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Faculty Detail Faculty Entry   
Name ERIC J SORSCHER  
Campus Address MCLM 798 Zip 0005
Phone 205-934-9640
E-mail sorscher@uab.edu" id="FacultyDetail1EmailAddress"><a href="mailto:sorscher@uab.edu">sorscher@uab.edu</a>
URL
 
 

Department Affiliations(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center Professor
Center  Center for AIDS Research  Center for AIDS Research Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor
Center  General Clinical Research Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Professor
Center  Cystic Fibrosis Research Center  Cystic Fibrosis Research Center Professor
Center  Medicine  Med - Nephrology Professor
Primary  Medicine  Med - Hematology & Oncology Professor
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor
Secondary  Genetics   Genetics Chair Office Professor

Biographical Sketch 
Dr. Sorscher is originally from Flint, MI and graduated summa cum laude with honors in biology from Yale University in 1979. He completed his medical degree from Harvard University in 1984 following a one year leave of absence to study cystic fibrosis. He trained as a resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one at Massachusetts General, the other at UAB. In 1989, Dr. Sorscher was recruited to UAB to the position of Assistant Professor of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics, and Associate Scientist at the Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center. In 1994, Dr. Sorscher was appointed to the position of Associate Professor of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics as well as Director of the UAB Cystic Fibrosis Research Center. In 1998, Dr. Sorscher was promoted to the position of Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics. In 2003 he became the recipient of the Gwaltney Endowed Chair for cystic fibrosis research at UAB. He is currently co-chair of the international consortium for cystic fibrosis protein folding and chairs the New Therapies Committee for the Cystic Fibrosis National Meetings.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
AAP     
ASPI     
 

Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Cystic Fibrosis and Molecular Genetics; Patient Oriented Research
Description
Dr. Sorscher has two major research interests. He directs the UAB Cystic Fibrosis Research Center that performs respected studies concerning molecular pathogenesis of this disease. His own laboratory investigates the structure and function of the gene product responsible for cystic fibrosis (i.e., the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, CFTR), and also evaluates new approaches to therapy, including the activation of alternate chloride secretory pathways in cystic fibrosis epithelia, molecular correction of mutant CFTR, and gene transfer-related aspects of cystic fibrosis using both viral and non-viral vectors.
The other major interest in Dr. Sorscher’s laboratory involves the characterization of a novel mechanism for tumor sensitization using the E. coli PNP gene. In this approach, tumors are rendered hundreds or thousands of times more sensitive to conventional chemotherapy by expression of a prokaryotic enzyme that cleaves nontoxic nucleoside prodrugs to a very toxic form. The research involves analysis of the crystal structure of E. coli PNP, and structure-based drug design of novel compounds that would be effectively cleaved in vitro and in vivo. Gene transfer vectors that might be important in the treatment of human cancers are also developed and characterized.

Postdoc Positions Available
Date Posted Position Title
No records
 

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Horvath, G and EJ Sorscher. Luminal fluid tonicity regulations airway ciliary beating by altering membrane stretch and intracellular calcium. Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton 65(6):469-475, 2008.   18435452 
Berdiev, BK, E Cormet-Boyaka, A Tousson, YJ Qadri, HM Oosterveld-Hut, JS Hong, PA Gonzales, CM Fuller, EJ Sorscher, GL Lukacs, and DJ Benos. Molecular proximity of CFTR and ENaC assessed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Journal of Biologcal Chemistry 282(50): 36481-36488, 2007.   17913705 
Hill, AE, JS Hong, H Wen, L Teng, DT McPherson, SA McPherson, DN Levasseur, EJ Sorscher. Micro-RNA-like effects of complete intronic sequences. Frontiers in Bioscience 11:1998-2006, 2006.   16368574 
Rowe SM, SM Miller and EJ Sorscher. Mechanisms underlying cystic fibrosis. New England Journal of Medicine 352(19):1992-2001, 2005.   15888700 
Hill A and EJ Sorscher. Common structural patterns in human genes. Bioinformatics 10: 1093, 2004.   14988119 
Hong, JS, WR Waud, DN Levasseur, TM Townes, H Wen, SA McPherson, BA Moore, Z, Bebok, PW Allan, JA Secrist 3rd, WB Parker, EJ Sorscher. Excellent in vivo bystander activity of fludarabine phosphate against human glioma xenografts that express the escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase gene. Cancer Research 64(18):6610-5, 2004.   15374975 
Naren AP, B Cobb, C Li, K Roy, D Nelson, GD Heda, J Liao, KL Kirk, EJ Sorscher, J Hanrahan, JP Clancy. A macromolecular complex of â2 adrenergic receptor, CFTR, and ezrin/radixin/moesin-binding phosphoprotein 50 is regulated by PKA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 100:342-346, 2003.   12502786 
Ruiz FE, JP Clancy, MA Perricone, Z Bebok, J Hong, SH Cheng, DP Meeker, KR Young, R Schoumacher, M Weatherly, JE Morris, L Sindel, M Rosenberg, FW van Ginkel, JR McGhee, D Kelly, RK Lyrene, EJ Sorscher. A clinical inflammatory syndrome attributable to aerosolized lipid/DNA administration in cystic fibrosis. Human Gene Therapy 12(7):751-761, 2001.   11339892 
Hughes, B.W., S.A. King, P.W. Allan, W.B. Parker, and E.J. Sorscher. Cell to cell contact is not required for bystander cell killing by Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Journal of Biological Chemistry 273: 2322-2328, 1998.   9442077 
Bebok, Z., C. Mazzochi, S.A. King, J.S. Hong, and E.J. Sorscher. The mechanism underlying cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the proteasome includes Sec61beta and a cytosolic, deglycosylated intermediary. Journal of Biological Chemistry 273: 29873-29878, 1998.   9792704 
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