Since 2002  Juergen Reichardt, Ph.D. Juergen Reichardt, Ph.D., is the Plunkett Chair of Molecular Biology (Medicine) at the University of Sydney, Australia, and the first Steering Committee member to be interviewed in 2008. Reichardt pursued undergraduate studies in Germany and Switzerland, obtained his Ph.D. from Stanford with Paul Berg (1989), and completed his postdoctoral work at Baylor with Savio Woo. For the next thirteen years, he was an Assistant and Associate Professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. From 2001-2005, Reichardt was a Visiting Professor at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas for Genetics & Molecular Biology in Brazil. He has held of the position of the Plunkett Chair of Molecular Biology (Medicine) since 2005 in Sydney Australia. Reichardt became interested in biological and chemical research during a teacher's after school program in high school. Later during college, he found that he not only enjoyed research; he excelled at it as well. Many years later, he continues to conduct research in galactosemia and prostate cancer. Future endeavors include strategies to utilize the information provided by the human genome sequence, in particular his recent findings in TiBS and TiG portions of the genome. In his spare time, Reichardt enjoys serious art, good food & wine, and he is also an avid swimmer. Honorable achievements include the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) in 1979-1980, the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award (March of Dimes Young Investigator Award) in 1992-1995, a James H. Zumberge Faculty Research and Innovation Fund at the University of Southern California in 1993-1994, and a Medical Foundation Fellowship at the University of Sydney in 2005-2009. Reichardt has been a member of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) since 1991, and a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) since 1995. Current Research Interests As human molecular biologists and geneticists we wish to understand how the human genome in conjunction with the environment produces the multitude of human phenotypes, especially complex diseases such as cancer. We are particularly interested in the contribution of human genetics. We also have an interest in understanding the genetics of human metabolism and genetic variation thereof. This laboratory has a longstanding tradition of characterizing human galactose-metabolic enzymes and associated diseases. We are currently also investigating two complex disease phenotypes with significant public health impact: various cancers and heart disease. Our strategy is to dissect these diseases through a step-wise, “candidate gene” approach. Our systematic choice of candidate genes for these diseases was dictated by the hypothesized involvement of particular metabolic pathways in pathogenesis. In prostate cancer we are currently investigating various androgen metabolic genes since androgens have been reported to regulate cell division in the prostate. We have focused on the steroid 5-reductase type II (SRD5A2) locus and are currently exploring also the AKR1C2, CYP3A4, HSD3B2, HSD17B3 and SRD5A1 genes. Investigations into glioblastoma, melanoma and atherosclerosis are also under way. Describe your early research in genetics related to galactosemia disorder. I was fortunate enough that my PhD mentor at Stanford, Paul Berg, allowed me to pursue this interest of mine. I managed to be the first to clone the human GALT gene and then we were the first to identify and characterize the first human galactosemia mutations with Savio Woo at Baylor during my postdoc. At USC we cloned a second human galactosemia gene, GGALE, characterized mutations in it, and even collaborated on identifying mutations in the third gene, GALK. What led to your change in primary research focus from galactosemia to prostate cancer? We wanted to begin investigating common multifactorial diseases after studying a single-gene disorder such as galactosemia. Two colleagues at USC, the late Ron Ross and Malcolm Pike, persuaded me to take an interest in prostate cancer. What current approaches are you using to target prostate cancer? We are investigating androgen-metabolic candidate genes in some detail, namely genetically, biochemically, pharmacogenetically, and epidemiologically. Over the past two decades, where have you seen the most promising results in prostate cancer therapeutics? Improvements in therapy have unfortunately been modest in recent decades. CDC trends from 1995 to 2004 show the incidence of prostate cancer remaining the same, while the number of deaths has declined in the United States. (SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2004). Can you comment on prostate cancer trends, based on population studies/demographic information in Australia or globally? Prostate cancer is very common in Australia as it is in most Western countries. In the state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, prostate cancer is currently THE most commonly diagnosed cancer. To discuss galactosemia, prostate cancer research, and other topics with fellow Science Advisory Board members, please visit our community forum. Web Links Professor Juergen Reichardt's Bio Page at University of Sydney Publications Mehrian-Shai, R and Reichardt, JKV (2006) Genomics in Breast and Prostate Cancer: Assessment of the Current State and Future Perspectives, Fut. Oncol. 2, 357-362. Reichardt JKV (2007) Quo vadis, genoma? A Call to Pipettes for Biochemists, Trends Biochem. Sci. 32, 529-530. Reichardt, JKV (2008) Realizing the Potential of the Sequenced Human Genome, Trends Genet. in press ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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