Jacob Hooker Explained

Jacob Hooker
Field:Chemistry, neuroscience and drug development[1]
Work Institution:Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital
Alma Mater:North Carolina State University (BS)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Doctoral Advisor:Matthew Francis (Doctoral Advisor)[2]
Joanna Fowler (Postdoctoral Advisor) [3]
Known For:Developed PET radiotracers for measuring biochemistry in the human brain

Jacob M. Hooker is an American chemist and expert in molecular imaging, specifically in the development and application of combined MRI and PET. He is the Lurie FamilyProfessor of Radiology specializing in Autism Research at Harvard Medical School.[4] He also serves as a Phyllis and JeromeLyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar, director of radiochemistry at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and scientific director at the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital. [5]

Life and education

He grew up outside of Asheville, North Carolina and attended Enka High School. Hooker received a B.S. in Textile Chemistry and Chemistry from North Carolina State University in 2002 and later earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley[6] Hooker then completed postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Joanna Fowler at the Brookhaven National Laboratory,[7] as a Goldhaber Distinguished Fellow, developing newneuroscience-oriented imaging methods and protocols.[8]

Career

Hooker relocated to Boston,Massachusetts in 2009 at the initiation of his independent research career at the Martinos Center.[9] He co-designed and built a cyclotron and radiopharmacy facility housing a Siemens Eclipse HP Cyclotron, completed early 2011.[10] At Massachusetts General Hospital, Hooker co-founded and co-directs an imaging facility that combines functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) for the neurochemical study of the Human Brain.[11] He holds associate appointments at the Broad Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[12] From 2017 to 2021, Hooker co-founded Eikonizo Therapeutics and later Sensorium Therapeutics.[13] He is also Editor-in-Chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience.[14] Hooker has been a Scientific Advisor for Delix Therapeutics, Psy Therapeutics, Inc., and Fuzionaire Diagnostics.[15] He is also chief science advisor to Rocket Science Health.[16]

Research

His research focus centers on the themes of neuroepigenetic, radiochemistry methods development and neuroimaging methods development, particularly leveraging positron emission tomography (PET).[17] [18] Hooker has published over 200 papers in the domains of:

PET Radiotracer Development

Hooker has developed PET radiotracers for measuring biochemistry in the human brain.[19] For example, in 2016, Hooker's team created the first detailed images of how certain brain enzymes, known as Class-I histone deacetylases (HDACs), function in living humans.[20] These enzymes play a key role in regulating genes and are linked to various brain disorders. By visualizing their activity, the research opened new doors to understanding how changes in these enzymes might contribute to conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and autism, potentially leading to more targeted treatments. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

Radiochemistry

Hooker has made contributions to the advancement of radiochemistry methods for PET imaging.[32] [33] [34] For example, in 2011, Hooker collaborated with the Tobias Ritter lab to demonstrate the use of a palladium-IV complex in switching fluoride behavior in chemical reactions. This research was one of many other significant advances in radiochemistry and molecular imaging applications and decarboxylation with manganese catalysts.[35] [36]

Research on autism

As the scientific director of the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital, Hooker's work focuses on identifying specific subtypes of autism, which could pave the way for more precise diagnoses and treatments.[37] [38]

Neuroimaging methods

Hooker and his team were able to develop a method for brain glucose monitoring that produced something more like a movie, reporting changes in glucose use in response to multiple stimuli during a single PET scan.[39] The lab is now expanding the concept of dynamic, functional PET imaging to measure real-time neurotransmitter release in the living human brain.[40]

Other areas of exploration

At Harvard, Hooker's research lab, in collaboration with the Steve Haggarty lab, is exploring novel plant-based and entheogenic psychedelics, Their work includes projects such as investigating the potential of psychedelics in therapeutic applications.[41]

Recognition

In 2010, He received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.[42] [43] In 2016, Hooker was named as a Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar which acknowledges 'forward thinking researchers with the funding they need to take their work into uncharted territories'.[44] In 2015, He was featured in the inaugural Talented 12 list by Chemical & Engineering News, for his work work in the area of molecular imaging, particularly focusing on positron emission tomography (PET).[45]

In 2015, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation acknowledged Hooker with an Independent Investigator Award for research piloting neuroimaging in patients with Schizophrenia. [46] He was named by The Scientist magazine as a Scientist to Watch,[47] and in an article dubbing him 'The Mind Mapper' was among inaugural winners of the Talented 12 Award from the American Chemical Society's C & E News.[48] [49]

Hooker was named by the National Academy of Sciences as a Kavli Fellow for a five-year tenure (2012-2017) and as a Keck Futures Initiative Fellow (2013-2015).[50]

