Scholars@Duke
William Dean Matthew

William Dean Matthew

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurology
Neurology
wmatthew@duke.edu
Duke Box 2900, Durham, NC 27710
311 Research Drive, Bryan Research Center, Durham, NC 27710

Overview

Dr. Matthew's research is targeted at improving recovery from neural injury and slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. A central goal in his work is to understand how injured neural cells respond to growth factors within a complex in vivo environment, where multiple molecular cues may potentiate or antagonize growth factor function. Apolipoprotein E (apoE), which is traditionally defined as a cholesterol trafficking protein, has recently been shown to play a variety of protective functions after neural trauma. The expression of apoE is increased many-fold following acute or chronic neural injuries and during development. Experiments in Dr. Matthew's lab have led to the hypothesis that apoE can modulate growth factor activities; in some experimental conditions apoE potentiates biological activities (namely neurotrophic factors) and in other paradigms apoE suppresses factors (for instance, proinflammatory cytokines). Understanding the function of apoE after injury has significant clinical relevance in the nervous system and other organs as well. There are three human alleles of APOE - E2, E3 and E4, which differ at two amino acid sites. The inheritance of APOE4 is associated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer's Disease and poor recovery from neural injuries. Also, as a major secretory product of macrophage, apoE is likely to play a role in recovery from all tissue injuries. Current experiments are exploring the mechanism by which apoE modulates the biologic effects of growth factors. Through an understanding of how apoE isoforms are neuroprotective, one can anticipate strategies to protect against neural degeneration after injury, to slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, and to facilitate neural regeneration and tissue repair.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurology · 2014 - Present Neurology, Clinical Science Departments

Recent Publications

Impairment of the blood-nerve and blood-brain barriers in apolipoprotein e knockout mice.

Journal Article Exp Neurol · May 2001 Featured Publication Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is well characterized as a plasma lipoprotein involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism. Recent studies implicating apoE in Alzheimer's disease and successful recovery from neurological injury have stimulated much interest in the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Apolipoprotein E modulates glial activation and the endogenous central nervous system inflammatory response.

Journal Article J Neuroimmunol · March 1, 2001 Featured Publication Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a 299 amino acid protein that is associated with risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and outcome after acute brain injury. To investigate the possibility that apoE modulates glial activation we studied the effect of endog ... Full text Link to item Cite

Peripheral sensory nerve defects in apolipoprotein E knockout mice.

Journal Article Exp Neurol · September 1998 Featured Publication Apolipoprotein E (apoE), a plasma lipoprotein involved in lipid metabolism, is also proposed to have important functions within the central and peripheral nervous systems. To investigate the function of apoE in the peripheral nervous system, we examined th ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants

Immunological biomarker studies in myasthenia gravis

Clinical TrialAdvisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2020

Basic Predoctoral Training In Neurobiology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1997 - 1999

Supplement: Molecular Analysis Of Axon-Growth Promotion An

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 1993 - 1994

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Education, Training & Certifications

University of California, San Francisco · 1981 Ph.D.