Christopher A. Ross, MD

Professional Titles

• Director, Division of Neurobiology
• Director, Huntington’s Disease Center, Johns Hopkins
• Director of Residency Research Training, Department of Psychiatry

Primary Academic Title

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Background

Centers and Institutes

Huntington's Disease Center

Videos

• #TomorrowsDiscoveries: The Effects of Huntington‚Äôs Disease - Dr. Christopher A. Ross

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• 1 in 5 Hospital Docs Reports 'Unsafe' Workloads: Study, U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 28, 2013   

Additional Academic Titles

Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Professor of Neurology

Contact for Research Inquiries

Phone: (410) 614-0011
caross@jhu.edu

Research Interests

Bipolar disorder, Genes, Huntington’s disease, Neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s disease, Schizophrenia

Lab Website

Christopher A. Ross Lab - Lab Website

• Dr. Ross and his research team have focused on Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease, and are using insights from these disorders to approach more complex diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They use biophysical and biochemical techniques, cell models and transgenic mouse models to understand disease processes, and to provide targets for development of rational therapeutics. These then can provide a basis for developing small molecule interventions, which can be used both as probes to study biology, and, if they have favorable drug-like properties, for potential therapeutic development. 

  They have used two strategies for identifying lead compounds. The first is the traditional path of identification of specific molecular targets, such as enzymes like the LRRK2 kinase of Parkinson’s disease. Once the structure is known, computational approaches or fragment-based lead discovery, in collaboration, can be used. The second is to conduct phenotypic screens using cell models, or in a collaboration, natural products in a yeast model. Once a lead compound is identified, they use cell models for initial tests of compounds, then generate analogs, and take compounds that look promising to preclinical therapeutic studies in animal models. The ultimate goal is to develop therapeutic strategies that can be brought to human clinical trials, and they are pioneers in developing biomarkers and genetic testing for developing strategies.

Research Summary

In their study of neuropsychiatric disorders, Dr. Ross and his research team have focused on Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease, and now are using insights from these disorders to approach more complex diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They use biophysical and biochemical techniques, cell models, and transgenic mouse models to understand disease processes, and to provide targets for development of rational therapeutics. These then can provide a basis for developing small molecule interventions, which can be used both as probes to study biology, and if they have favorable drug-like properties, for potential therapeutic development. We have used two strategies for identifying lead compounds. The first is the traditional path of identification of specific molecular targets, such as enzymes like the LRRK2 kinase of Parkinson’s disease. Once structure is known, computational approaches or fragment based lead discovery, in collaboration, can be used. The second is to conduct phenotypic screens using cell models, or in a collaboration, natural products in a yeast model. Once a lead compound is identified, we use cell models for initial tests of compounds, then generate analogs, and take compounds that look promising to preclinical therapeutic studies in animal models. The ultimate goal is to develop therapeutic strategies that can be brought to human clinical trials, and we have pioneered in developing biomarkers and genetic testing for developing strategies.

PubMed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Ross%20CA%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid

Selected Publications

• Ross CA, Akimov SS. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells: potential for neurodegenerative diseases. Hum Mol Genet. 2014 Sep 15;23(R1):R17-R26. Epub 2014 May 13. Review. PMID: 24824217

• Ross CA, Berggren KK, Cheng JY, Jung YS, Chang JB. Three-dimensional nanofabrication by block copolymer self-assembly. Adv Mater. 2014 Jul 2;26(25):4386-96. doi: 10.1002/adma.201400386. Epub 2014 Apr 6. PMID: 24706521 [PubMed - in process]

• Ross CA. Problems with autism, catatonia and schizophrenia in DSM-5. Schizophr Res. 2014 Jul 3. pii: S0920-9964(14)00309-0. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.06.017. [Epub ahead of print] No abstract available. PMID: 24999051

• Lang M, Montazeri M, Onbasli MC, Kou X, Fan Y, Upadhyaya P, Yao K, Liu F, Jiang Y, Jiang W, Wong KL, Yu G, Tang J, Nie T, He L, Schwartz RN, Wang Y, Ross CA, Wang KL. Proximity induced high-temperature magnetic order in topological insulator--ferrimagnetic insulator heterostructure. Nano Lett. 2014 Jun 11;14(6):3459-65. doi: 10.1021/nl500973k. Epub 2014 May 23. PMID: 24844837

• Wen Z, Nguyen HN, Guo Z, Lalli MA, Wang X, Su Y, Kim NS, Yoon KJ, Shin J, Zhang C, Makri G, Nauen D, Yu H, Guzman E, Chiang CH, Yoritomo N, Kaibuchi K, Zou J, Christian KM, Cheng L, Ross CA, Margolis RL, Chen G, Kosik KS, Song H, Ming GL. Synaptic dysregulation in a human iPS cell model of mental disorders. Nature. 2014 Aug 17. doi: 10.1038/nature13716. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 25132547

Courses & Syllabi

• Director of Residency Research Training, Department of Psychiatry
• Diseases of the Brain, Neuroscience Graduate Program
• Lecture in Neuroscience and Cognition Introductory Course
• Lectures in Medical School Psychiatry Course
• Lectures in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program

Honors

• Distinguished Alumnus Award, Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1/1/10
• Distinguished Investigator Award, National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, 1/1/03
• Guthrie Family Humanitarian Award, Huntington's Disease Society of America, 1/1/02
• Milton Wexler Award for Huntington's Disease Research, 1/1/00
• Milton Wexler Award for Huntington's Disease Research, 1/1/96
• Established Investigator Award, National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, 1/1/95
• Johns Hopkins Clinician-Scientist Award, 1/1/92
• Young Investigator Award, National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, 1/1/90
• Award under the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, 1/1/87

Lectures & Presentations

• Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: New Biology and Novel Targets, Lecture, Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute Biotech 2008 Neuroinvestors Conference, 9/18/08
• Translational Approaches to Huntington's Disease, Lecture, Clinical Neuroscience Seminar, Johns Hopkins University, 4/28/08
• Translational Research in Brain Diseases: from Models to Medicines?, Lecture, Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute "Brain Night", 5/14/08
• Translational Research in Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Lecture, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, 9/11/10

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program (CMM)

Memberships

• Movement Disorders Society
• Huntington Study Group
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Society for Neuroscience
• American Society for Cell Biology
• International Society for Psychiatric Genetics

Professional Activities

• Coenzyme Q10 in Huntington's Disease (2CARE), Steering Committee
• HDSA, Chair, Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, 1/1/97 - 1/1/02
• Huntington Study Group, Scientific Advisory Committee, 1/1/02 - 1/1/08
• Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA), Member of National Board of Trustees, 1/1/99 - 1/1/02
• Program Committee, Society of Biological Psychiatry
• Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Scientific Advisory Board
• World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Program Committee, International Society for Psychiatric Genetics