Bruce Alan Sullenger
Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor of Experimental Surgery
The specific aims of my laboratory are:
1. To isolate and characterize RNA and DNA aptamers which block therapeutically relavent proteins such as those involved in cardiovascular diseases and immune modulation.
2. To develop RNA-based tumor targeting strategies for delivering siRNAs and miRNAs to tumor cells.
3. To reprogram cells using mRNA delivery.
4. To explore novel methods to control inflammation.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor of Experimental Surgery
- Professor in Surgery
- Director of the Duke Center for Translational Research
- Professor of Cell Biology
- Professor of Neurosurgery
- Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
- Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Contact Information
- Office Location: DUMC 103035, Durham, NC 27710
- Office Phone: +1 919 684 6375
- Email Address: bruce.sullenger@duke.edu
Education
- Ph.D. Cornell University, 1990
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2018
- AAAS Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2014
Courses Taught
- PHARM 494: Research Independent Study
In the News
- Improvement to CRISPR Gene Editing Could Make It More Effective (Jun 30, 2023 | Duke Health News)
- Two From Duke Named To National Academy Of Inventors (Dec 11, 2018)
- Five Faculty Named Fellows of American Association for the Advancement of Science (Nov 24, 2014)
- From Bench to Bedside and Beyond (Jul 8, 2014)
Representative Publications
- Buddai, SK; Layzer, JM; Lu, G; Rusconi, CP; Sullenger, BA; Monroe, DM; Krishnaswamy, S, An anticoagulant RNA aptamer that inhibits proteinase-cofactor interactions within prothrombinase., J Biol Chem, vol 285 no. 8 (2010), pp. 5212-5223 [10.1074/jbc.M109.049833] [abs].
- Mi, J; Liu, Y; Rabbani, ZN; Yang, Z; Urban, JH; Sullenger, BA; Clary, BM, In vivo selection of tumor-targeting RNA motifs., Nat Chem Biol, vol 6 no. 1 (2010), pp. 22-24 [10.1038/nchembio.277] [abs].
- Wang, J; Wakeman, TP; Lathia, JD; Hjelmeland, AB; Wang, X-F; White, RR; Rich, JN; Sullenger, BA, Notch promotes radioresistance of glioma stem cells., Stem Cells, vol 28 no. 1 (2010), pp. 17-28 [10.1002/stem.261] [abs].
- Oney, S; Lam, RTS; Bompiani, KM; Blake, CM; Quick, G; Heidel, JD; Liu, JY-C; Mack, BC; Davis, ME; Leong, KW; Sullenger, BA, Development of universal antidotes to control aptamer activity., Nat Med, vol 15 no. 10 (2009), pp. 1224-1228 [10.1038/nm.1990] [abs].
- Blake, CM; Sullenger, BA; Lawrence, DA; Fortenberry, YM, Antimetastatic potential of PAI-1-specific RNA aptamers., Oligonucleotides, vol 19 no. 2 (2009), pp. 117-128 [10.1089/oli.2008.0177] [abs].
- Long, SB; Long, MB; White, RR; Sullenger, BA, Crystal structure of an RNA aptamer bound to thrombin., RNA, vol 14 no. 12 (2008), pp. 2504-2512 [10.1261/rna.1239308] [abs].
- Dollins, CM; Nair, S; Boczkowski, D; Lee, J; Layzer, JM; Gilboa, E; Sullenger, BA, Assembling OX40 aptamers on a molecular scaffold to create a receptor-activating aptamer., Chem Biol, vol 15 no. 7 (2008), pp. 675-682 [10.1016/j.chembiol.2008.05.016] [abs].
- Giangrande, PH; Zhang, J; Tanner, A; Eckhart, AD; Rempel, RE; Andrechek, ER; Layzer, JM; Keys, JR; Hagen, P-O; Nevins, JR; Koch, WJ; Sullenger, BA, Distinct roles of E2F proteins in vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and intimal hyperplasia., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 104 no. 32 (2007), pp. 12988-12993 [10.1073/pnas.0704754104] [abs].
- Kierlin-Duncan, MN; Sullenger, BA, Using 5'-PTMs to repair mutant beta-globin transcripts., RNA, vol 13 no. 8 (2007), pp. 1317-1327 [10.1261/rna.525607] [abs].
- Nimjee, SM; Keys, JR; Pitoc, GA; Quick, G; Rusconi, CP; Sullenger, BA, A novel antidote-controlled anticoagulant reduces thrombin generation and inflammation and improves cardiac function in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery., Mol Ther, vol 14 no. 3 (2006), pp. 408-415 [10.1016/j.ymthe.2006.04.006] [abs].
- McNamara, JO; Andrechek, ER; Wang, Y; Viles, KD; Rempel, RE; Gilboa, E; Sullenger, BA; Giangrande, PH, Cell type-specific delivery of siRNAs with aptamer-siRNA chimeras., Nat Biotechnol, vol 24 no. 8 (2006), pp. 1005-1015 [10.1038/nbt1223] [abs].
