Dong Sung An, MD, PhD
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation; Professor
“UCLA is the world’s leading institute in AIDS research. I am very excited about my research because it potentially provides a completely new therapeutic approach to treating AIDS patients. If it works, we may be able to control HIV infections by a single treatment.”
Dr. Dong Sung An, an associate professor at UCLA, is striving to use genetic modification to make the human population resistant to HIV. Most people are susceptible to HIV infection because of CCR5, a protein molecule that HIV utilizes to infect human cells. Dr. An’s research team has developed a genetic method to remove the HIV receptor on cell surfaces so that cells become resistant to HIV infection. His team also is looking for a cure for HIV, as current anti-HIV drugs, which must be taken daily to combat the viral persistence, do not provide a cure. Dr. An’s current clinical trial (Safety Study of a Dual Anti-HIV Gene Transfer Construct to Treat HIV-1 Infection. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01734850), is looking at whether an experimental gene transfer, LVsh5/C46 (also known as Cal-1), is safe and can protect the immune system from the effects of HIV without the use of antiretroviral drugs. The clinical trial is open to new participants.
Areas of Scholarly Expertise and Interest
HIV, hematopoietic stem cell, HSC, based anti-HIV gene therapy, CCR5 Expression, AIDS
Faculty Research and Clinical Expertise
Research: Developing hematopoietic stem cell based gene therapy strategies for treating HIV infected patients. My research team investigates efficient introduction of protective genes against HIV into target cells and offer protection against HIV. My research aims to bring basic science findings to the clinic.
Education
Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, M.D., 1993, Medicine
Tokyo Medical and Dental University, PhD 1997, Virology
Honors and Awards
Soujinkan Award, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 2004
Publications
Suree N, Koizumi N, Sahakyan A, Shimizu S, An DS. (2012). A novel HIV-1 reporter virus with a membrane-bound Gaussia princeps luciferase. Journal of Virological Methods, 183, 49-56.
Sato K, Misawa N, Fukuhara M, Iwami S, An DS, Ito M, Koyanagi Y. (2012). Vpu Augments the Initial Burst Phase of HIV-1 Propagation and Downregulates BST2 and CD4 in Humanized Mice. Journal of Virology, 86, 5000-13.
Marsden MD, Kovochich M, Suree N, Shimizu S, Mehta R, Cortado R, Bristol G, An DS, Zack JA. (2012).HIV latency in the humanized BLT mouse.Journal of Virology, 86, 339-347.
Liang M, Kamata M, Chen KN, Pariente N, An DS, Chen IS. Inhibition of HIV-1 infection by a unique short hairpin RNA to chemokine receptor 5 delivered into macrophages through hematopoietic progenitor cell transduction. J Gene Med. 2010 Mar;12(3):255-65.
Shimizu, S., Hong, P., Arumugan, B., Pokomo, L., Boyer, J., Koizumi, N., Kittipongdaja, P., Chen, A., Bristol, G., Galic, Z., Zack, J., Yang, O., Chen, I., Lee, B. and An,DS. A highly efficient short hairpin RNA potently down-regulates CCR5 expression in systemic lymphoid organs in the hu-BLT mouse model. Blood. 2010 Feb 25;115(8):1534-44. Epub 2009 Dec 17.
Shimizu S, Kamata M, Kittipongdaja P, Chen KN, Kim S, Pang S, Boyer J, Qin FX, An DS, Chen IS. Characterization of a potent non-cytotoxic shRNA directed to the HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5. Genet Vaccines Ther. 2009 Jun 10;7(1):8.
Burton JB, Priceman SJ, Sung JL, Brakenhielm E, An DS, Pytowski B, Alitalo K, Wu L. Suppression of Prostate Cancer Nodal and Systemic Metastasis by Blockade of the Lymphangiogenic Axis. Cancer Research; 68: (19). October 1, 2008.
An DS, Donahue RE, Kamata M, Poon B, Metzger M, Mao SH, Bonifacino A, Krouse AE, Darlix JL, Baltimore D, Qin FX, Chen IS. Stable reduction of CCR5 by RNAi through hematopoietic stem cell transplant in non-human primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Aug 1.
An DS, Poon B, Fang RH, Weijer K, Blom B, Spits H, Chen IS, Uittenbogaart CH. The Human immune system (HIS) RAG-/-{gamma}c-/- mouse, a novel chimeric mouse model for HIV-1 infection. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2007 Feb 21.
An DS, Qin XF, Auyeung VC, Mao SH, Kung SKP, Baltimore D, and Chen ISY. Optimization and functional effects of stable short hairpin RNA expression in primary human lymphocytes via lentiviral vectors. Molecular Therapy, July14. 2006.
An DS, Xie Y, Mao SH, Morizono K, Kung SK, Chen ISY. Efficient lentiviral vectors for short hairpin RNA delivery into human cells. Human Gene Therapy. 2003 Aug 10;14(12):1207-1.
Qin XF*, An DS*, Chen ISY, Baltimore D. Inhibiting HIV-1 infection in human T-cells by lentiviral-mediated delivery of siRNA against CCR5. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2003 Jan 7;100(1):183-8. (*These authors contributed equally to this work.)
An DS, Kung SK, Bonifacino A, Wersto RP, Metzger ME, Agricola BA, Mao SH, Chen IS, Donahue RE. Lentivirus vector-mediated hematopoietic stem cell gene transfer of common gamma-chain cytokine receptor in rhesus macaques. Journal of Virology. 2001 Apr;75(8):3547-55.
An DS, Xie Ym, Chen IS. Envelope gene of the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-W encodes a functional retrovirus envelope. Journal of Virology. 2001 Apr;75(7):3488-9.
An DS, Wersto RP, Agricola BA, Metzger ME, Lu S, Amado RG, Chen ISY, Donahue RE . Marking and Gene Expression by a Lentivirus Vector in Transplanted Human and Non human Primate CD34+Cells. Journal of Virology. 74:1286-1295. February 2000.
An DS; K Morizono; Li Q; Lu, S, Mao S H, Chen ISY. An inducible HIV-1 vector which effectively suppresses HIV-1 replication. Journal of Virology, 1999 September, 73(9):7671-7677.
An DS; Koyanagi Y; Zhao JQ; Akkina R; Bristol G; Yamamoto N; Zack JA; Chen ISY. High-efficiency transduction of human lymphoid progenitor cells and expression in differentiated T cells. Journal of Virology, 1997 February, 71(2):1397-404.