Brian Capell, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position:
Preliminary Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, followed by a combined Research and Clinical Training Program in Dermatology (4 Year Training Program), Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Graduate: 2009, Cellular and Molecular Biology
(BS Biology, Boston College)
Faculty Mentor: Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Brian did his thesis work on Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, the most dramatic form of human premature aging. Much of this work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and it provided encouraging therapeutic evidence that ultimately led to a human clinical trial for progeria currently underway in Boston. During his free time in the MSTP he enjoyed biking in Central Park and exploring all of the hidden culinary and cultural activities that New York City has to offer.
Fellowships and Awards: HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program; William Randolph Hearst Foundation Fellow; HHMI Continuing Support Award; NIH Pre-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award.
Thesis
Progeria, FTIs, and Insight into Normal Aging
Research Interests
The genetic and molecular mechanisms of normal aging and how these mechanisms affect the growth and regenerative ability of the vasculature, skin, and bones
Selected Publications
Capell BC, Tlougan BE, Orlow SJ. From the most rare to the most common: insight from progeroid syndromes into skin cancer and aging. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Apr;Epub 2009 Apr 23. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 19387478. doi:
10.1038/jid.2009.103.
Capell BC, Olive M, Erdos MR, Cao K, Faddah DA, Tavarez UL, Conneely KN, Qu X, San H, Ganesh SK, Chen X, Avallone H, Kolodgie FD, Virmani R, Nabel EG, Collins FS. A farnesyltransferase inhibitor prevents both the onset and late progression of cardiovascular disease in a progeria mouse model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Oct 14;15902-7. Epub 2008 Oct 6. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18838683. doi:
10.1073/pnas.0807840105. PMCID: PMC2562418.
Capell BC, Collins FS, Nabel EG. Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in accelerated aging syndromes. Circ Res. 2007 Jul 6;101(1):13-26. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17615378. doi:
10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.107.153692.
Cao K,
Capell BC, Erdos MR, Djabali K, Collins FS.
A lamin A protein isoform overexpressed in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome interferes with mitosis in progeria and normal cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Mar 20;104(12):4949-54. Epub 2007 Mar 14. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17360355. doi:
10.1073/pnas.0611640104. PMCID: PMC1821129.
Capell BC, Collins FS. Human laminopathies: nuclei gone genetically awry. Nat Rev Genet. 2006 Dec;7(12):940-52. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17139325. doi:
10.1038/nrg190.
Varga R, Eriksson M, Erdos MR, Olive M, Harten I, Kolodgie F,
Capell BC, Cheng J, Faddah D, Perkins S, Avallone H, San H, Qu X, Ganesh S, Gordon LB, Virmani R, Wight TN, Nabel EG, Collins FS.
Progressive vascular smooth muscle cell defects in a mouse model of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Feb 28;103(9):3250-5. Epub 2006 Feb 21. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16492728. doi:
10.1073/pnas.0600012103.
Capell BC, Erdos MR, Madigan JP, Fiordalisi JJ, Varga R, Conneely KN, Gordon LB, Der CJ, Cox AD, Collins FS.
Inhibiting farnesylation of progerin prevents the characteristic nuclear blebbing of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 6;102(36):12879-84. Epub 2005 Aug 29. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16129833. doi:
10.1073/pnas.0506001102.
Medical Specialization
Dermatology
Additional Information
National Human Genome Research Institute
