Jeff Carroll (scientist)
Encyclopedia
Jeff Carroll is a prominent scientific researcher in the field of Huntington's disease
(HD). As a carrier of the abnormal gene that causes HD, he is also a public advocate for families affected by the disease, and co-founder of the HD research news platform HDBuzz
. His life and work were the subject of a 2011 Gemini award
-nominated CBC documentary feature. Carroll is a Visiting Professor of neuroscience
in the Department of Psychology
at Western Washington University
.
. While serving in the army, Carroll's mother was diagnosed as suffering from Huntington's disease
(HD), a fatal, incurable, genetically inherited neurodegenerative illness. Learning that he and his siblings were each at 50% risk of having inherited the genetic abnormality that causes HD, and having no scientific background, Carroll enrolled in an Army-sponsored basic biology course, initiating a career as a neuroscientist
.
Carroll underwent genetic testing
for Huntington's disease
in 2003 and received a positive result, indicating that he will succumb to the disease at some time, unless effective treatments are found.
, Vancouver
, followed by a doctoral program in UBC's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
in the laboratory of Dr Michael Hayden. Carroll gained a Ph.D. in 2010 for his research into Huntington's disease, including work on the YAC128
HD mouse model, the role of caspase 6
in HD, genetic variation in the human HD gene
and the potential of allele
-specific gene silencing
using antisense oligonucleotides as a treatment for the condition.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Carroll worked in the laboratory of Dr Marcy MacDonald at Harvard University
on metabolic abnormalities in Huntington's disease before moving to Western Washington University
in 2011 where he is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychology and continues to conduct research into Huntington's disease.
and the controversial issue of predictive genetic testing
for HD. He delivered keynote addresses at the 2009 World Congress on Huntington's Disease in Vancouver and the 2010 Annual Convention of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.
Carroll is also a prominent scientific educator and an advocate for accessible education of the public by scientists. In an editorial in the scientific journal Trends in Molecular Medicine, he argued that "accurately communicating research to the affected community is a moral obligation of the scientific community ... a work of science isn't complete until this has been done.". Alongside clinical researcher Dr Ed Wild (UCL, London) and Emmy award
-winning journalist and HD patient advocate Charles Sabine
, Carroll has delivered plain-language digests of research news for patients and family members at major scientific conferences, including the 2009 and 2011 World Congresses on Huntington's Disease in Vancouver
and Prague
, and the 2010 European Huntington's Disease Network Annual Congress.
In 2010, Carroll's life, work and family were the subject of an episode of the CBC documentary 'Connect with Mark Kelley
', entitled 'Fighting Huntington's disease'. The episode was nominated for a Gemini Award
for 'Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Segment'.
In 2011, with financial support from the national Huntington's disease lay organizations of the USA, Canada, England & Wales, Scotland and Germany , Carroll and Wild co-founded HDBuzz
, an online source of accessible news about Huntington's disease research, written by scientists. HDBuzz was awarded the HD Association of Northern Ireland's 2011 Award for Scientific Communication and was the subject of an article in the scientific journal Trends in Molecular Medicine in October 2011 entitled 'HDBuzz: empowering patients through accessible education'.
, USA, with his wife Megan and two children, Billie and Elijah (born December 5, 2005), non-identical twins born through in-vitro fertilization using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to ensure that they did not inherit a risk of Huntington's disease.
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease, chorea, or disorder , is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. It typically becomes noticeable in middle age. HD is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary writhing movements called chorea...
(HD). As a carrier of the abnormal gene that causes HD, he is also a public advocate for families affected by the disease, and co-founder of the HD research news platform HDBuzz
HDBuzz
HDBuzz is a non-profit website that supplies news about Huntington's disease research in plain language.- Overview :HDBuzz was launched in January 2011 by Huntington's disease researchers Dr Ed Wild and Dr Jeff Carroll...
. His life and work were the subject of a 2011 Gemini award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
-nominated CBC documentary feature. Carroll is a Visiting Professor of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
in the Department of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
.
Early life and family history of Huntington's disease
Born in Seattle on August 18th, 1977 to parents Cindy and Jim, Carroll is one of six siblings. He joined the US Army in 1998, serving in KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. While serving in the army, Carroll's mother was diagnosed as suffering from Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease, chorea, or disorder , is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. It typically becomes noticeable in middle age. HD is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary writhing movements called chorea...
(HD), a fatal, incurable, genetically inherited neurodegenerative illness. Learning that he and his siblings were each at 50% risk of having inherited the genetic abnormality that causes HD, and having no scientific background, Carroll enrolled in an Army-sponsored basic biology course, initiating a career as a neuroscientist
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
.
