Pathology at Johns Hopkins
The Department of Pathology at Johns Hopkins is preeminent nationally and globally in the study and treatment of human disease and in professional training in all areas of pathology and laboratory science. Currently, there are over 1400 people in the department, which includes approximately 120 full-time faculty, 36 residents, 45 graduate students, over 100 fellows, and 1000 staff members.
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Admissions at Johns Hopkins Medical SchoolAllan Gelber, MD, PhD, MPH
Publications Spotlighted
Johns Hopkins Pathology Takes Center Stage:
Johns Hopkins Pathology has been the number one NIH funded pathology department for 11 of the past 12 years.
Our research interests span a broad area— we highlighted a few research discoveries.
- Do You Know Your Hepatitis C Testing Status?
- Changing the Landscape: Unwrapping HIV Antibody Diversity
- Tipping the Balance: Revealing a Glutamate Reservoir to Identify Targets for Cancer Therapy
- Conspirer Uncovered: Hybrid Immune Cell Detected in Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes Patients
Do You Know Your Hepatitis C Testing Status?
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes cirrhosis, hepatocellular cancer, and liver-related mortality. In the United States, there is a disproportionate burden of HCV infection in persons born between 1945 and 1965 ("baby boomers") and HCV incidence is increasing in younger populations. In 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded their risk-based HCV testing recommendations to include an one-time HCV testing recommendation for all baby boomers. In this study, Patel and colleagues used data from the 2013-2017 National Health Interview Survey to monitor the coverage of HCV testing in the baby boomer population as well as in a younger cohort of persons born in 1966-1994. The paper describes modest increases in HCV testing coverage over time in both populations but highlights that HCV testing coverage remained limited in 2017 (17.3% in baby boomers and 16.8% in the younger cohort). The study also demonstrated sociodemographic disparities in HCV testing coverage in both populations. Patel and colleagues call for increased implementation of effective HCV testing initiatives to improve downstream outcomes of the HCV care continuum, which now includes curative treatment via direct acting antiviral therapies.
Changing the Landscape: Unwrapping HIV Antibody Diversity
This study describes quantification of antibody binding to >3,300 HIV peptides from early- to late-stage infection using a phage display system (VirScan). Antibody diversity (breadth) reached individual-specific set points; breadth decline was associated with CD4 cell loss. Time-dependent binding specificities were identified, optimized, and used to predict the duration of HIV infection.
Tipping the Balance: Revealing a Glutamate Reservoir to Identify Targets for Cancer Therapy
The Le Cancer Metabolism Research Laboratory at the Department of Pathology has recently uncovered the neurotransmitter N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) as a reservoir providing glutamate to promote cancer growth and demonstrated that inhibition of NAAG hydrolysis by targeting glutamate carboxypeptidase II is a viable strategy for cancer therapy. Their study also suggests that NAAG concentration in plasma could be a non-invasive measurement to monitor cancer progression.
Conspirer Uncovered: Hybrid Immune Cell Detected in Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes Patients
A new study from Hamad's lab published in Cell describes a previously unknown lymphocyte that is a dual expresser (DE) of TCR and BCR and key lineage markers of B and T cells (also known as an "X" Cell for its crossover phenotype). In type 1 diabetes (T1D), DEs are predominated by one clonotype that encodes a potent CD4 T cell autoantigen in its antigen binding site (referred to as x-idiotype). Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the x-idiotype peptide (x-Id) has an optimal binding register for diabetogenic HLA-DQ8. In concordance, synthesized x-Id peptide forms stable DQ8 complexes and potently stimulates autoreactive CD4 T cells from T1D, but not healthy controls. Moreover, x-clonotype-bearing mAbs are autoreactive against CD4 T cells and inhibit insulin-tetramer binding to CD4 T cells. Thus, compartmentalization of adaptive immune cells into T and B cells is not absolute and violators of this paradigm are likely key drivers of autoimmune diseases.
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What's New?
Hopkins Scientists Discover a New Type of Immune Cell
May 30, 2019
A team of scientists in the Department of Pathology, led by Abdel Rahim A. Hamad, D.V.M., Ph.D., report, in the May 30th advance on-line edition of the journal Cell, the remarkable discovery of a new type of immune cell. Historically T and B cells have been thought of as distinct arms of the immune system, Dr. Hamad and colleagues have discovered a rare cell that they call the X cell, that has features of both T and B cells. They further show that the newly discovered X cell may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes. Congratulations to Dr. Hamad and his team on this very exciting discovery!
Click here for the press release.
Click here for the article in Cell
New Blood Test for Cancer
May 30, 2019
A team of scientists at Johns Hopkins, led by Victor Velculescu, M.D.,Ph.D., report a new approach to a blood test for cancer. Reported in the journal Nature, the test can be used to detect seven different types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. The test, called "DELFI" (DNA evaluation of fragments for early interception) detects abnormal fragments of DNA in the blood that have been shed by cancer cells. This technique takes advantage of the fact that cancers "package" their DNA differently than normal cells, and this unique packaging leads to unique patterns of DNA fragmentation that can be detected in the blood. DELFI detected close to 75% of cancer patients, and, remarkably, when combined with another blood test, DELFI could detect 91% of cancers.
Click here for the press release.
Congratulations, Dr. Danielle Hutchings!
May 24, 2019
Congratulations to our resident Danielle Hutchings, M.D.! Danielle was awarded the Frank Coulson Jr. Award for Clinical Excellence from the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence here at Hopkins. The Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence recognizes and promotes excellence in patient care at Johns Hopkins for the benefit of the individuals and communities that we serve. The academy recognizes clinically excellent academic physicians who have achieved a level of mastery in communication & interpersonal skills, professionalism & humanism, and negotiation of the healthcare system. Congratulations Danielle!
