Kenneth Witwer Explained

Kenneth W. Witwer
Fields:Virology
Molecular biology
Nanomedicine
Nanotechnology
Workplaces:Johns Hopkins University
Education:Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States (PhD)
Doctoral Advisor:Janice E. Clements
Known For:Research on extracellular vesicles and extracellular RNA

Kenneth W. Witwer is an associate professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology and neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He is President of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) and previously served as Secretary General and Executive Chair of Science and Meetings of the society. His laboratory studies extracellular vesicles (EVs), noncoding and extracellular RNA (exRNA), and enveloped viruses, including HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Witwer is the managing editor of the journal Cytotherapy and a member of the Richman Family Precision Medicine Center of Excellence in Alzheimer's Disease. He has advised the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US National Institutes of Health and is an associate editor of the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.

Career and research

Witwer's PhD dissertation research was on retroviruses and innate immune system responses to pathogens such as Visna virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) as models of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, specifically regulation of microRNAs, cytokines, and the promyelocytic leukemia protein (TRIM19). He then completed a postdoctoral research project on miRNAs as biomarkers of HIV disease.[1] In 2011, Witwer joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins, and he assumed a tenure-track position in 2012.[1] His primary appointment is in the Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology. He has a secondary appointment in Neurology and Neurosurgery. He is a member of the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program and the Richman Family Precision Medicine Center of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease at Johns Hopkins.[2] [3]

The Witwer laboratory studies the roles of EVs, exRNA, and ncRNA in HIV disease of the central nervous system and in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.[4] Another focus of the group is on how inflammatory insults like cigarette smoking affect progression of disease.[5] [6] Beginning in 2013, Witwer examined the hypothesis that RNAs such as miRNAs in dietary substances could regulate endogenous genes in mammals. These studies led him and others to the conclusion that this type of regulation is unlikely to occur in normal physiology.[7] [8] [9] He subsequently served on two Scientific Advisory Panels of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and addressed the European Food Safety Authority on related questions of environmental exposure to RNA.[1]

Organization and editing

Witwer chaired the organizing committee of the ISEV2015 annual meeting (Bethesda, United States).[10] He has since filled several leadership roles with ISEV and become President of the society in 2024.[11] Witwer has organized or co-organized workshops and other meetings on five continents.[12] [1] Responding in 2020 to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Witwer converted a monthly journal club at Johns Hopkins into a weekly worldwide virtual event known as "Extracellular Vesicle Club." The club became an official ISEV feature in 2021.[13] He is co-Chair with Paul Robbins of the 2022 Gordon Research Conference on EVs.[14] Witwer is an associate editor of the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles and a member of the editorial boards of Clinical Chemistry and AIDS.[1] [15] He was instrumental in the founding of a second ISEV journal, the Journal of Extracellular Biology.[16]

Scientific rigor, standardization, and advocacy

Witwer has contributed to scientific standardization and rigor efforts. He was corresponding author in 2013 of the first position paper of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles, on standardization of isolation and characterization of EVs in RNA studies.[17] With Clotilde Théry, he coordinated the Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV2018), a consensus guidelines document for the EV field.[18] An opponent of AIDS denialism, a largely defunct movement that denied the existence of HIV or its role in causing AIDS,[19] [20] he has encouraged high standards in scientific publishing, critiquing predatory publishing and other publishing practices.[21] [22] [23] He has advocated public availability of scientific data.[24] With the emergence of COVID-19, Witwer was interviewed about the virology of the pandemic and conspiracy theories that arose around SARS-CoV-2.[25] [26] [27] [28] He is co-corresponding author of a statement by ISEV and the International Society for Gene and Cell Therapy on extracellular vesicle-based therapies for COVID-19.[29]

