William B. Isaacs 
Department Affiliation: Primary: Urology;
Secondary: Oncology
Degree: Ph.D, Johns Hopkins University
Rank: Professor
Telephone Number: 410-955-2518
Fax Number: 410-955-0833
E-mail address: wisaacs@jhmi.edu
School of Medicine Address: 115 Marburg
Bldg., 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore,
MD 21205
Molecular genetics and cell biology of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men in the United States, although our understanding of the molecular basis for this disease remains incomplete. We are interested in characterizing consistent alterations in the structure and expression of the genome of human prostate cancer cells as a means of identifying genes critical in the pathways of prostatic carcinogenesis. We are focusing on somatic genomic alterations occurring in sporadic prostate cancers, as well as germline variations which confer increases in prostate cancer risk. Both genome wide and candidate gene approaches are being pursued, and cancer associated changes in gene expression analyses of normal and malignant prostate cells are being cataloged as a complementary approach in these efforts.
It is anticipated that this work will assist in providing more effective methodologies to identify men at high risk for this disease, in general, and in particular, to identify new markers of prognostic and therapeutic significance that could lead to more effective management of this common disease.
Representative Publications:
Zheng SL, Sun J, Wiklund F, Smith S, Stattin P, Li G, Adami HO, Hsu FC, Zhu Y, B?lter K, Kader AK, Turner AR, Liu W, Bleecker ER, Meyers DA, Duggan D, Carpten JD, Chang BL, Isaacs, W.B., Xu J, Gr?nberg H., Cumulative association of five genetic variants with prostate cancer. N Engl J Med. 358(9):910-9, 2008. Epub 2008 Jan 16. Pub Med Reference
Sfanos KS, Sauvageot J, Fedor HL, Dick JD, De Marzo AM, Isaacs, W.B. A molecular analysis of prokaryotic and viral DNA sequences in prostate tissue from patients with prostate cancer indicates the presence of multiple and diverse microorganisms. Prostate. 68(3):306-320, 2008 Pub Med Reference
Zheng SL, Sun J, Cheng Y, Li G, Hsu FC, Zhu Y, Chang BL, Liu W, Kim JW, Turner AR, Gielzak M, Yan G, Isaacs SD, Wiley KE, Sauvageot J, Chen HS, Gurganus R, Mangold LA, Trock BJ, Gronberg H, Duggan D, Carpten JD, Partin AW, Walsh PC, Xu J, Isaacs, W.B. Association between two unlinked loci at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk among European Americans. J Natl Cancer Inst. 9(20):1525-1533, 2007. Epub 2007 Oct 9. Pub Med Reference
Camp NJ, Cannon-Albright LA, Farnham JM, Baffoe-Bonnie AB, George A, Powell I, Bailey-Wilson JE, Carpten JD, Giles GG, Hopper JL, Severi G, English DR, Foulkes WD, Maehle L, Moller P, Eeles R, Easton D, Badzioch MD, Whittemore AS, Oakley-Girvan I, Hsieh CL, Dimitrov L, Xu J, Stanford JL, Johanneson B, Deutsch K, McIntosh L, Ostrander EA, Wiley KE, Isaacs SD, Walsh PC, Thibodeau SN, McDonnell SK, Hebbring S, Schaid DJ, Lange EM, Cooney KA, Tammela TL, Schleutker J, Paiss T, Maier C, Gr?nberg H, Wiklund F, Emanuelsson M, Isaacs, W.B.; International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics, Compelling evidence for a prostate cancer gene at 22q12.3 by the International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics. Hum Mol Genet. 16(11):1271-8, 2007. Epub 2007 May 3. Pub Med Reference
Liu W, Chang B, Sauvageot J, Dimitrov L, Gielzak M, Li T, Yan G, Sun J, Sun J, Adams TS, Turner AR, Kim JW, Meyers DA, Zheng SL, Isaacs, W.B., Xu J. Comprehensive assessment of DNA copy number alterations in human prostate cancers using Affymetrix 100K SNP mapping array. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 45(11):1018-32, 2006. Pub Med Reference
Sun, J., Wiklund, F., Zheng, S.L., Chang, B., Balter, K., Li, L., Johansson, J.E., Li, G., Adami, H.O., Liu, W., Tolin, A., Turner, A.R., Meyers, D.A., Isaacs, W.B., Xu, J., and Gronberg, H. Sequence variants in Toll-like receptor gene cluster (TLR6-TLR1-TLR10) and prostate cancer risk, J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 97:523-532, 2005. Pub Med Reference
Zha, S., and Isaacs, W.B. A nonclassic CCAAT enhancer element binding protein binding site contributes to alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase expression in prostate cancer, Mol. Cancer Res. 3:110-118, 2005. Pub Med Reference
Chang, B.L., Isaacs, S.D., Wiley, K.E., Gillanders, E.M., Zheng, S.L., Meyers, D.A., Walsh, P.C., Trent, J.M., Xu, J., and Isaacs. W.B. Genome-wide screen for prostate cancer susceptibility genes in men with clinically significant disease, Prostate 64:356-361, 2005. Pub Med Reference
Chang, B.L., Gillanders, E.M., Isaacs, S.D., Wiley, K.E., Adams, T., Turner, A.R., Zheng, S.L., Meyers, D.A., Carpten, J.D., Walsh, P.C., Trent, J.M., Xu, J., and Isaacs, W.B. Evidence for a general cancer susceptibility locus at 3p24 in families with hereditary prostate cancer, Cancer Lett. 219:177-182, 2005. Pub Med Reference
Zha, S., Ferdinandusse, S., Hicks, J.L., Denis, S., Dunn, T.A., Wanders, R.J., Luo, J., DeMarzo, A.M., and Isaacs, W.B. Peroxisomal branched chain fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway is upregulated in prostate cancer, Prostate 63:316-323, 2005. Pub Med Reference
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Other graduate programs in which Dr. Isaacs participates:
Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program
Anti-Cancer Drug Development Program
