James J Peterson

James J Peterson,

Biological Scientist III

Department: MD-PEDS-CELL / MOLEC THERP DIV
Business Phone: (352) 273-7413
Business Email: jimmyjop@ufl.edu

About James J Peterson

I have pursued questions at the interface of basic science, applied technology, and medicine. In 1999, I earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in the field of cancer therapy studying the fate and clearance of radio-labeled therapeutic bioconjugates from the circulation. As the tools of genetics and molecular biology exploded, I was privileged to work with Dr. Clay Smith at the University of Florida Department of Ophthalmology using cloned constructs (e.g. fluorescent fusion proteins) to address persistent limitations of immunohistochemistry. These and other molecular-genetic techniques were applied to controversies concerning the light driven translocation of the visual signal transduction protein, arrestin, in photoreceptors. At the biology department at Kansas State University, Larry Takemoto and I published reports in another part of the eye, answering questions of lens crystallin protein interactions using novel informatics (MS3D), mass spectrometry, and surface plasmon resonance. Again at the University of Florida Dept. of Ophthalmology, in partnership with Dr. William Hauswirth and Genzyme, Inc. I utilized a mouse model of retinal angiogenesis, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), to study the application of viral therapeutics to reduce devastating ocular neovascularization that occurs in eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). With Dr. Lonnie Ingram, extensive knowledge of bio-analytical instrumentation was applied to help devise a practical, large scale conversion of plant cell-based carbohydrates into fuels and chemicals. While these are fairly complex and very useful technical skills, I needed also to develop a more humanistic, empathetic approach to helping people. From 2011-2013, I pursued a nursing degree from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. I am a licensed, registered nurse. During this training I assisted Dr. Shannon Boye, Ph.D., and Dr. Christine Kay, M.D., also at UF Ophthalmology, in their pursuit of clinically applicable viral ocular therapeutics for the treatment of tragic sight-stealing genetic diseases (e.g. Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA) and Usher’s disease). My commitment to apply both basic and clinically relevant data to the lives of real people finds expression in many ways in the ocular gene therapy environment at the Boye lab; As lab manager, these duties have included training new personnel in bio-analytical techniques, ordering affordable, quality supplies, and negotiating with vendors to procure reliable instrumentation. On the bench, I have refined a simplified and economical protocol for producing AAV-based therapeutic vectors for the Boye lab. I continue to perform immuno-histochemical and confocal microscopy. Lastly, I can often be found keeping my mind open, reading about new techniques from the literature that may assist us in our pursuit of practical cures for blindness.

Accomplishments

Alachua General Hospital Auxiliary Memorial Scholarship
2012-2013 · Santa Fe College Nursing Program and Alachua General Hospital Auxiliary
Summer Graduate Fellow
1998 · Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole

