(Philadelphia,
PA) - James G. Hecker, PhD, MD, has been appointed
Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia,
at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
In 1982, Dr. Hecker attended the University of Washington,
where he earned his PhD in Chemical/Biomedical Engineering.
He went on to receive his MD from the University of
Virginia in 1989. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology
and fellowship in Molecular Biology (with a National
Institutes of Health Research Training Grant), at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Hecker is actively researching ways to deliver genes
for short-term gene expression without using viruses.
This non-viral gene approach uses lipids to enable DNA
and messenger RNA to get into cells and organs. His
primary goal is to use these methods to deliver genes
to protect the brain or spinal cord before risky types
of surgery, or to minimize secondary injury to the brain
or spinal cord after stroke or traumatic injury. To
support his research, he has received grants from the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-one
of the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation
for Anesthesia and Education Research, and the American
Heart Association, among others.
He is a member of several professional societies including
the Society for Neuroscience, the American Society of
Gene Therapy, National Society of Neurotrama, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the International
Anesthesia Research Society. He is an ad-hoc reviewer
for the Journal of Neuroscience and Molecular
Therapy. Dr. Hecker has authored or co-authored
research in publications including the American Journal
of Anesthesiology, Molecular Therapy and Biomedical
Engineering. He has been invited to lecture on several
occasions, most recently at the 5th Annual National
Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy in Boston,
on the topic, "Clinical Applications: When is Short
Term Expression Better?"
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