Robin J. Parks, PhD
rparks@ohri.ca
Telephone: (613) 737-8123
Fax: (613) 737-8803
Senior Scientist, Regenerative Medicine, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa
Principle Investigator, Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, University of Ottawa
Biographical Sketch:
Dr. Parks completed a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario), working on biochemical and genetic characterization of poxvirus replication and recombination. In 1996, Dr. Parks began a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Dr. Frank L. Graham, in the Departments of Biology and Pathology, McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario), working on the development of novel adenoviral vectors for use as gene delivery vehicles for gene therapy applications. Dr. Parks joined the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in January 1999.
Research Interests:
Development and characterization of adenoviral vectors deleted of all viral protein coding sequences for use in gene therapy.
Characterization of host immune responses to gene therapy vectors and foreign (therapeutic) proteins.
Investigating novel therapeutics for the treatment and correction of muscular dystrophies and cancer.
Further detail can be found here.
Laboratory personnel biographies can be found here.
Major Research Activities:
Our research interests range from characterizing various aspects of basic adenovirus (Ad) biology to exploring the efficacy of Ad-based vectors for the delivery of therapeutic genes in animal models of genetic or acquired disease. Part of our research is dedicated to improving Ad technology, such as exploring novel methods of producing Ad vectors deleted of all viral protein coding sequences (termed helper-dependent Ad vectors), and investigating methods to achieve cell-type specific infection with Ad.
Affiliations:
| 2009 - present | Member Editorial Board Molecular Therapy |
| 2008 - present | Member Editorial Board The Open Genomics Journal |
| 2007 - 2010 | Member Education Committee, American Society of Gene Therapy |
| 2004 - present | Member Muscular Dystrophy Association (USA) Scientific Advisory Committee |
| 2001 - present | Member American Society for Microbiology |
| 1999 - present | Associate Editor Current Gene Therapy |
| 1998 - present | Member American Society of Gene Therapy |
Current Funding Sources:
2010-2012 CIHR, "Development of a novel therapy for treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy" (with Dr. Rashmi Kothary, OHRI)
2010-2013 CIHR, "Studies of immune responses to adenovirus"
2009-2014 CIHR, "Structure/function studies of adenovirus in the infected cell"
2008-2010 Cancer Research Society, "Characterization of oncolytic adenovirus vectors designed to specifically infect cancer cells"
Current Publications:
Current Publications:
A complete list of publications can be found here.
Giberson, A.N., A.R. Davidson, and R.J. Parks (2011) Chromatin structure of adenovirus DNA throughout infection. Nucleic Acids Res. (in press).
Anker, J.J., S. Brimijoin, Y. Gao, L. Geng, N.E. Zlebnik, R.J. Parks, and M.E. Carroll (2011) Cocaine hydrolase encoded in viral vectors blocks the reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats for 6 months. Biological Psychiatry (in press).
Poulin, K.L., G. Tong, O. Vorobyova, M. Pool, R. Kothary, R.J. Parks (2011) Use of Cre/loxP recombination to swap cell binding motifs on the adenoviral capsid protein IX.Virology 420:146-55..
Qin, W., M. Sundaram, Y. Wang, H. Zhou, S. Zhong, C.-C. Chang, S. Manhas, E.F. Yao,R.J. Parks, P.J. McFie, S.J. Stone, Z.G. Jiang, C. Wang, D. Figeys, W. Jia, and Z. Yao (2011) Missense mutation in APOC3 within the C-terminal lipid-binding domain of human apoCIII results in impaired assembly and secretion of triacylglycerol-rich very low density lipoproteins. J. Biol. Chem. 286:27769-80.
Ross, P.J., M.A. Kennedy, C. Christou, M. Risco Quiroz, K.L. Poulin and R.J. Parks(2011) Assembly of helper-dependent adenovirus DNA into chromatin promotes efficient gene expression. J. Virol. 85:3950-8.
Beug, S.T., R.J. Parks, H.M. McBride and V.A. Wallace (2011) Trafficking of the Sonic hedgehog morphogen to the regulated secretory pathway in mammalian neurons Mol. Cel. Neurosci. 46:583-96.