- Jones, JP; Kierlin, MN; Coon, RG; Perutka, J; Lambowitz, AM; Sullenger, BA, Retargeting mobile group II introns to repair mutant genes., Mol Ther, vol 11 no. 5 (2005), pp. 687-694 [10.1016/j.ymthe.2005.01.014] [abs].
- Nimjee, SM; Rusconi, CP; Sullenger, BA, Aptamers: an emerging class of therapeutics., Annu Rev Med, vol 56 (2005), pp. 555-583 [10.1146/annurev.med.56.062904.144915] [abs].
- Rusconi, CP; Roberts, JD; Pitoc, GA; Nimjee, SM; White, RR; Quick, G; Scardino, E; Fay, WP; Sullenger, BA, Antidote-mediated control of an anticoagulant aptamer in vivo., Nat Biotechnol, vol 22 no. 11 (2004), pp. 1423-1428 [10.1038/nbt1023] [abs].
- Layzer, JM; McCaffrey, AP; Tanner, AK; Huang, Z; Kay, MA; Sullenger, BA, In vivo activity of nuclease-resistant siRNAs., RNA, vol 10 no. 5 (2004), pp. 766-771 [10.1261/rna.5239604] [abs].
- Byun, J; Lan, N; Long, M; Sullenger, BA, Efficient and specific repair of sickle beta-globin RNA by trans-splicing ribozymes., RNA, vol 9 no. 10 (2003), pp. 1254-1263 [10.1261/rna.5450203] [abs].
- White, RR; Shan, S; Rusconi, CP; Shetty, G; Dewhirst, MW; Kontos, CD; Sullenger, BA, Inhibition of rat corneal angiogenesis by a nuclease-resistant RNA aptamer specific for angiopoietin-2., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 100 no. 9 (2003), pp. 5028-5033 [10.1073/pnas.0831159100] [abs].
- Rogers, CS; Vanoye, CG; Sullenger, BA; George, AL, Functional repair of a mutant chloride channel using a trans-splicing ribozyme., J Clin Invest, vol 110 no. 12 (2002), pp. 1783-1789 [10.1172/JCI16481] [abs].
- Rusconi, CP; Scardino, E; Layzer, J; Pitoc, GA; Ortel, TL; Monroe, D; Sullenger, BA, RNA aptamers as reversible antagonists of coagulation factor IXa., Nature, vol 419 no. 6902 (2002), pp. 90-94 [10.1038/nature00963] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Gilboa, E, Emerging clinical applications of RNA., Nature, vol 418 no. 6894 (2002), pp. 252-258 [10.1038/418252a] [abs].
- Martell, RE; Nevins, JR; Sullenger, BA, Optimizing aptamer activity for gene therapy applications using expression cassette SELEX., Mol Ther, vol 6 no. 1 (2002), pp. 30-34 [10.1006/mthe.2002.0624] [abs].
- Watanabe, T; Sullenger, BA, RNA repair: a novel approach to gene therapy., Adv Drug Deliv Rev, vol 44 no. 2-3 (2000), pp. 109-118 [10.1016/s0169-409x(00)00089-2] [abs].
- Rusconi, CP; Yeh, A; Lyerly, HK; Lawson, JH; Sullenger, BA, Blocking the initiation of coagulation by RNA aptamers to factor VIIa., Thromb Haemost, vol 84 no. 5 (2000), pp. 841-848 [abs].
- Sullenger, BA, Series introduction: emerging clinical applications of nucleic acids., J Clin Invest, vol 106 no. 8 (2000), pp. 921-922 [10.1172/JCI11343] [abs].
- White, RR; Sullenger, BA; Rusconi, CP, Developing aptamers into therapeutics., J Clin Invest, vol 106 no. 8 (2000), pp. 929-934 [10.1172/JCI11325] [abs].
- Lan, N; Rooney, BL; Lee, SW; Howrey, RP; Smith, CA; Sullenger, BA, Enhancing RNA repair efficiency by combining trans-splicing ribozymes that recognize different accessible sites on a target RNA., Mol Ther, vol 2 no. 3 (2000), pp. 245-255 [10.1006/mthe.2000.0125] [abs].
- Watanabe, T; Sullenger, BA, Induction of wild-type p53 activity in human cancer cells by ribozymes that repair mutant p53 transcripts., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 97 no. 15 (2000), pp. 8490-8494 [10.1073/pnas.150104097] [abs].
- Long, MB; Sullenger, BA, Evaluating group I intron catalytic efficiency in mammalian cells., Mol Cell Biol, vol 19 no. 10 (1999), pp. 6479-6487 [10.1128/MCB.19.10.6479] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA, RNA repair as a novel approach to genetic therapy., Gene Ther, vol 6 no. 4 (1999), pp. 461-462 [10.1038/sj.gt.3300903] [abs].
- Zarrinkar, PP; Sullenger, BA, Optimizing the substrate specificity of a group I intron ribozyme., Biochemistry, vol 38 no. 11 (1999), pp. 3426-3432 [10.1021/bi982688m] [abs].
- Zarrinkar, PP; Sullenger, BA, Probing the interplay between the two steps of group I intron splicing: competition of exogenous guanosine with omega G., Biochemistry, vol 37 no. 51 (1998), pp. 18056-18063 [10.1021/bi982193x] [abs].
