Jacob Hooker | |
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Alma mater | North Carolina State University (BS) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
Known for | Developed PET radiotracers for measuring biochemistry in the human brain |
Awards | Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2010) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Chemistry, neuroscience and drug development [1] |
Institutions | Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital |
Doctoral advisor | Matthew Francis (Doctoral Advisor) [2] Joanna Fowler (Postdoctoral Advisor) [3] |
Jacob M. Hooker is an American chemist and expert in molecular imaging, specifically in the development and application of combined MRI and PET. He is the Lurie FamilyProfessor of Radiology specializing in Autism Research at Harvard Medical School. [4] He also serves as a Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar, director of radiochemistry at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and scientific director at the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital. [5]
He grew up outside of Asheville, North Carolina and attended Enka High School. Hooker received a B.S. in Textile Chemistry and Chemistry from North Carolina State University in 2002 and later earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley [6] Hooker then completed postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Joanna Fowler at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, [7] as a Goldhaber Distinguished Fellow, developing new neuroscience-oriented imaging methods and protocols. [8]
Hooker relocated to Boston,Massachusetts in 2009 at the initiation of his independent research career at the Martinos Center. [9] He co-designed and built a cyclotron and radiopharmacy facility housing a Siemens Eclipse HP Cyclotron, completed early 2011. [10] At Massachusetts General Hospital, Hooker co-founded and co-directs an imaging facility that combines functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) for the neurochemical study of the Human Brain. [11] He holds associate appointments at the Broad Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). [12] From 2017 to 2021, Hooker co-founded Eikonizo Therapeutics and later Sensorium Therapeutics. [13] He is also Editor-in-Chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience. [14]
Hooker has been a Scientific Advisor for Delix Therapeutics, Psy Therapeutics, Inc., and Fuzionaire Diagnostics. [15] He is also chief science advisor to Rocket Science Health. [16]
His research focus centers on the themes of neuroepigenetic, radiochemistry methods development and neuroimaging methods development, particularly leveraging positron emission tomography (PET). [17] [18] Hooker has published over 200 papers [19] in the domains of:
Hooker has developed PET radiotracers for measuring biochemistry in the human brain. [20] For example, in 2016, Hooker's team created the first detailed images of how certain brain enzymes, known as Class-I histone deacetylases (HDACs), function in living humans. [21] These enzymes play a key role in regulating genes and are linked to various brain disorders. By visualizing their activity, the research opened new doors to understanding how changes in these enzymes might contribute to conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and autism, potentially leading to more targeted treatments. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]
Hooker has made contributions to the advancement of radiochemistry methods for PET imaging. [33] [34] [35] For example, in 2011, Hooker collaborated with the Tobias Ritter lab to demonstrate the use of a palladium-IV complex in switching fluoride behavior in chemical reactions. This research was one of many other significant advances in radiochemistry and molecular imaging applications and decarboxylation with manganese catalysts. [36] [37]
As the scientific director of the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital, Hooker's work focuses on identifying specific subtypes of autism, which could pave the way for more precise diagnoses and treatments. [38] [39]
Hooker and his team were able to develop a method for brain glucose monitoring that produced something more like a movie, reporting changes in glucose use in response to multiple stimuli during a single PET scan. [40] The lab is now expanding the concept of dynamic, functional PET imaging to measure real-time neurotransmitter release in the living human brain. [41]
At Harvard, Hooker's research lab, in collaboration with the Steve Haggarty lab, is exploring novel plant-based and entheogenic psychedelics, Their work includes projects such as investigating the potential of psychedelics in therapeutic applications. [42]
In 2010, He received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. [43] [44] In 2016, Hooker was named as a Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar which acknowledges 'forward thinking researchers with the funding they need to take their work into uncharted territories'. [45] In 2015, He was featured in the inaugural Talented 12 list by Chemical & Engineering News, for his work work in the area of molecular imaging, particularly focusing on positron emission tomography (PET). [46]
In 2015, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation acknowledged Hooker with an Independent Investigator Award for research piloting neuroimaging in patients with Schizophrenia. [47] He was named by The Scientist magazine as a Scientist to Watch, [48] and in an article dubbing him 'The Mind Mapper' was among inaugural winners of the Talented 12 Award from the American Chemical Society's C & E News. [49] [50]
Hooker was named by the National Academy of Sciences as a Kavli Fellow for a five-year tenure (2012-2017) and as a Keck Futures Initiative Fellow (2013-2015). [51]
In organic chemistry, an acetyl group is a functional group denoted by the chemical formula −COCH3 and the structure −C(=O)−CH3. It is sometimes represented by the symbol Ac. In IUPAC nomenclature, an acetyl group is called an ethanoylgroup.
Histone deacetylases (EC 3.5.1.98, HDAC) are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups (O=C-CH3) from an ε-N-acetyl lysine amino acid on both histone and non-histone proteins. HDACs allow histones to wrap the DNA more tightly. This is important because DNA is wrapped around histones, and DNA expression is regulated by acetylation and de-acetylation. HDAC's action is opposite to that of histone acetyltransferase. HDAC proteins are now also called lysine deacetylases (KDAC), to describe their function rather than their target, which also includes non-histone proteins. In general, they suppress gene expression.
