David R. Brown (neuroscientist)
Encyclopedia
Professor David Ronald Brown (born 7 September 1964, Sydney
, Australia
) is an Australian-born research scientist notable for his work on prion diseases, which include bovine spongiform encephalopathy
and vCJD
. His most notable research relates to the metal binding of the protein central to these diseases, the prion
protein, and its possible cellular role as an antioxidant.
Brown served as a member of SEAC, the British government advisory board on BSE and related diseases.
Since then he has pursued research related to other neurodegnerative diseases.
.
at the age of 25 and gained the degrees B.Sc. M.Sc. and Ph.D. His doctoral studies were carried out in the Neurobiology Research Centre under Professor Max Bennett and involved research on nerve regeneration.
After completing his Ph.D. he worked for several more years in Australia before moving to the US in 1993 where he worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
. He move to Germany and worked at the University of Göttingen where he first began work on the study of prion diseases in the Department of Neuropathology with Hans Kretzschmar. In 1997 he moved to the University of Cambridge
and in 2001 to the University of Bath
, where he is currently Professor of Biochemistry
.
He consults in this capacity with the media. He is the author of several textbooks and a number of research papers on prion diseases, and serves on the boards of four scientific journals, including the Journal of Neurochemistry
.
, who argued that that human cases of vCJD might be caused by exposure to manganese
rather than eating beef from BSE-infected cattle (the medical consensus). Both Purdey and Brown agreed that exposure to elevated levels of manganese in the environment could increase the incidence of BSE.
Brown's research showed that manganese causes the protein to change conformation, similar to that seen in prion diseases such as BSE. Additionally, his research also showed that animals with BSE and humans with vCJD had elevated levels of manganese in their brains, and that prion protein extracted from their brains retained some of this manganese. Brown agreed with Purdey only in as far as the potential for manganese to be a risk factor, increasing the likelihood that BSE or another prion disease would occur. Brown supported Purdey in his quest to investigate the potential role of manganese in prion disease and this led to the filming of a program for the BBC in which both Brown and Purdey appeared. While Purdey pursued the notion that environmental manganese was a cause of BSE (something that arguably could never be proven), Brown suggested that a chelation therapy to remove the excess manganese from patients with vCJD could be of benefit. While Brown's more conventional research was very well funded, suchchelation therapy
for prion disease was never funded despite support for the idea from a number of sources including Charles, Prince of Wales
.
Articles
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) is an Australian-born research scientist notable for his work on prion diseases, which include bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
and vCJD
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD is a degenerative neurological disorder that is incurable and invariably fatal. CJD is at times called a human form of mad cow disease, given that bovine spongiform encephalopathy is believed to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans.CJD...
. His most notable research relates to the metal binding of the protein central to these diseases, the prion
Prion
A prion is an infectious agent composed of protein in a misfolded form. This is in contrast to all other known infectious agents which must contain nucleic acids . The word prion, coined in 1982 by Stanley B. Prusiner, is a portmanteau derived from the words protein and infection...
protein, and its possible cellular role as an antioxidant.
Brown served as a member of SEAC, the British government advisory board on BSE and related diseases.
Since then he has pursued research related to other neurodegnerative diseases.
.
Career
Brown completed his studies at the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
at the age of 25 and gained the degrees B.Sc. M.Sc. and Ph.D. His doctoral studies were carried out in the Neurobiology Research Centre under Professor Max Bennett and involved research on nerve regeneration.
After completing his Ph.D. he worked for several more years in Australia before moving to the US in 1993 where he worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City...
. He move to Germany and worked at the University of Göttingen where he first began work on the study of prion diseases in the Department of Neuropathology with Hans Kretzschmar. In 1997 he moved to the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and in 2001 to the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, where he is currently Professor of Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
.
He consults in this capacity with the media. He is the author of several textbooks and a number of research papers on prion diseases, and serves on the boards of four scientific journals, including the Journal of Neurochemistry
Journal of Neurochemistry
The Journal of Neurochemistry is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established by the International Society for Neurochemistry in 1956. The journal covers a variety of subjects within the field of neuroscience, but focuses in particular on the "molecular and cellular aspects of the nervous system,...
.
Prion research
Brown advanced research related to the role of metals in the cause of prion diseases such as vCJD. Media attention focused on this work when it became associated with that of the farmer Mark PurdeyMark Purdey
John Mark Purdey was a British organic farmer who came to public attention in the 1980s, when he began to circulate his own theories regarding the causes of bovine spongiform encephalopathy .Purdey's interest in the disease was triggered when four cows he purchased for his farm developed the...
, who argued that that human cases of vCJD might be caused by exposure to manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
rather than eating beef from BSE-infected cattle (the medical consensus). Both Purdey and Brown agreed that exposure to elevated levels of manganese in the environment could increase the incidence of BSE.
Brown's research showed that manganese causes the protein to change conformation, similar to that seen in prion diseases such as BSE. Additionally, his research also showed that animals with BSE and humans with vCJD had elevated levels of manganese in their brains, and that prion protein extracted from their brains retained some of this manganese. Brown agreed with Purdey only in as far as the potential for manganese to be a risk factor, increasing the likelihood that BSE or another prion disease would occur. Brown supported Purdey in his quest to investigate the potential role of manganese in prion disease and this led to the filming of a program for the BBC in which both Brown and Purdey appeared. While Purdey pursued the notion that environmental manganese was a cause of BSE (something that arguably could never be proven), Brown suggested that a chelation therapy to remove the excess manganese from patients with vCJD could be of benefit. While Brown's more conventional research was very well funded, suchchelation therapy
Chelation therapy
Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxication—those involving lead, arsenic or mercury—the standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid...
for prion disease was never funded despite support for the idea from a number of sources including Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
Select bibliography
Books- Brown, D. R. (2002) Prion Diseases and Copper Metabolism. Horwood Press, Chichester, UK. ISBN 1-898563-87-X.
- Brown D. R. (2005) Neurodegeneration and Prion Disease. Springer , USA. ISBN 0-387-23922-7.
- Kozlowski, H, Brown, D. R. and Valensin G. (2006) Metallochemistry of Neurodegeneration. Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing, UK. ISBN 0-85404-360-8.
Articles
- See Research Profile for selected papers.