Awards and honors

Selected works

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kenneth W. Witwer . Johns Hopkins Medicine . 27 September 2019 .
  2. Web site: The Richman Family Precision Medicine Center of Excellence in Alzheimer's Disease . Johns Hopkins Medicine . 23 April 2021 .
  3. Book: Avramopoulos D, Kapogiannis D, Leoutsakos JM . GeNeDis 2020 . Developing Treatments for Alzheimer's and Related Disorders with Precision Medicine: A Vision . Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology . etal . 1339. 395–402. 2021 . 35023131 . 9358929. 10.1007/978-3-030-78787-5_49. 978-3-030-78786-8 . 245907562 .
  4. Web site: Funded Studies: Kenneth W. Witwer, PhD . Michael J. Fox Foundation .
  5. Web site: Kenneth W. Witwer Laboratory . Kenneth W. Witwer . 27 September 2017 .
  6. Russell AE, Liao Z, Tkach M . etal . Cigarette smoke-induced extracellular vesicles from dendritic cells alter T-cell activation and HIV replication . . 360. 33–43. 2022 . 35181468 . 9014967. 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.02.004. 246916421 .
  7. Kupferschmidt . Kai . 16 August 2013 . A lethal dose of RNA . Science . 341 . 6147 . 732–733 . 10.1126/science.341.6147.732 . 23950525 . free .
  8. Web site: Meeting Minute of the September 27-28, 2016 FIFRA SAP . US Environmental Protection Agency . 27 September 2019 .
  9. Witwer KW, Zhang CY . Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet? . Genes & Nutrition . 12 . 15 . 2017 . 28694875 . 5501113 . 10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4 . free .
  10. Web site: NIH Director Francis Collins & 2013 Nobelist James Rothman Kick Off 2015 Annual International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Meeting in Washington, DC . O'Neill . Mike . 23 April 2015 . BioQuick News . Mike O'Neill . 27 September 2019 .
  11. Web site: Nominations . International Society for Extracellular Vesicles . 5 March 2022 .
  12. Web site: Executive Board . International Society for Extracellular Vesicles . 27 September 2019 .
  13. Web site: International Society for Extracellular Vesicles Launches EV Club . 20 April 2021 . WFMZ-TV News Allentown . 22 April 2021 .
  14. Web site: Extracellular Vesicles: Gordon Research Conference . Gordon Research Conferences . 23 April 2021 .
  15. Web site: AIDS Editorial Board . 1 July 2020 .
  16. Hill AF, Sahoo S . Launching the Journal of Extracellular Biology (J Ex Bio) – A new journal from the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) . . 1. 1. e19. 2022 . 38938685. 11080626 . 10.1002/jex2.19. 247483494 . free.
  17. Witwer KW, Buzás EI, Bemis LT, Bora A, Lässer C, Lötvall J, Nolte-'t Hoen EN, Piper MG, Sivaraman S, Skog J, Théry C, Wauben MH, Hochberg F . Standardization of sample collection, isolation and analysis methods in extracellular vesicle research . J. Extracell. Vesicles . 2 . 20360 . 2013 . 24009894 . 3760646 . 10.3402/jev.v2i0.20360.
  18. Théry C, Witwer KW, Aikawa E . etal . Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines . J. Extracell. Vesicles . 7 . 1 . 1535750 . 2018 . 30637094 . 6322352 . 10.1080/20013078.2018.1535750.
  19. Web site: Frontiers lets HIV denial article stand, reclassifies it as "opinion" . Cat Ferguson . Retraction Watch . 24 February 2015 .
  20. Web site: Why Frontiers Must Retract HIV/AIDS Denialist Paper . Witwer . Kenneth . 26 March 2015 . The Body Pro .
  21. News: Why Beall's List Died – and What It Left Unresolved About Open Access . Paul Basken . The Chronicle of Higher Education . 12 September 2017 .
  22. Jocelyn Kaiser, "ScienceInsider: U.S. Government Accuses Open Access Publisher of Trademark Infringement", Science, 9 May 2013
  23. Web site: Instead of retracting a flawed study, a journal let authors re-do it. It got retracted anyway . Andrew P. Han . Retraction Watch . 23 June 2017 .
  24. Web site: Study finds many authors aren't sharing data when they publish — and leads to a PLOS ONE retraction . Ivan Oransky . Retraction Watch . 30 January 2013 .
  25. Web site: Los "daños irreparables" al genoma humano de las vacunas contra el covid-19 y otras afirmaciones falsas de un genetista argentine . Prieto . Ana . September 29, 2020 . Agence France-Presse Argentina .
  26. Web site: La prueba PCR usada para el covid-19 no da positivo ante cualquier tipo de coronavirus . Nasanovsky . Nadia . September 24, 2020 . Agence France-Presse Argentina .
  27. Web site: The Mystery of Why Some People Keep Testing Positive for Covid-19. Inside the debate over how long the coronavirus lasts in the body . Khamsi . Roxanne . July 28, 2020 . .
  28. Web site: Infertilidade, um fantasma dos antivacinas que afugenta parte da população . May 15, 2021 . swissinfo.ch .
  29. 32425691. 2020. Börger. V.. Weiss. D. J.. Anderson. J. D.. Borràs. F. E.. Bussolati. B.. Carter DRF. Dominici. M.. Falcón-Pérez. J. M.. Gimona. M.. Hill. A. F.. Hoffman. A. M.. De Kleijn. D.. Levine. B. L.. Lim. R.. Lötvall. J.. Mitsialis. S. A.. Monguió-Tortajada. M.. Muraca. M.. Nieuwland. R.. Nowocin. A.. O'Driscoll. L.. Ortiz. L. A.. Phinney. D. G.. Reischl. I.. Rohde. E.. Sanzenbacher. R.. Théry. C.. Toh. W. S.. Witwer. K. W.. Lim. S. K.. International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy statement on extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells and other cells: Considerations for potential therapeutic agents to suppress coronavirus disease-19. Cytotherapy. 22. 9. 482–485. 10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.05.002. 7229942. 1.
  30. Web site: 34 early-career faculty members earn Johns Hopkins Catalyst Awards . 5 July 2017 . HUB . Johns Hopkins University . 27 September 2019 .
  31. Web site: Congratulations to Dr. Kenneth Witwer . 3 June 2021 . Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology . Johns Hopkins University . 27 September 2019 .

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