John M. Sullivan MD, PhD
John M. Sullivan
MD, PhD
Professor of Ophthalmology
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Gene Expression; Gene therapy; Neurodegenerative disorders; Pathophysiology; Protein Folding; Retina; Signal Transduction
Professional Summary:
I am a Clinician Scientist working in the field of hereditary retinal and macular degenerations. I direct a regional referral service for these diseases at the Ross Eye Institute. My NIH- and VA-funded laboratory is focused on the development of gene-based therapeutics for hereditary retinal degenerations and common age-related macular degeneration.
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, Retinal Degenerative Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Clinical/Research Fellowship of Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation (now Foundation Fighting Blindness) (1994)
- Residency, Ophthalmology, Washington Univ. School Medicine, St. Louis MO (1992)
- PhD, Biophysics, Medicine/Biophysics, Mount Sinai School Medicine (1987)
- MD, Medicine/Biophysics, Mount Sinai School Medicine, NY (1987)
- BA, Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (1979)
Employment:
- Professor, Ophthalmology, University at Buffalo- State University of New York (2017-present)
- Staff Physician, Ophthalmology, VA Western NY Healthcare System (2004-present)
- Associate Professor with tenure, Ophthalmology, University at Buffalo- State University of New York (2011–2017)
- Associate Professor- tenure track, Ophthalmology, University at Buffalo- State University of New York (2004–2011)
- Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, Upstate Medical University- State University of New York (1994–2004)
- Lecturer in Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, University of Michigan (1992–1994)
- Fellow in Neurobiology; Staff Physician, Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine; John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital (1991–1992)
- Resident in Ophthalmology (PGY2- PGY4), Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine (1988–1991)
- Intern (PGY1), Medicine, St. John's Mercy Medical Center (1987–1988)
Grants and Sponsored Research:
- September 2003–September 2007
A Ribozyme Rescue Strategy for Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa
National Eye Institute
Role: Co-Investigator
$975,000 - June 1996–May 2001
The Early Receptor Current of Rhodopsin Activation
National Eye Institute
Role: Co-Investigator
$350,000
Journal Articles:
- Yau EH, Butler MC, Sullivan JM. A cellular high-throughput screening approach for therapeutic trans-cleaving ribozymes and RNAi against arbitrary mRNA disease targets. Exp Eye Res. 2016; 151.
- Butler MC, Sullivan JM. A Novel, Real-Time, In Vivo Mouse Retinal Imaging System. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015; 56(12).
- Sullivan JM, Yau EH, Taggart RT, Butler MC, Kolniak TA. Relieving bottlenecks in RNA drug discovery for retinal diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2012; 723.
- Sullivan JM, Yau EH, Kolniak TA, Sheflin LG, Taggart RT, Abdelmaksoud HE. Variables and strategies in development of therapeutic post-transcriptional gene silencing agents. J Ophthalmol. 2011; 2011.
- Kolniak TA, Sullivan JM. Rapid, cell-based toxicity screen of potentially therapeutic post-transcriptional gene silencing agents. Exp Eye Res. 2011; 92(5).
- Butler MC, Itotia PN, Sullivan JM. A high-throughput biophotonics instrument to screen for novel ocular photosensitizing therapeutic agents. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010; 51(5).
- Sullivan JM, Yau EH, Taggart RT, Butler MC, Kolniak TA. Bottlenecks in development of retinal therapeutic post-transcriptional gene silencing agents. Vision Res. 2008; 48(3).
- Brueggemann LI, Sullivan JM. HEK293S cells have functional retinoid processing machinery.. J Gen Physiol. 2002; 119(6).
- Sullivan JM, Pietras KM, Shin BJ, Misasi JN. Hammerhead ribozymes designed to cleave all human rod opsin mRNAs which cause autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.. Mol Vis. 2002; 8.
- SULLIVAN J. Rhodopsin charge motions in the Schiff base counterion mutant E113Q. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 2001; 42(S184).
- SULLIVAN J Brueggemann L Anumonwo J. Voltage and proton sensitivity of rhodopsin activation. Biophys. J.. 2001; 80(19a).
- SULLIVAN J L Chiu GM Seigel. Rhodopsin-induced apoptosis in a human cell culture system. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 2000; 41(S404).
- SULLIVAN J L Brueggemann P Shukla. An electrical approach to study rhodopsin activation in single cells with the early receptor current assay. Methods in Enzymology. 2000; 315.
- Shukla P, Sullivan JM. Normal and mutant rhodopsin activation measured with the early receptor current in a unicellular expression system.. J Gen Physiol. 1999; 114(5).
- Sullivan JM, Shukla P. Time-resolved rhodopsin activation currents in a unicellular expression system.. Biophys J. 1999; 77(3).
- SULLIVAN J P Shukla. Time-resolved rhodopsin activation: early receptor current studies in a unicellular expression system.. Biophys. J. 1999; 76(148a).
- SULLIVAN J Shukla P. Time-resolved rhodopsin activation currents in a unicellular expression system. Biophysical J. 1999; 77(3).
- SULLIVAN J Shukla P. Normal and mutant rhodopsin activation measured with the early receptor current in a unicellular expression system.. J. General Physiology. 1999; 114.
- SULLIVAN J. . Low-cost monochromatic microsecond flash microbeam apparatus for single-cell photolysis of rhodopsin or other photolabile pigments.. Rev. Sci. Inst. 1998.
- SULLIVAN J Pietras KM Shin B. Design and testing of hammerhead ribozymes to cleave full-length opsin mRNA. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci.. 1998; 39(S722).
- SULLIVAN J Satchwell MF. Development of stable cell lines expressing mutant human rhodopsins. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 1998; 39(S958).
- SULLIVAN J Mason GO J Olik. A sutureless self-retaining infusion cannula for pars plana vitrectomy. Amer. J. Ophthalmol. 1990; 110.
- SULLIVAN J Liebovitch LS. Fractal analysis of a voltage dependent potassium channel from cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. Biophysical J. 1987; 52.