Trichostatin A (TSA) is an organic compound that serves as an antifungal antibiotic and selectively inhibits the class I and II mammalian histone deacetylase (HDAC) families of enzymes, but not class III HDACs. However, there are recent reports of the interactions of this molecule with Sirt 6 protein. TSA inhibits the eukaryotic cell cycle during the beginning of the growth stage. TSA can be used to alter gene expression by interfering with the removal of acetyl groups from histones and therefore altering the ability of DNA transcription factors to access the DNA molecules inside chromatin. It is a member of a larger class of histone deacetylase inhibitors that have a broad spectrum of epigenetic activities. Thus, TSA has some potential as an anti-cancer drug. One suggested mechanism is that TSA promotes the expression of apoptosis-related genes, leading to cancerous cells surviving at lower rates, thus slowing the progression of cancer. Other mechanisms may include the activity of HDIs to induce cell differentiation, thus acting to "mature" some of the de-differentiated cells found in tumors. HDIs have multiple effects on non-histone effector molecules, so the anti-cancer mechanisms are truly not understood at this time.
Vorinostat (rINN), also known as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, is a member of a larger class of compounds that inhibit histone deacetylases (HDAC). Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDI) have a broad spectrum of epigenetic activities.
Histone acetylation and deacetylation are the processes by which the lysine residues within the N-terminal tail protruding from the histone core of the nucleosome are acetylated and deacetylated as part of gene regulation.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors are chemical compounds that inhibit histone deacetylases. Since deacetylation of histones produces transcriptionally silenced heterochromatin, HDIs can render chromatin more transcriptionally active and induce epigenomic changes.
Histone deacetylase 9 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the HDAC9 gene.
Histone deacetylase 7 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the HDAC7 gene.
Protein fosB, also known as FosB and G0/G1 switch regulatory protein 3 (G0S3), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (FOSB) gene.
Romidepsin, sold under the brand name Istodax, is an anticancer agent used in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and other peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). Romidepsin is a natural product obtained from the bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum, and works by blocking enzymes known as histone deacetylases, thus inducing apoptosis. It is sometimes referred to as depsipeptide, after the class of molecules to which it belongs. Romidepsin is branded and owned by Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, a part of Celgene.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a variety of conditions typically identified by challenges with social skills, communication, speech, and repetitive sensory-motor behaviors. The 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), released in January 2021, characterizes ASD by the associated deficits in the ability to initiate and sustain two-way social communication and restricted or repetitive behavior unusual for the individual's age or situation. Although linked with early childhood, the symptoms can appear later as well. Symptoms can be detected before the age of two and experienced practitioners can give a reliable diagnosis by that age. However, official diagnosis may not occur until much older, even well into adulthood. There is a large degree of variation in how much support a person with ASD needs in day-to-day life. This can be classified by a further diagnosis of ASD level 1, level 2, or level 3. Of these, ASD level 3 describes people requiring very substantial support and who experience more severe symptoms. ASD-related deficits in nonverbal and verbal social skills can result in impediments in personal, family, social, educational, and occupational situations. This disorder tends to have a strong correlation with genetics along with other factors. More research is identifying ways in which epigenetics is linked to autism. Epigenetics generally refers to the ways in which chromatin structure is altered to affect gene expression. Mechanisms such as cytosine regulation and post-translational modifications of histones. Of the 215 genes contributing, to some extent in ASD, 42 have been found to be involved in epigenetic modification of gene expression. Some examples of ASD signs are specific or repeated behaviors, enhanced sensitivity to materials, being upset by changes in routine, appearing to show reduced interest in others, avoiding eye contact and limitations in social situations, as well as verbal communication. When social interaction becomes more important, some whose condition might have been overlooked suffer social and other exclusion and are more likely to have coexisting mental and physical conditions. Long-term problems include difficulties in daily living such as managing schedules, hypersensitivities, initiating and sustaining relationships, and maintaining jobs.
While the cellular and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory have long been a central focus of neuroscience, it is only in recent years that attention has turned to the epigenetic mechanisms behind the dynamic changes in gene transcription responsible for memory formation and maintenance. Epigenetic gene regulation often involves the physical marking of DNA or associated proteins to cause or allow long-lasting changes in gene activity. Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications have been shown to play an important role in learning and memory.
Cocaine addiction is the compulsive use of cocaine despite adverse consequences. It arises through epigenetic modification and transcriptional regulation of genes in the nucleus accumbens.
Epigenetic regulation of neurogenesis is the role that epigenetics plays in the regulation of neurogenesis.
Epigenetic therapy refers to the use of drugs or other interventions to modify gene expression patterns, potentially treating diseases by targeting epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications.
Epigenetics of depression is the study of how epigenetics contribute to depression.
Martinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) that is potent against recombinant class I HDACs and class IIb HDAC with low nanomolar affinities. In tissue CETSA assays, martinostat exhibits selectivity for class I HDACs. When tagged with the radioisotope carbon-11, martinostat can be used to quantify HDAC in the brain and peripheral organs using positron emission tomography. Martinostat was given a name that adopted the style of other HDAC inhibitors, such as vorinostat, entinostat, and crebinostat, that recognized the academic center in which it was developed, the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.
David E. Olson is an American chemist and neuroscientist. He is an associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular medicine at the University of California, Davis, and is the founding director of the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics.
Neil Vasdev is a Canadian and American radiochemist and expert in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, particularly in the application of PET. Radiotracers developed by the Vasdev Lab are in preclinical use worldwide, and many have been translated for first-in-human neuroimaging studies. He is the director and chief radiochemist of the Brain Health Imaging Centre and director of the Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine, the endowed Azrieli Chair in Brain and Behaviour and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Vasdev has been featured on Global News, CTV, CNN, New York Times, Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail for his innovative research program.
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