John Kersey, M.D.

Professor
612-625-4659
kerse001@umn.edu

Educational Background

• Dartmouth College, New Hampshire (1959), B.A. (Pre-Med)
• Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire (1962), B.M.S. (Medicine)
• University of Minnesota, Minnesota (1961), (Immunology)
• University Minnesota Medical School, Minnesota (1964), M.D. (Medicine)

Professional Background

• Residency, University of Minnesota, Pathology, 1968 - 1970
• Research Fellowship, University of Minnesota, Immunology and Oncology, 1970
• Residency, University of Minnesota, Pediatrics, 1970 - 1972
• Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Pediatrics, 1971 - 1974
• Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Pediatrics, 1974 - 1977
• Professor, University of Minnesota, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Pediatrics, Therapeutic R, 1977 - present
• Director, University of Minnesota, Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, 1974 - 1995
• Member, University of Minnesota, Institute of Human Genetics, 1986 - present
• Childrens Cancer Research Fund Land Grant Chair, University of Minnesota, 1989 - present
• Acting Director, University of Minnesota, Cancer Center, 1991 - 1995
• Director, University of Minnesota, Cancer Center, 1995 - present

Professional Honors

• President, American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantat, 1997 - 1998
• President, International Society for Experimental Hematology, 1995 - 1996
• Outstanding Investigator Grant Award, National Cancer Institute, 1988 - 2001
• Board of Scientific Counselors, National Cancer Institute, 1984 - 1988
• Advisory Committee on Immunology and Immunotherapy, American Cancer Society, 1986 - 1987
• Councilor and Executive Committee, American Society of Hematology, 1994 - 1998
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Medical Alley, 1994
• Memorial Honoree, Pediatric Research Foundation, 1998
• Medical Professional of the Year, Leukemia Society of America, 1989
• Associate Editor, Blood Journal, 1988 - 1992
• Associate Editor, Journal of Clinical Immunology, 1986 - 1997
• Associate Editor, Cancer Research , 1995 - 2001

