Dr. John Engelhardt is the director at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Center for Gene Therapy of Cystic Fibrosis, as well as the head of the department of anatomy and cell biology. He is known as the creator of the first cloned ferret, and for his work in finding a cure for

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

Education

Engelhardt got his undergraduate degree in

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

in 1985. He then went on to get his doctorate in human

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in 1990.

Research

Engelhardt is most widely known for his creation of new animal models for the study of cystic fibrosis. In the 1990s he developed the human tracheal

xenograft Xenotransplantation (''xenos-'' from the Greek meaning "foreign" or strange), or heterologous transplant, is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

represents a much better model for lung disease, and in 2006 his laboratory became the first in the world to clone ferrets. Engelhardt's research has been geared towards finding gene therapies for cystic fibrosis. Specifically, he focuses on: * the study of lung molecular and cellular biology as it relates to the pathogenesis and treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease and associated diabetes * molecular mechanisms underlying redox-mediated

signal transduction Signal transduction is the process by which a chemical or physical signal is transmitted through a cell as a biochemical cascade, series of molecular events. Proteins responsible for detecting stimuli are generally termed receptor (biology), rece ...

in environmental injuries of the liver, and the development of molecular therapies for

ischemia/reperfusion injury Reperfusion injury, sometimes called ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) or reoxygenation injury, is the tissue damage caused when blood supply returns to tissue ('' re-'' + ''perfusion'') after a period of ischemia or lack of oxygen (anoxia or hy ...

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

, and the neurodegenerative disease

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS) * the biology of

adeno-associated virus Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are small viruses that infect humans and some other primate species. They belong to the genus '' Dependoparvovirus'', which in turn belongs to the family ''Parvoviridae''. They are small (approximately 26 nm in ...

infection and the development of this vector for

gene therapy Gene therapy is Health technology, medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells. The first attempt at modifying human DNA ...

of cystic fibrosis lung disease.

Honors

* 1999: Philip C. and Ethel F. Ashby Lecturer, University of Oklahoma * 2003–2006: Elected to board of directors of the American Society of Gene Therapy * 2004: Roy J. Carver Chair in Molecular Medicine * 2005:

NIH MERIT Award The NIH MERIT award (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award (R37) was created by the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical an ...

(NIDDK) * 2011: University of Iowa Graduate College Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award: Biological and Life Sciences * 2012: University of Iowa Graduate College Fall Commencement Address * 2012: Liupan Mountain Friendship Award, Ningxia Foreign Experts Bureau, Ningxia, P.R.C. (Commends foreign experts for their contributions to Ningxia's economic construction) * 2015: Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, University of Iowa * 2019: Fellow of the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 201 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engelhardt, John American geneticists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)