Patrick S. Moore
Encyclopedia
Patrick S. Moore is an American virologist and epidemiologist who co-discovered together with his wife, Yuan Chang
, two different human viruses causing the AIDS-related cancer Kaposi's sarcoma
and the skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma
. The couple met while in medical school together and were married in 1989 while they pursued fellowships at different universities.
Moore received a Bachelor's of Science in chemistry and biology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, a M.S.
degree from Stanford University
, M.D.
and MPhil degrees from the University of Utah
, and an M.P.H.
degree from the University of California, Berkeley
. As an epidemiologist working at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), he developed widely used international guidelines to control meningococcal meningitis epidemics and led a team of CDC epidemiologists during the 1992 Somali Civil War
. Civilian death rates documented during this civil war-famine were among the highest ever reported http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00018099.htm. The extreme mortality statistics helped to solidify international support behind the US-led military intervention, Operation Restore Hope. He received the CDC Langmuir Prize for his work on epidemic meningitis control.
After leaving CDC, Moore served briefly as the New York City Epidemiologist but quit to search for new human viruses with his wife, Yuan Chang
who was then a newly-appointed assistant professor at Columbia University
. Unemployed, he worked in his wife's laboratory, allowing him to rapidly pick up training in molecular biology. Despite having no research funding, Moore and Chang used a new molecular biology technique, Representational Difference Analysis
, to search for a virus causing Kaposi's sarcoma
, the most common malignancy among AIDS patients. In 1994, they discovered a new human herpesvirus, KSHV
, in a KS tumor and along with several collaborators showed that it was the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma
, primary effusion lymphoma
, and multicentric Castleman's disease
. Moore was hired onto the faculty at Columbia and the Chang-Moore Laboratory secured research funding to investigate this new virus. They subsequently sequenced KSHV, identified oncogenes encoded by the virus, demonstrated transmission during transplantation and developed diagnostic tests to detect infection. His laboratory currently seeks to understand the role of tumor virus immunoevasion of the innate immune system
as a cause for viral tumorigenesis. In 2002, he moved his laboratory to the University of Pittsburgh
where he is the director of the Molecular Virology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
. Chang and Moore jointly developed a new technique to find human tumor viruses called digital transcriptome subtraction (DTS). Using this approach, they identified the most recently discovered human polyomavirus infecting Merkel cell carcinoma
. This virus is the likely cause of Merkel cell carcinoma and hence is named Merkel cell polyomavirus
. Moore and Chang have discovered two of the seven known human viruses causing cancer.
He has been awarded the Robert Koch Prize
, the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Charles S. Mott Prize
, and the Meyenburg Cancer Research Prize.
Yuan Chang
Yuan Chang is an American virologist and pathologist who co-discovered Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Merkel cell polyomavirus, two of the seven known human cancer viruses....
, two different human viruses causing the AIDS-related cancer Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
and the skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma Merkel cell carcinoma Merkel cell carcinoma (also known as a "Cutaneous apudoma," "Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin," "Primary small cell carcinoma of the skin," and "Trabecular carcinoma of the skin"...
. The couple met while in medical school together and were married in 1989 while they pursued fellowships at different universities.
Moore received a Bachelor's of Science in chemistry and biology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, a M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and MPhil degrees from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, and an M.P.H.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
degree from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. As an epidemiologist working at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC), he developed widely used international guidelines to control meningococcal meningitis epidemics and led a team of CDC epidemiologists during the 1992 Somali Civil War
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
. Civilian death rates documented during this civil war-famine were among the highest ever reported http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00018099.htm. The extreme mortality statistics helped to solidify international support behind the US-led military intervention, Operation Restore Hope. He received the CDC Langmuir Prize for his work on epidemic meningitis control.
After leaving CDC, Moore served briefly as the New York City Epidemiologist but quit to search for new human viruses with his wife, Yuan Chang
Yuan Chang
Yuan Chang is an American virologist and pathologist who co-discovered Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Merkel cell polyomavirus, two of the seven known human cancer viruses....
who was then a newly-appointed assistant professor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Unemployed, he worked in his wife's laboratory, allowing him to rapidly pick up training in molecular biology. Despite having no research funding, Moore and Chang used a new molecular biology technique, Representational Difference Analysis
Representational Difference Analysis
Representational Difference Analysis is a technique used in biological research to find sequence differences in two genomic or cDNA samples. Genomes or cDNA sequences from two samples are PCR amplified and differences analyzed using subtractive DNA hybridization...
, to search for a virus causing Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
, the most common malignancy among AIDS patients. In 1994, they discovered a new human herpesvirus, KSHV
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is one of seven currently known human cancer viruses, or oncoviruses. It is also the eighth human herpesvirus; its formal name according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses is HHV-8. Like other herpesviruses, its informal name is used...
, in a KS tumor and along with several collaborators showed that it was the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
, primary effusion lymphoma
Primary effusion lymphoma
-Causes:It is caused by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus , also known as human herpesvirus 8 .In most cases, the lymphoma cells are also infected with Epstein Barr virus ....
, and multicentric Castleman's disease
Castleman's disease
Castleman's disease is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder that can involve single lymph node stations or...
. Moore was hired onto the faculty at Columbia and the Chang-Moore Laboratory secured research funding to investigate this new virus. They subsequently sequenced KSHV, identified oncogenes encoded by the virus, demonstrated transmission during transplantation and developed diagnostic tests to detect infection. His laboratory currently seeks to understand the role of tumor virus immunoevasion of the innate immune system
Innate immune system
The innate immune system, also known as non-specific immune system and secondary line of defence, comprises the cells and mechanisms that defend the host from infection by other organisms in a non-specific manner...
as a cause for viral tumorigenesis. In 2002, he moved his laboratory to the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
where he is the director of the Molecular Virology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute -designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
. Chang and Moore jointly developed a new technique to find human tumor viruses called digital transcriptome subtraction (DTS). Using this approach, they identified the most recently discovered human polyomavirus infecting Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma Merkel cell carcinoma Merkel cell carcinoma (also known as a "Cutaneous apudoma," "Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin," "Primary small cell carcinoma of the skin," and "Trabecular carcinoma of the skin"...
. This virus is the likely cause of Merkel cell carcinoma and hence is named Merkel cell polyomavirus
Merkel cell polyomavirus
Merkel cell polyomavirus was first described in January 2008. MCV is one of seven known human tumor viruses. It is suspected to cause the majority of cases of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer. Approximately 80% of Merkel cell carcinoma tumors have been found to be...
. Moore and Chang have discovered two of the seven known human viruses causing cancer.
He has been awarded the Robert Koch Prize
Robert Koch Prize
The Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the cause and cure for tuberculosis...
, the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Charles S. Mott Prize
Charles S. Mott Prize
The $250,000 Charles S. Mott Prize was awarded annually by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation. The Mott Prize was one of a trio scientific prizes entirely devoted to cancer research . They were generally considered the most prestigious awards in cancer research...
, and the Meyenburg Cancer Research Prize.