Publications

• Chen CS, Medberry PS, Arthur CD and JH Kersey. Breakpoint clustering in t(4;11)(q21;q23) acute leukemia. Blood, 78 (10) 2498-2504, 1991
• Jansen B, Kersey JH, Jaszcz WB, Gunther R, Nguyen DP, Chelstrom LM, Tuel-Ahlgren L and Uckun FM. Effective immunochemotherapy of human t(4;11) leukemia in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) using B43 (anti-CD19) - pokeweed antiviral protein immunotoxin plus cyclophosphamide. Leukemia 7: 290-297, 1993
• Chen CS, Sorensen HB, Domer PH, Reaman GH, Korsmeyer SJ, Heerema NA, Hammond GD and JH Kersey. Molecular rearrangements on chromosome 11q23 predominate in infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia and are associated with specific biologic variable and poor outcome. Blood 81(9) 2386-2393, 1993
• Domer PH, Fakharzadeh SS, Chen CS, Jockel J, Johansen L, Silverman GA, Kersey JH and SJ Korsmeyer. Acute mixed lineage leukemia t(4;11)(q21;q23) generates a MLL-AF-4 fusion product. PNAS 90(16):7884-7887, 1993
• Chen C-S, Hilden JM, Frestedt J, Domer PH, Moore R, Korsmeyer SJ and JH Kersey. The chromosome 4q21 gene (AF-4/FEL) is widely expressed in normal tissues and shows breakpoint diversity in t(4;11)(q21;q23) acute leukemia. Blood 82(4):1080-1085, 1993
• Panzer-Grümayer ER, Panzer S, Wolf M, Majdic O, Haas OA and JH Kersey. Characterization of CD7 CD19 lymphoid cells after Epstein-Barr virus transformation. Journal of Immunology: 151 (1): 92-99, 1993
• Hilden JM, Chen CS, Moore R, Frestedt J and JH Kersey. Heterogeneity in MLL/AF-4 fusion messenger RNA detected by the polymerase chain reaction in t(4;11) acute leukemia. Cancer Research 53: 3853-3856, 1993
• Sorensen PHB, Chen C-S, Smith FO, Arthur DC, Domer PH, Bernstein ID, Korsmeyer SJ, Hammond GD and JH Kersey. Molecular rearrangements of the MLL gene are present in most cases of infant AML and are strongly correlated with monocytic or myelomonocytic phenotypes. Journal of Clinical Investigation 93:429-437, 1993
• Hilden JM and JH Kersey. The MLL (11q23) and AF-4(4q21) genes disrupted in t(4;11) acute leukemia: molecular and clinical studies. Leukemia and Lymphoma, 14: 189-195, 1994
• Chen CS, Bejcek BE, and JH Kersey. A mapping study of 13 genes on the human chromosome bands 4q11-q25. Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics, 69: 260-265, 1995
• Bejcek BE, Wang D, Berven E, Pennell CA, Peiper SC, Poppema S, Uckun FM and JH Kersey. Development and characterization of three recombinant single chain antibody fragments (scFvs) directed against the CD19 antigen. Cancer Research 55: 2346-2351, 1995
• Hilden JM, Frestedt JL, Moore RO, Heerema NA, Arthur DC, Reaman GH and JH Kersey. Molecular analysis of infant ALL: MLL gene rearrangement and RT-PCR for t(4;11)(q21;q23). Blood 86, 3876-3882, 1995
• Frestedt JL, Hilden JM and JH Kersey. AF4/FEL, a gene involved in infant leukemia: sequence variations, gene structure, and possible homology with a genomic sequence on 5q31. DNA and Cell Biology, 15,669-678, 1996
• Wang D, Berven E, Li Q, Uckun F and JH Kersey. Optimization of conditions for formation and analysis of anti-CD19 FVS191 single-chain Fv homodimer (scFv')2. Biochemical Conjugates 8: 64-70, 1997
• Hilden JM, Frestedt JL and JH Kersey. Molecular analysis of infant acute leukemia. Leukemia & Lymphoma 25: 191-199, 1997
• Hilden JM, Smith FO, Frestedt JL, McGlennen R, Howells WB, Sorensen PHB, Arthur DC, Woods WG, Buckley J, Bernstein ID and JH Kersey. MLL gene rearrangement, cytogenetic 11q23 abnormalities, and expression of the NG2 molecule in infant acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 89: 3801-3805, 1997
• Wang D, Li Q, Hudson W, Berven E, Uckun F and JH Kersey. Generation and characterization of an anti-CD19 single chain Fv (scFv) immunotoxin composed of C-terminal disulfide linked dgRTA. Bioconjugate Chemistry 8: 878, 1997
• Kersey JH: Fifty years of studies of the biology and therapy of childhood leukemia. Blood 90: 4243-4251, 1997
• Li Q, Hudson W, Wang D, Berven E, Uckun FM and JH Kersey. Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of radioimmunoconjugates of anti-CD19 antibody and single chain Fv for treatment of human B-cell malignancy. Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy 47: 121-130, 1998
