Avindra Nath

Avindra "Avi" Nath (born December 1, 1958), is a physician-scientist who specializes in neuroimmunology. Nath is the intramural clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States.[1] At NINDS, Nath also leads the Section of Infections of the Nervous System and plans to institute a translational research center.[1] He previously served in several research and administrative positions at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

As a researcher, Nath investigates the molecular mechanisms whereby human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes neurological disorders including HIV dementia. Nath has published over 400 scientific articles, reviews, and book chapters, and is on the editorial board of several journals. He has been an expert advisor to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[2][3][4]

Training and career

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Nath attended Christian Medical College, Ludhiana in Punjab, India.[2] After receiving his medical degree, Nath performed graduate work in neuroscience at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas.

Nath performed a residency in neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. He subsequently completed a neuroimmunology research fellowship with J.S. Wolinsky, also in Houston. From 1988 through mid-1990, Nath was a visiting associate at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the NIH. There, he conducted research with Eugene O. Major and M.E. Dubois-Dalcq.[3]

Nath began his first faculty position in June, 1990, at the University of Manitoba in Canada, where he was promoted from assistant to associate professor and led the research group on neurovirology and neurodegenerative diseases. Nath moved to the University of Kentucky in September, 1997, as a member of the Department of Neurology and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. While at the University of Kentucky, Nath achieved tenure. In 2002, Nath assumed a professorship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.[3][2] There, he held appointments in the Department of Neurology and the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience; he also became director of the Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurological Infections. Nath and his laboratory moved to the National Institutes of Health in 2011.

Nath has served as a staff neurologist in Manitoba; Lexington, Kentucky; and at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.[3][2]

Research

Nath researches the effects of HIV and other infectious agents on the central nervous system.

Notable Contributions

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons. In a 2015 paper in Science Translational Medicine, Nath and colleagues proposed the controversial hypothesis that endogenous retroviruses may play a causal role in a subset of ALS cases.[5][6][7]

Nodding Syndrome

Nodding syndrome is a form of epilepsy endemic in sub-Saharan Africa.[8] The cause of the disease remains unknown, however epidemiologic studies identified an association between nodding syndrome and river blindness, a disease caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. In a 2017 publication in the journal Science Translational Medicine, Dr. Nath and colleagues implicated an autoimmune reaction to O. volvulus as a potential cause of the disease.[9][10][11]

Honors

In 2012, Nath was presented with the Pioneer in NeuroVirology Award by the International Society for NeuroVirology (ISNV) at the 11th International Symposium on NeuroVirology held in New York, New York, USA.

References
  1. NINDS Names New Clinical Director, Dr. Avindra Nath
  2. Neurologists & Neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins--Profile: Dr. Avindra Nath Archived February 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Nath's curriculum vitae Archived April 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Neuroscience homepage
  5. Li, W; Lee, MH; Henderson, L; Tyagi, R; Bachani, M; Steiner, J; Campanac, E; Hoffman, DA; von Geldern, G; Johnson, K; Maric, D; Morris, HD; Lentz, M; Pak, K; Mammen, A; Ostrow, L; Rothstein, J; Nath, A (30 September 2015). "Human endogenous retrovirus-K contributes to motor neuron disease". Science Translational Medicine. 7 (307): 307ra153. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aac8201. PMC 6344353. PMID 26424568.
  6. Costandi, Mo (30 September 2015). "Dormant viruses may cause motor neuron disease when awoken". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  7. "Ancient Virus May Cause ALS, Study Finds". NBC News.
  8. Accessed 20 September 2019
  9. "Scientists May Have Solved the Mystery of Nodding Syndrome".
  10. "Mystery nodding syndrome may be triggered by parasitic worm". 2017-02-15.
  11. Johnson, Tory P.; Tyagi, Richa; Lee, Paul R.; Lee, Myoung-Hwa; Johnson, Kory R.; Kowalak, Jeffrey; Elkahloun, Abdel; Medynets, Marie; Hategan, Alina; Kubofcik, Joseph; Sejvar, James; Ratto, Jeffrey; Bunga, Sudhir; Makumbi, Issa; Aceng, Jane R.; Nutman, Thomas B.; Dowell, Scott F.; Nath, Avindra (2017). "Nodding syndrome may be an autoimmune reaction to the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus". Science Translational Medicine. 9 (377): eaaf6953. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf6953. PMC 5434766. PMID 28202777.
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