Carroll underwent genetic testing
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
for Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease, chorea, or disorder , is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. It typically becomes noticeable in middle age. HD is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary writhing movements called chorea...
in 2003 and received a positive result, indicating that he will succumb to the disease at some time, unless effective treatments are found.
Scientific career
On leaving the US Army in 2001, Carroll joined an undergraduate biology program at the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, followed by a doctoral program in UBC's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
The Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics is part of the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine. The Centre is located at the Child & Family Research Institute in Vancouver, Canada...
in the laboratory of Dr Michael Hayden. Carroll gained a Ph.D. in 2010 for his research into Huntington's disease, including work on the YAC128
Yeast artificial chromosome
A yeast artificial chromosome is a vector used to clone DNA fragments larger than 100 kb and up to 3000 kb. YACs are useful for the physical mapping of complex genomes and for the cloning of large genes...
HD mouse model, the role of caspase 6
Caspase 6
Caspase-6 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CASP6 gene.CASP6 orthologs have been identified in numerous mammals for which complete genome data are available...
in HD, genetic variation in the human HD gene
Huntingtin
The Huntingtin gene, also called HTT or HD gene, is the IT15 gene which codes for a protein called the huntingtin protein...
and the potential of allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
-specific gene silencing
Gene silencing
Gene silencing is a general term describing epigenetic processes of gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the "switching off" of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic modification...
using antisense oligonucleotides as a treatment for the condition.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Carroll worked in the laboratory of Dr Marcy MacDonald at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on metabolic abnormalities in Huntington's disease before moving to Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
in 2011 where he is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychology and continues to conduct research into Huntington's disease.
Huntington's disease advocacy
As a carrier of the gene that inevitably causes the fatal condition that forms the subject of his scientific research, Carroll is a frequent speaker at scientific and patient conferences and congresses, on issues relating to living at risk of HD, the mutual interdependence of science and patient communities, preimplantation genetic diagnosisPreimplantation genetic diagnosis
In medicine and genetics pre-implantation genetic diagnosis refers to procedures that are performed on embryos prior to implantation, sometimes even on oocytes prior to fertilization. PGD is considered another way to prenatal diagnosis...
and the controversial issue of predictive genetic testing
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
for HD. He delivered keynote addresses at the 2009 World Congress on Huntington's Disease in Vancouver and the 2010 Annual Convention of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.
Carroll is also a prominent scientific educator and an advocate for accessible education of the public by scientists. In an editorial in the scientific journal Trends in Molecular Medicine, he argued that "accurately communicating research to the affected community is a moral obligation of the scientific community ... a work of science isn't complete until this has been done.". Alongside clinical researcher Dr Ed Wild (UCL, London) and Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning journalist and HD patient advocate Charles Sabine
Charles Sabine
Charles Sabine , is an Emmy-award winning TV journalist who worked for the US network, NBC News, for 26 years, before becoming a spokesman for patients and families suffering from degenerative brain disease .- Early life and Career :Sabine was educated at Brentwood School, England, then obtained a...
, Carroll has delivered plain-language digests of research news for patients and family members at major scientific conferences, including the 2009 and 2011 World Congresses on Huntington's Disease in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, and the 2010 European Huntington's Disease Network Annual Congress.
In 2010, Carroll's life, work and family were the subject of an episode of the CBC documentary 'Connect with Mark Kelley
Connect with Mark Kelley
Connect with Mark Kelley is a Canadian news talk show, which debuted October 26, 2009 on CBC News Network. Hosted by Mark Kelley, the show airs weeknights live from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. eastern time...
', entitled 'Fighting Huntington's disease'. The episode was nominated for a Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for 'Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Segment'.
In 2011, with financial support from the national Huntington's disease lay organizations of the USA, Canada, England & Wales, Scotland and Germany , Carroll and Wild co-founded HDBuzz
HDBuzz
HDBuzz is a non-profit website that supplies news about Huntington's disease research in plain language.- Overview :HDBuzz was launched in January 2011 by Huntington's disease researchers Dr Ed Wild and Dr Jeff Carroll...
, an online source of accessible news about Huntington's disease research, written by scientists. HDBuzz was awarded the HD Association of Northern Ireland's 2011 Award for Scientific Communication and was the subject of an article in the scientific journal Trends in Molecular Medicine in October 2011 entitled 'HDBuzz: empowering patients through accessible education'.
Family life
Carroll lives in Bellingham, WashingtonBellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, USA, with his wife Megan and two children, Billie and Elijah (born December 5, 2005), non-identical twins born through in-vitro fertilization using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to ensure that they did not inherit a risk of Huntington's disease.