Harald Sontheimer, Ph.D.
“For me, it is all about understanding brain cancer, glia and the immune system, and glial cell contributions to nervous system injury and disease.”
Understanding the brain's most abundant cell type
What can knowledge of glial cells teach us about cancer, Alzheimer's disease and human health in general?
Harald Sontheimer researches the biology of glial cells, the brain's most abundant cell type. He is credited with making foundational discoveries on the functional properties of glial cells in the brain, including the localization and mechanisms of a range of receptors and ion channels that were previously thought to exist only on nerve cells.
Currently, the Sontheimer Lab studies the molecular structure and activity of glial cells in health, cancer, and other diseases. He and his research team work to understand the mechanisms underpinning the functions of glial cells, and how these functions may fault.
sontheimer@vtc.vt.edu
540-526-2229
R-3019, Riverside 2
Robert SM, Buckingham SC, Campbell SL, Robel S, Holt KT, Ogunrinu-Babarinde T, Warren PP, White DM, Reid MA, Eschbacher JM, Berens ME, Lahti AC, Nabors LB, Sontheimer H. (2015). SLC7A11 expression is associated with seizures and predicts poor survival in patients with malignant glioma. Science Translational Medicine 7(289).
Robel S, Buckingham SC, Boni JL, Campbell SL, Danbolt NC, Riedmann T, Sutor B, Sontheimer H. (2015). Reactive astrogliosis causes the development of spontaneous seizures. Journal of Neuroscience 35(8): 3330-45.
Sontheimer HW. (2015). Diseases of the Nervous System . Elsevier.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Professor, Department of Neurobiology
Director, Center for Glial Biology in Medicine
Director, Civitan International Research Center
Director, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program
Yale University School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurobiology
- University of Heidelberg: Ph.D., Cell Biology and Biophysics
- Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, 2011
- Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentorship, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2010
- McNulty Civitan Scientist Award, 2004
- Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Member, European Society for Neuroscience
- Member, German Zoological Society
- Member, New York Academy of Sciences
- Member, Society for Neuroscience
- Member, Society for Neurochemistry
- Member, Society for Developmental Neuroscience
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Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers develop new COVID-19 tests to combat backlogs, shortages , article
Virginia Tech scientists have developed a new COVID-19 test and secured federal and state approvals to immediately begin processing samples at on-campus labs in Blacksburg and Roanoke.
Date: Apr 22, 2020 -
Article ItemScientists reveal how brain tumors impact normally supportive cells , article
The same brain cells designed to stop brain damage fail to support healthy neurons when a cancer grows. New research, led by Stefanie Robel and Harald Sontheimer at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, reveals how gliomas alter astrocytes, a cell type that helps protect neurons and is crucial to preventing seizures.
Date: Apr 01, 2020 -
Article ItemScientists solve century-old neuroscience mystery; answers may lead to epilepsy treatment , article
Since 1893, scientists have known about enigmatic structures called perineuronal nets wrapped around neurons, but the function of the nets remained elusive. Now, a research team led by Harald Sontheimer has determined the nets modulate electrical impulses in the brain.
Date: Nov 09, 2018 -
Article ItemFinancial investor trades portfolio for white coat , article
Adam Goode was one of nine students at the school who were awarded named scholarships this year. Goode received the Daniel and Katina Carusillo VTC School of Medicine Scholarship, which is awarded annually to two deserving students at the medical school.
Date: Dec 12, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers win Alzheimer's research awards from Virginia General Assembly , article
Three Virginia Tech researchers have each received money from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund.
Date: Aug 24, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute teams converge on strategies to defeat McCain’s form of brain cancer , article
Research teams at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute from three colleges — Engineering, Science, and Veterinary Medicine — are developing new approaches to treat glioblastoma, the aggressive form of brain cancer recently diagnosed in U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Date: Jul 24, 2017 -
Article ItemMcCain’s form of cancer challenges treatment, Virginia Tech researchers say , article
Sontheimer and several other Virginia Tech scientists are available to discuss the latest research efforts to eradicate the world’s deadliest form of brain cancer. About half of glioblastoma patients die within the 12 to 18 months of diagnosis, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Date: Jul 20, 2017 -
Article ItemHoward Hughes Medical Institute research award a first for Virginia Tech Carilion , article
Oscar Alcoreza, a Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine student about to complete his second year, has been awarded a highly competitive Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) fellowship to devote a year to in-depth, mentored biomedical research at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Date: Apr 28, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists gain insight in cause of Alzheimer’s symptoms , article
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have uncovered a mechanism in the brain that could account for some of the neural degeneration and memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Date: Nov 24, 2015
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