Bamji-Mirza, M., M. Sundaram, S. Zhong, E.F. Yao, R.J. Parks and Z. Yao (2011) Secretion of lipid-poor VLDL particles from McA-RH7777 cells expressing human hepatic lipase. J Lipid Res. 52:540-8.
Christou, C. and R.J. Parks (2011) Rational design of murine secreted alkaline phosphatase for enhanced performance as a reporter gene in mouse gene therapy preclinical studies. Human Gene Therapy 22:499-506.
Poulin, K.L., R.M. Lanthier, A.C. Smith, C. Christou, M. Risco-Quiroz, K.L. Powell, R.W. O'Meara, R. Kothary, I.A. Lorimer, R.J. Parks (2010) Retargeting of adenovirus vectors through fusion of a single-chain or single-domain antibody to capsid protein IX. J Virol.84:10074-86.
Li, L., S. Wang, A. Jezierski, L. Moalim-Nour, K. Mohib, R.J. Parks, S.F. Retta, L. Wang (2010) A unique interplay between Rap1 and E-cadherin in the endocytic pathway regulates cell fate decisions of human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells 28:247-57.
Boucher, J.G., K.A. Parato, F. Frappier, W. Ma, N. Gajanayaka, R.J. Parks, A. Kumar, J.B Angel (2010) Disparate regulation of LPS-induced MAPK signalling and IL-12p40 expression between different myeloid cell types with and without HIV infection. Viral Immunology 23:17-28.
Venderova, K., G. Kabbach, E. Abdel-Messih, Y. Zhang, R.J. Parks, Y. Imai, S. Gehrke, J. Ngsee, M.J. LaVoie, R. Slack, Y. Rao, Z. Zhang, B. Lu, M.E. Haque, and D.S. Park (2009) Leucine-rich repeat kinase interacts with Parkin, DJ-1 and PINK-1 in a Drosophila melanogaster model of Parkinson's disease. Human Molecular Genetics18:4390-404.
Finn, J.D., J. Bassett, J.B. Millar, N. Grinshtein, T.C. Yang, R. Parsons, C. Evelegh, Y. Wan, R.J. Parks, and J.L. Bramson (2009) Persistence of transgene expression influences CD8+ T cell expansion and maintenance following immunization with recombinant adenovirus. J. Virol 83:12027-36.
Kennedy, M.A. and R.J. Parks (2009) Adenovirus virion stability and the viral genome: size matters. Molecular Therapy 17:1664-1666.
Ross P.J., M.A. Kennedy and R.J. Parks (2009) Host cell detection of non-coding stuffer DNA contained in helper-dependent adenovirus vectors leads to epigenetic repression of transgene expression. J. Virol. 83:8409-172009.
Storbeck, C.J., S. Wagner, M. McKay, P. O'Reilly, K. Hume, R. Parks, H. Westphal and L.A. Sabourin (2009) The Ldb1 and Ldb2 transcriptional co-factors interact with the Ste20-like kinase SLK and regulate cell migration. Molecular Biology of the Cell20:4174-4182.
Sundaram, M, S. Zhong, M.-B. Khalil, P.H. Links, Y. Zhao, J. Iqbal, M. Hussain, R.J. Parks, Y. Wang, and Z. Yao (2010) Expression of apolipoprotein C-III in McA-RH7777 cells enhances VLDL assembly and secretion under lipid rich conditions. J. Lipid Res.51:150-161.
Abramovici, H., P. Mojtabaie, R.J. Parks, X.-P. Zhong, G.A. Koretzky, M.K. Topham and S.H. Gee (2009) Diacylglycerol kinase zeta regulates actin cytoskeleton reorganization through dissociation of Rac1 from RhoGDI. Molecular Biology of the Cell 20:2049-59.
Smith A.C., K.L. Poulin, and R.J. Parks (2009) DNA genome size affects the stability of the adenovirus virion. J Virol. 83:2025-2028 .
Muruve, D.A., V.Petrilli, A.K. Zaiss, L.R. White, S.A. Clark, P.J. Ross, R.J. Parks, and J. Tschopp, (2008) Recognition of cytosolic microbial and host DNA by the inflammasome triggers an innate immune response. Nature 452:103-107.