- Lan, N; Howrey, RP; Lee, SW; Smith, CA; Sullenger, BA, Ribozyme-mediated repair of sickle beta-globin mRNAs in erythrocyte precursors., Science, vol 280 no. 5369 (1998), pp. 1593-1596 [10.1126/science.280.5369.1593] [abs].
- Jones, JT; Sullenger, BA, Evaluating and enhancing ribozyme reaction efficiency in mammalian cells., Nat Biotechnol, vol 15 no. 9 (1997), pp. 902-905 [10.1038/nbt0997-902] [abs].
- Lee, SW; Sullenger, BA, Isolation of a nuclease-resistant decoy RNA that can protect human acetylcholine receptors from myasthenic antibodies., Nat Biotechnol, vol 15 no. 1 (1997), pp. 41-45 [10.1038/nbt0197-41] [abs].
- Jones, JT; Lee, SW; Sullenger, BA, Trans-splicing reactions by ribozymes., Methods Mol Biol, vol 74 (1997), pp. 341-348 [10.1385/0-89603-389-9:341] [abs].
- Ishizaki, J; Nevins, JR; Sullenger, BA, Inhibition of cell proliferation by an RNA ligand that selectively blocks E2F function., Nat Med, vol 2 no. 12 (1996), pp. 1386-1389 [10.1038/nm1296-1386] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA, Ribozyme-mediated repair of RNAs encoding mutant tumor suppressors., Cytokines Mol Ther, vol 2 no. 3 (1996), pp. 201-205 [abs].
- Lee, SW; Sullenger, BA, Isolation of a nuclease-resistant decoy RNA that selectively blocks autoantibody binding to insulin receptors on human lymphocytes., J Exp Med, vol 184 no. 2 (1996), pp. 315-324 [10.1084/jem.184.2.315] [abs].
- Jones, JT; Lee, SW; Sullenger, BA, Tagging ribozyme reaction sites to follow trans-splicing in mammalian cells., Nat Med, vol 2 no. 6 (1996), pp. 643-648 [10.1038/nm0696-643] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA, Revising messages traveling along the cellular information superhighway., Chem Biol, vol 2 no. 5 (1995), pp. 249-253 [10.1016/1074-5521(95)90043-8] [abs].
- Doudna, JA; Cech, TR; Sullenger, BA, Selection of an RNA molecule that mimics a major autoantigenic epitope of human insulin receptor., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 92 no. 6 (1995), pp. 2355-2359 [10.1073/pnas.92.6.2355] [abs].
- Campbell, TB; Sullenger, BA, Alternative approaches for the application of ribozymes as gene therapies for retroviral infections., Adv Pharmacol, vol 33 (1995), pp. 143-178 [10.1016/s1054-3589(08)60668-7] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA, Colocalizing ribozymes with substrate RNAs to increase their efficacy as gene inhibitors., Appl Biochem Biotechnol, vol 54 no. 1-3 (1995), pp. 57-61 [10.1007/BF02787911] [abs].
- Smith, C; Sullenger, BA, AIDS and HIV infection., Mol Cell Biol Hum Dis Ser, vol 5 (1995), pp. 195-236 [10.1007/978-94-011-0547-7_11] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Cech, TR, Ribozyme-mediated repair of defective mRNA by targeted, trans-splicing., Nature, vol 371 no. 6498 (1994), pp. 619-622 [10.1038/371619a0] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Cech, TR, Tethering ribozymes to a retroviral packaging signal for destruction of viral RNA., Science, vol 262 no. 5139 (1993), pp. 1566-1569 [10.1126/science.8248806] [abs].
- Lee, TC; Sullenger, BA; Gallardo, HF; Ungers, GE; Gilboa, E, Overexpression of RRE-derived sequences inhibits HIV-1 replication in CEM cells., New Biol, vol 4 no. 1 (1992), pp. 66-74 [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Gallardo, HF; Ungers, GE; Gilboa, E, Analysis of trans-acting response decoy RNA-mediated inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transactivation., J Virol, vol 65 no. 12 (1991), pp. 6811-6816 [10.1128/JVI.65.12.6811-6816.1991] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Lee, TC; Smith, CA; Ungers, GE; Gilboa, E, Expression of chimeric tRNA-driven antisense transcripts renders NIH 3T3 cells highly resistant to Moloney murine leukemia virus replication., Mol Cell Biol, vol 10 no. 12 (1990), pp. 6512-6523 [10.1128/mcb.10.12.6512-6523.1990] [abs].
- Sullenger, BA; Gallardo, HF; Ungers, GE; Gilboa, E, Overexpression of TAR sequences renders cells resistant to human immunodeficiency virus replication., Cell, vol 63 no. 3 (1990), pp. 601-608 [10.1016/0092-8674(90)90455-n] [abs].
- Hantzopoulos, PA; Sullenger, BA; Ungers, G; Gilboa, E, Improved gene expression upon transfer of the adenosine deaminase minigene outside the transcriptional unit of a retroviral vector., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 86 no. 10 (1989), pp. 3519-3523 [10.1073/pnas.86.10.3519] [abs].