Brian Barth, Ph.D.

I specialize in sphingolipid biology and signaling, hematology and oncology, inflammatory biology, neuroscience, and experimental therapeutics including natural products research from medicinal plants (notably, using Alaskan ethnobotanicals). My training has focused extensively on sphingolipid metabolism and signaling, which has thoroughly prepared me for and has direct relevance to the broad fields of cellular biology and inflammation, as well as leukemia and cancer biology. I am interested in better understanding the underlying metabolism and pathobiology of disease. I strive to use this knowledge to develop new therapeutic strategies addressing these problems including from natural product-based drug discovery. My major contributions to science have been: 1) defining unique sensitivity to nanoliposomal ceramide for acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplastic syndrome-related changes that is associated with distinct ceramide metabolism, 2) characterization of NADPH oxidase regulation by ceramide and its metabolites, 3) identification of anti-leukemia and anti-inflammatory roles for Alaskan natural products, and 4) defining a myeloid/lymphoid-regulatory role for dihydrosphingosine­1­phosphate, a bioactive sphingolipid with no previously defined physiological role. Additionally, I have made an impact in science through the development and characterization of ceramide-based therapeutics including nanotechnologies. Overall, I feel that I am uniquely positioned as a researcher given my specific expertise in sphingolipid biology, which is a broadly relevant field. My overarching goal is to understand biological mechanisms that link sphingolipid metabolism to health and disease. Ultimately, this knowledge informs experimental therapeutic development including from natural product (including medicinal plant)-based drug discovery. The ability to translate mechanistic and fundamental science to applied therapeutics is a hallmark of my research efforts.