• Kersey JH, Wang D and M Oberto. Resistance of t(4;11)(MLL-AF4 fusion gene) leukemias to stress-induced cell death: Possible mechanism for extensive extramedullary accumulation of cells and poor prognosis. Leukemia 12:1561-1564, 1998
• Li Q, Frestedt JL and JH Kersey. AF4 encodes a ubiquitous protein that in both native and MLL-AF4 fusion types localizes to subnuclear compartments. Blood 92: 3841-3847 , 1998
• Hudson WA, Li Q, Le C and JH Kersey. Xenotransplantation of human lymphoid malignancies is optimized in mice with multiple immunologic defects. Leukemia 2029-2033, 1998
• Steinherz PG, Gaynon PS, Breneman JC, Cherlow J, Grossman NJ, Kersey JH, Johnstone HS, Sather HN, Trigg ME, Uckun FM and WA Bleyer. Treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia with bulky extramedullary disease and T-cell phenotype or other poor prognostic features -Randomized controlled trial from the Childrens Cancer Group. Cancer 82: 600-612, 1998
• Liu B, Li Q and J Kersey. Inhibition of hematopoeitic differentiation by the MLL-AF4 oncogene. Blood 94s,56a, 1999
• Trigg ME, Steinherz PG, Chappell R, Johnstone HS, Gaynon PS, Kersey JH, Cherlow JM, Grossman NJ, Sather HN and GD Hammond. Early testicular biopsy in males with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Lack of impact on subsequent event-free survival. Journal of Pediatric Hematology Oncology 22: 27-33, 2000
• Cragg L, Blazar BR, Defor T, Kolatker N, Miller W, Kersey J, Ramsay N, McGlave P, Filipovich A and D Weisdorf. A randomized trial comparing prednisone with antithymocyte globulin/prednisone as an initial systemic therapy for moderately severe acute graft-versus-host disease. Biology of Blood & Marrow Transplantation 6(4A):441-447, 2000
• Yao Q, Hudson W, Taylor M, Kersey JH. Specific inhibition of MLL fusion gene leukemias by the heat shock protein inhibitors Herbimycin A and 17-allyamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin. AACR Proceedings 43, 923a, 2002
• Wagner JE, Barker JN, DeFor TE, Baker KS, Blazar BR, Goldman A, Kersey J, Krivit W, MacMillan M, Orchard P, Peters C, Weisdorf D, Ramsay NKC, Davies SM. Transplantation of unrelated donor umbilical cord blood in 102 patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases: influence of CD34 cell dose and HLA disparity on treatment-related mortality and survival. Blood 100:1611-1618, 2002
• Shu XO, Potter JD, Linet MS, Severson RK, Han D, Kersey JH, Neglia JP, Trigg MS, Robison LL. Diagnostic x-rays and ultrasound exposure and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia by immunophenotype. Cancer. Epidemiol. Biomarkers. Prev. 11:177-185, 2002
• Vallera DA, Elson M, Brechbiel MW, Dusenbery KE, Burns LJ, Skubitz KM, Jaszcz WB, Ramsay NK, Panoskaltsis-Mortari A, Kuroki DW, Wagner JE, Kersey JH. Preclinical studies targeting normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells with Yttrium-90-labeled anti-CD45 antibody in vitro and in vivo in nude mice. Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, 18(2):133-145, 2003
• Armstrong SA, Kung AL, Mabon ME, Silverman LB, Stam RW, Den Boer ML, Pieters R, Kersey JH, Sallan SE, Fletcher JA, Golub TR, Griffin JD, Korsmeyer SJ. Inhibition of FLT3 in MLL: Validation of a therapeutic target identified by gene expression based classification. Cancer Cell, 3:173-183, 2003
• Johnson JJ, Chen W, Hudson W, Yao Q, Taylor M, Rabbitts TH, Kersey JH. Prenatal and postnatal myeloid cells demonstrate stepwise progression in the pathogenesis of MLL fusion gene leukemia. Blood, 101:3229-3235, 2003
• Yao Q, Nishiuchi R, Li Q, Kumar A, Hudson W, Kersey JH. FLT3 expressing leukemias are selectively sensitive to inhibitors of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 through destabilization of signal transduction-associated kinases. Clinical Cancer Research, 9:4483-4493, 2003
• Vallera DA, Elson M, Brechbiel MW, Dusenbery KE, Burns LJ, Jaszcz WB, Ramsay NK, Panoskaltsis-Mortar A, Kuroki DW, Wagner JE, Vitetta ES, Kersey JH. Radiotherapy of CD19 expressing Daudi tumors in nude mice with Yttrium-90-labeled anti-CD19 antibody. Cancer Biother Radiopharm, 19(1):11-23, 2004
• Kumar AR, Hudson WA, Chen W, Nishiuchi R, Yao Q, Kersey JH. Hoxa9 influences the phenotype but not the incidence of Mll-AF9 fusion gene leukemia. Blood, 103:1823-1828, 2004