John M. Perry, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full Biography
John Perry, PhD, Doctoral Research Faculty, is one of three primary investigators collaborating on a U01 grant from National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) to the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute.
The total grant for this multi-site, multi-PI NIH project is estimated to provide roughly $3.4 million over the course of five years. Collaborating PIs Subhrajit Saha, PhD, at University of Kansas Medical Center and Richard DiPaolo, PhD, of Saint Louis University School of Medicine share responsibility with Dr. Perry. The three PIs will combine unique strengths in radiation biology, immunology, and blood development, respectively.
For this cooperative research project, “Modulation of chemokine signaling to mitigate radiation induced inflammation”, Dr. Perry, coordinating with his laboratory, oversees analyzing bone marrow and other blood-related populations using flow cytometry. He and his laboratory are also responsible for in vivo functional experiments involving hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Dr. Perry is a hematology/oncology researcher and has in-depth experience in radiation effects on bone marrow. He is working with collaborating PIs to determine the effects of chemokine signaling in release of bone marrow derived cells following radiation exposure.
Chemokines are a group of small, secreted molecules that signal through G protein-coupled receptors to promote cell survival and large increase in numbers and to provide directional guidance to migrating cells. Chemokine signaling is essential for coordinated cell migration in health and disease to specifically govern cell positioning in space and time.
“This is an important but understudied area of research. Radiation has been used in treating cancer for over a century, but how it affects the immune system is not as well understood as most people would imagine. This project will shed light on specific effects of radiation on various immune cells, stem cells, and other blood cells. Ultimately, we hope to discover a mitigator of the harmful effects of radiation exposure,” said Dr. Perry.
The contents are those of the investigator and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by NIH, or the U.S. Government.