Blake Roessler, M.D.
Associate Professor,
Department of Internal Medicine Division of Rheumatology
Director, Human Applications Laboratory
Director, Center for Gene Therapy

roessler@umich.edu

Research Interests

1. Identification of molecular mechanisms in chondrocytes that impact the development of osteoarthritis:

• The role of intra-articular adipocytes as a source of soluble proteins and fatty
acids that may alter normal chondrocyte physiology and predispose the cartilage to osteoarthritis.

• The role of leptin receptors and PPAR-gamma receptors in normal and abnormal chondrocyte physiology.

• Use of Raman spectroscopy to gain insight into the early structural changes in extracellular matrix molecules of cartilage and synovial fluid that might function as early biomarkers in patients with osteoarthritis.

2. Investigating the mechanisms wherein viral proteins alter the expression of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) in T lymphocytes:

• Genetic deficiency of PNP is associated with abnormalities of cellular immunity, and interference with the normal regulation of PNP expression may contribute to viral pathogenesis. We are using a number of genetic approaches to determine how viral proteins alter transcription and nuclear export of the PNP mRNA.

Representative Publications

Anderson RD, Haskell RE, Xia H, Roessler BJ, Davidson BL. A simple method for the rapid generation of recombinant adenoviral vectors. Gene Ther 7(12):1034-8, 2000.

Wu H, Ramachandran C, Bielinska A, Kingzett K, Sun R, Weiner N, Roessler BJ. Topical transfection using plasmid DNA in a water-in-oil nanoemulsion. Int J Pharm 221:23-34, 2001.

Roessler BJ, Bielinska A, Janczak K, Lee I, Baker J. Substituted beta-cyclodextrins interact with PAMAM dendrimer-DNA complexes and modify transfection efficiency. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 283:124-129, 2001.

Kolka JA, Vreede AP, Roessler BJ. Lipopolysaccharide recognition protein, MD-2, facilitates cellular uptake of E. coli-derived plasmid DNA in synovium. J Gene Med 7(7):956-964, 2005.

Kesisoglou F, Chamberlain JR, Schmiedlin-Ren P, Kaz A, Fleisher D, Roessler B, Zimmermann EM. Chimeric Ad5 vectors expressing the short fiber of Ad41 show reduced affinity for human intestinal epithelium. Mol Pharm 2(6):500-508, 2005.

Dehring KA, Crane NJ, Smukler AR, McHugh JB, Roessler BJ, Morris MD. Identifying chemical changes in subchondral bone taken from murine knee joints using Raman spectroscopy. Appl Spectrosc 60(10):1134-1141, 2006.

Kish PE, Tsume Y, Kijek P, Lanigan TM, Hilfinger JM, Roessler BJ. Bile acid-oligopeptide conjugates interact with DNA and facilitate transfection. Mol Pharm 4(1):95-103, 2007.