Vice Chair

David R. Brigstock, PhD
Children's Research Institute
Children's Hospital
700 Children's Drive
Columbus Ohio 43205 USA
Tel: 1 614-722-2840
Fax: 1 614-722-2716
BrigstoD@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu
http://www.columbuschildrens.com/...

Present Position

• Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus OH
• Member, Center for Cell and Developmental Biology, Children's Research Institute, Columbus OH

Editorships

• Journal of Endocrinology: US Editor 2006 – 2010
• Journal of Endocrinology: Senior Editor 2004 – 2006
• Journal of Endocrinology: Editorial Board 2002 – 2004
• Journal of Cell Comm Signal: Editorial Board 2007 – present
• Cell Communication Signal: Editorial Board 2003 – 2007
• Biologist: Editorial Board 1986 –1998

Research Themes

Our principal focus is the role of CTGF in fibrosis (scarring), a devastating and debilitating pathology for which there are no FDA-approved therapeutics. Our current area of interest is the role of CTGF in hepatic fibrosis. A common feature of many fibrotic disorders is that they produce very high levels of CTGF, which we have shown is a direct pro-fibrotic factor through its ability to stimulate proliferation, survival, and fibrillar collagen production in fibrogenic cells such as stellate cells in the liver or pancreas. We apply molecular, cellular and biochemical tools to study CTGF circuitry in primary cultures of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) as well as the role of CTGF in liver fibrosis in vivo using rodent models, including CTGF transgenic mice. We are currently establishing novel anti-fibrotic therapies that target CTGF biosynthetic or signaling pathways.

Selected Publications

• Tong Z, Brigstock, D.R..
  Intrinsic biological activity of the thrombospondin structural homology repeat in connective tissue growth factor.
  J. Endocrinol 2006;188 R1-R8
• Gao, R. and Brigstock, D.R.
  A novel integrin α5β1 binding domain in module 4 of connective tissue growth factor promotes adhesion and migration of activated pancreatic stellate cells.
  Gut 2006;55 856-862
• Rachfal AW and Brigstock, D.R. .
  CCN proteins in liver injury and disease.
  In "CCN proteins: a new family of cell growth regulators," B. Perbal and M. Takigawa, Eds. Imperial College Press, UK. 2005; pp 117-134
• Gao, R. and Brigstock, D.R..
  Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) by connective tissue growth factor (CCN2) is involved in sustaining the survival of primary rat hepatic stellate cells.
  Cell Comm Signal 2005; 3:14 doi:10.1186/1478-811X-3-14
• Gao R and Brigstock D.R..
  Connective tissue growth factor (CCN2) in rat pancreatic stellate cell function: Integrin α5β1 as a novel CCN2 receptor.
  Gastroenterology 2005;129 2019-2030
• Rachfal AW and Brigstock, D.R. .
  Structural and functional properties of CCN proteins.
  Vitamins and Hormones 2005; 70 69-103
• Gao R., Brigstock D.R. .
  Connective tissue growth factor (CCN2) induces adhesion of rat activated hepatic stellate cells by binding of its carboxyl-terminal domain to integrin αvβ3 and heparan sulfate proteoglycans.
  J Biol Chem 2004;279 8848-8855
• Gao R, Ball DK, Perbal B, Brigstock D.R. .
  Connective tissue growth factor (CCN2) induces c-fos gene activation and cell proliferation through p44/42 MAP kinase (ERK1/2) in primary rat hepatic stellate cells.
  J. Hepatol 2004;40 431-438
• Gao R, Brigstock D.R. .
  Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein is a heparin- dependent adhesion receptor for connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in rat activated hepatic stellate cells.
  Hepatol Res 2003;27 214-220
• Ball, D.K., Moussad, E.E-D.A., Rageh, M.A.E., Kemper, S.A, Brigstock, D.R. .
  Establishment of a recombinant expression system for connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) that models CTGF processing in utero.
  Reproduction 2003;125 271-284
• Ball DK, Wilson AW, Kemper SA, Brigstock D.R..
  The heparin-binding 10kDa fragment of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) containing module 4 alone stimulates cell adhesion.
  J Endocrinol 2003;176 R1-R7
• Brigstock, D.R., Steffen, C.L. Kim, G.Y., Vegunta, R.K. Diehl, J.R. and Harding P.A..
  Purification and characterization of novel heparin-binding growth factors in uterine secretory fluids: Identification as heparin-regulated 10,000-Mr forms of connective tissue growth factor.
  J. Biol. Chem. 1997; 272 20275-20282