Kenneth Witwer

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. His laboratory studies extracellular vesicles (EVs), extracellular RNA (exRNA), and enveloped viruses, including HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Witwer has served as Secretary General and Executive Chair of Science and Meetings of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), has been a scientific advisor to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US National Institutes of Health, and is an associate editor of the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.

Kenneth W. Witwer
EducationJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States (PhD)
Known forResearch on extracellular vesicles and extracellular RNA
Scientific career
FieldsVirology, cellular biology, molecular biology, immunology
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
Academic advisorsJanice E. Clements
Websitewitwerlab.com

Career and research

Witwer's PhD dissertation research was on retroviruses and the innate immune system responses to pathogens such as Visna virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) as models of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 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]

The Witwer laboratory studies the roles of EVs and exRNA in HIV disease of the central nervous system and in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.[2] Another focus of the group is on how inflammatory insults like cigarette smoking affect progression of disease.[3] 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.[4][5][6] He subsequently served on two Scientific Advisory Panels of the US EPA 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).[7] He has since filled several leadership roles with ISEV and organized or co-organized multiple workshops and other meetings on five continents.[8][1] He is co-Chair with Paul Robbins of the 2020 Gordon Research Conference on EVs. Witwer is an associate editor of the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles and a member of the editorial boards of Clinical Chemistry and AIDS.[1][9]

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.[10] With Clotilde Théry, he coordinated the Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV2018), a consensus guidelines document for the EV field.[11] An opponent of AIDS denialism, a largely defunct movement that denied the existence of HIV or its role in causing AIDS,[12][13] he has encouraged high standards in scientific publishing, critiquing predatory publishing and other publishing practices.[14][15][16] He has advocated public availability of scientific data.[17] With the emergence of COVID-19, Witwer was interviewed about the virology of the pandemic and conspiracy theories that arose around SARS-CoV-2.[18][19][20] He was a 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.[21]

Awards and honors

Selected works

References
  1. "Kenneth W. Witwer". Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  2. "Funded Studies: Kenneth W. Witwer, PhD". Michael J. Fox Foundation.
  3. "Kenneth W. Witwer Laboratory". Kenneth W. Witwer. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. Kupferschmidt, Kai (16 August 2013). "A lethal dose of RNA". Science. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  5. "Meeting Minute of the September 27-28, 2016 FIFRA SAP" (PDF). US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. Witwer KW, Zhang CY (2017). "Diet-derived microRNAs: unicorn or silver bullet?". Genes & Nutrition. 12: 15. doi:10.1186/s12263-017-0564-4. PMC 5501113. PMID 28694875.
  7. O'Neill, Mike (23 April 2015). "NIH Director Francis Collins & 2013 Nobelist James Rothman Kick Off 2015 Annual International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Meeting in Washington, DC". BioQuick News. Mike O'Neill. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. "Executive Board". International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  9. "AIDS Editorial Board". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  10. 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 (2013). "Standardization of sample collection, isolation and analysis methods in extracellular vesicle research". J. Extracell. Vesicles. 2: 20360. doi:10.3402/jev.v2i0.20360. PMC 3760646. PMID 24009894.
  11. Théry C, Witwer KW, Aikawa E, et al. (2018). "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. doi:10.1080/20013078.2018.1535750. PMC 6322352. PMID 30637094.
  12. Cat Ferguson (24 February 2015). "Frontiers lets HIV denial article stand, reclassifies it as "opinion"". Retraction Watch.
  13. Witwer, Kenneth (26 March 2015). "Why Frontiers Must Retract HIV/AIDS Denialist Paper". The Body Pro.
  14. Paul Basken (12 September 2017). "Why Beall's List Died – and What It Left Unresolved About Open Access". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  15. Jocelyn Kaiser, "ScienceInsider: U.S. Government Accuses Open Access Publisher of Trademark Infringement" Archived 2013-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, Science, 9 May 2013
  16. Andrew P. Han (23 June 2017). "Instead of retracting a flawed study, a journal let authors re-do it. It got retracted anyway". Retraction Watch.
  17. Ivan Oransky (30 January 2013). "Study finds many authors aren't sharing data when they publish — and leads to a PLOS ONE retraction". Retraction Watch.
  18. Prieto, Ana (September 29, 2020). "Los "daños irreparables" al genoma humano de las vacunas contra el covid-19 y otras afirmaciones falsas de un genetista argentine". Agence France-Presse Argentina.
  19. Nasanovsky, Nadia (September 24, 2020). "La prueba PCR usada para el covid-19 no da positivo ante cualquier tipo de coronavirus". Agence France-Presse Argentina.
  20. Khamsi, Roxanne (July 28, 2020). "The Mystery of Why Some People Keep Testing Positive for Covid-19. Inside the debate over how long the coronavirus lasts in the body". Elemental.
  21. {{cite journal . PMID 32425691. Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. "34 early-career faculty members earn Johns Hopkins Catalyst Awards". HUB. Johns Hopkins University. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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