Publications

2023
Intravitreal injection of a rationally designed AAV capsid library in non-human primate identifies variants with enhanced retinal transduction and neutralizing antibody evasion.
Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. 31(12):3441-3456 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.10.001. [PMID] 37814449.
2021
Effects of Altering HSPG Binding and Capsid Hydrophilicity on Retinal Transduction by AAV.
Journal of virology. 95(10) [DOI] 10.1128/JVI.02440-20. [PMID] 33658343.
2020
Novel AAV44.9-Based Vectors Display Exceptional Characteristics for Retinal Gene Therapy.
Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. 28(6):1464-1478 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.002. [PMID] 32304666.
2019
A Novel Mouse Model of MYO7A USH1B Reveals Auditory and Visual System Haploinsufficiencies.
Frontiers in neuroscience. 13 [DOI] 10.3389/fnins.2019.01255. [PMID] 31824252.
2019
Somatic Gene Editing of GUCY2D by AAV-CRISPR/Cas9 Alters Retinal Structure and Function in Mouse and Macaque.
Human gene therapy. 30(5):571-589 [DOI] 10.1089/hum.2018.193. [PMID] 30358434.
2017
Optimization of Retinal Gene Therapy for X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa Due to RPGR Mutations.
Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. 25(8):1866-1880 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.05.004. [PMID] 28566226.
2016
Cone-Specific Promoters for Gene Therapy of Achromatopsia and Other Retinal Diseases.
Human gene therapy. 27(1):72-82 [DOI] 10.1089/hum.2015.130. [PMID] 26603570.
2016
Highly Efficient Delivery of Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors to the Primate Retina.
Human gene therapy. 27(8):580-97 [DOI] 10.1089/hum.2016.085. [PMID] 27439313.
2016
Impact of Heparan Sulfate Binding on Transduction of Retina by Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors.
Journal of virology. 90(8):4215-4231 [DOI] 10.1128/JVI.00200-16. [PMID] 26865709.
2015
Capsid Mutated Adeno-Associated Virus Delivered to the Anterior Chamber Results in Efficient Transduction of Trabecular Meshwork in Mouse and Rat.
PloS one. 10(6) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0128759. [PMID] 26052939.
2015
Gene Therapy Fully Restores Vision to the All-Cone Nrl(-/-) Gucy2e(-/-) Mouse Model of Leber Congenital Amaurosis-1.
Human gene therapy. 26(9):575-92 [DOI] 10.1089/hum.2015.053. [PMID] 26247368.
2015
Systemic Vascular Transduction by Capsid Mutant Adeno-Associated Virus After Intravenous Injection.
Human gene therapy. 26(11):767-76 [DOI] 10.1089/hum.2015.097. [PMID] 26359319.
2011
Simplified process for ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse using hydrolysate-resistant Escherichia coli strain MM160.
Bioresource technology. 102(3):2702-11 [DOI] 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.143. [PMID] 21111615.
2010
Optimizing cellulase usage for improved mixing and rheological properties of acid-pretreated sugarcane bagasse.
Bioresource technology. 101(23):9128-36 [DOI] 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.07.040. [PMID] 20678927.
2010
Optimizing the saccharification of sugar cane bagasse using dilute phosphoric acid followed by fungal cellulases.
Bioresource technology. 101(6):1851-7 [DOI] 10.1016/j.biortech.2009.09.070. [PMID] 19880314.
2006
Arrestin translocation in rod photoreceptors.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 572:455-64 [PMID] 17249609.
2005
A role for cytoskeletal elements in the light-driven translocation of proteins in rod photoreceptors.
Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 46(11):3988-98 [PMID] 16249472.
2005
Interaction of lens alpha and gamma crystallins during aging of the bovine lens
Experimental Eye Research. 81:680-689
2004
Probing alpha-crystallin structure using chemical cross-linkers and mass spectrometry.
Molecular vision. 10:857-66 [PMID] 15570221.
2004
The surface of visual arrestin that binds to rhodopsin.
Molecular vision. 10:392-8 [PMID] 15215746.
2003
Arrestin migrates in photoreceptors in response to light: a study of arrestin localization using an arrestin-GFP fusion protein in transgenic frogs.
Experimental eye research. 76(5):553-63 [PMID] 12697419.
2003
Preclinical evaluation of cathepsin-degradable peptide linkers for radioimmunoconjugates.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 9(10 Pt 2):3865S-72S [PMID] 14506184.
1999
Enzymatic Cleavage of Peptide-Linked Radiolabels from Immunoconjugates
Bioconjugate Chemistry. 10:553-557
1999
Total solid-phase synthesis of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N’, N”,N”’-tetraacetic acid-functionalized peptides for radioimmunotherapy.
Bioconjugate chemistry. 10(2):316-20 [PMID] 10077483.
1998
Cathepsin Substrates as Cleavable Peptide Linkers in Bioconjugates, Selected from a Fluorescence Quench Combinatorial Library
Bioconjugate Chemistry. 9:618-626
1998
Comparison of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N’,N”,N”’-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-peptide-ChL6, a novel immunoconjugate with catabolizable linker, to 2-iminothiolane-2-[p-(bromoacetamido)benzyl]-DOTA-ChL6 in breast cancer xenografts.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 4(10):2483-90 [PMID] 9796981.

Education

ASN/RN
2013 · Santa Fe College
PhD
1999 · University of California, Davis
Bachelor of Science
1985-1990 · California State University, Long Beach

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-7413
Emails:
Business:
jimmyjop@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO BOX 100284
1600 SW ARCHER ROAD
JAMES J PETERSON, PHD
GAINESVILLE FL 326100284
Business Street:
BIOFUELS PILOT PLANT
BIOFUELS PILOT PLANT
JAMES J. PETERSON, PHD
GAINESVILLE FL 326110001