References

  1. Web site: Zielgler . Carly . ACS Chemical Neuroscience Announces Professor Jacob Hooker as Editor-in-Chief . ACS Publications Chemistry Blog . 4 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Matthew B. Francis Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search . patents.justia.com.
  3. Web site: Sensorium Jacob Hooker . www.sensorium.bio.
  4. Web site: Goldsmith . Paul . Autism and Old Age: Closing the Care Gap . Massachusetts General Hospital Giving . en . 25 June 2024.
  5. Web site: Bohonak . Jennifer Nejman . 2021-11-08 . New Scientific Director Aims to Broaden Autism Research . 2024-07-29 . Massachusetts General Hospital Giving . en.
  6. Web site: Jacob Hooker: Weaver of Brain Science . 2024-07-29 . The Scientist Magazine® . en.
  7. Web site: Brookhaven Chemist Jacob Hooker Receives Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers . 2024-07-29 . Brookhaven National Laboratory . en.
  8. Web site: Grant. Bob. Jacob Hooker: Weaver of Brain Science. The Scientist. 25 April 2016.
  9. Web site: Brookhaven Chemist Jacob Hooker Receives Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers . Brookhaven National Laboratory . en.
  10. Web site: Jacob Hooker Martinos Center . Martinos . 28 March 2019.
  11. Gilbert . Tonya M. . Zürcher . Nicole R. . Wu . Christine J. . Bhanot . Anisha . Hightower . Baileigh G. . Kim . Minhae . Albrecht . Daniel S. . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Rodriguez-Thompson . Anais . Morin . Thomas M. . Hart . Kamber L. . Pellegrini . Amelia M. . Riley . Misha M. . Wang . Changning . Stufflebeam . Steven M. . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Holt . Daphne J. . Loggia . Marco L. . Perlis . Roy H. . Brown . Hannah E. . Roffman . Joshua L. . Hooker . Jacob M. . PET neuroimaging reveals histone deacetylase dysregulation in schizophrenia . The Journal of Clinical Investigation . 2 January 2019 . 129 . 1 . 364–372 . 10.1172/JCI123743 . en . 0021-9738. 6307962 .
  12. Web site: Jacob Hooker . Cure Alzheimer's Fund.
  13. Web site: Sensorium Scores $30M to Change Risk-Value Proposition in CNS Drug Discovery . BioSpace . 7 November 2022.
  14. Web site: Jacob Hooker appointed editor-in-chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience . Knowledgespeak.
  15. Web site: Jacob Hooker - Co-Founder at Sensorium Therapeutics . THE ORG . en.
  16. Web site: Jacob Hooker Chemical Biology PhD . chembiophd.hms.harvard.edu . en.
  17. Web site: Nonacs . Ruta . Rosenbaum . Jerrold . Jerrold Rosenbaum, MD: Toward a Better Understanding of How Psychedelics Work . MGH Psychiatry News . 30 December 2021.
  18. Web site: Harvard Medical School professor discusses future of psychedelics . Harvard Gazette . 10 June 2021.
  19. 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf7551 . Insights into neuroepigenetics through human histone deacetylase PET imaging . 2016 . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Gilbert . Tonya M. . Zürcher . Nicole R. . She . Angela . Bhanot . Anisha . Taillon . Brendan D. . Schroeder . Fredrick A. . Wang . Changing . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Science Translational Medicine . 8 . 351 . 351ra106 . 27510902 . 5784409 .
  20. 10.1021/cn9000268 . Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor MS-275 Exhibits Poor Brain Penetration: Pharmacokinetic Studies of [11C]MS-275 using Positron Emission Tomography . 2010 . Hooker . Jacob M. . Kim . Sung Won . Alexoff . David . Xu . Youwen . Shea . Colleen . Reid . Alicia . Volkow . Nora . Fowler . Joanna S. . ACS Chemical Neuroscience . 1 . 1 . 65–73 . 20657706 . 2908422 .
  21. Wang. Changning. Eessalu. Thomas E.. Barth. Vanessa N.. Mitch. Charles H.. Wagner. Florence F.. Hong. Yijia. Neelamegam. Ramesh. Schroeder. Frederick A.. Holson. Edward B.. 2013 . Design, synthesis, and evaluation of hydroxamic acid-based molecular probes for in vivo imaging of histone deacetylase (HDAC) in brain. American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. 4. 1. 29–38. 3867727. 24380043.
  22. 10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.10.038 . Radionuclide labeling and evaluation of candidate radioligands for PET imaging of histone deacetylase in the brain . 2013 . Seo . Young Jun . Muench . Lisa . Reid . Alicia . Chen . Jinzhu . Kang . Yeona . Hooker . Jacob M. . Volkow . Nora D. . Fowler . Joanna S. . Kim . Sung Won . Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters . 23 . 24 . 6700–6705 . 24210501 . 4007514 .
  23. 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2013.06.007 . Whole-body pharmacokinetics of HDAC inhibitor drugs, butyric acid, valproic acid and 4-phenylbutyric acid measured with carbon-11 labeled analogs by PET . 2013 . Kim . Sung Won . Hooker . Jacob M. . Otto . Nicola . Win . Khaing . Muench . Lisa . Shea . Colleen . Carter . Pauline . King . Payton . Reid . Alicia E. . Volkow . Nora D. . Fowler . Joanna S. . Nuclear Medicine and Biology . 40 . 7 . 912–918 . 23906667 . 3769509 .
  24. 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.06.016 . FDG-PET imaging reveals local brain glucose utilization is altered by class I histone deacetylase inhibitors . 2013 . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Chonde . Daniel B. . Riley . Misha M. . Moseley . Christian K. . Granda . Michael L. . Wilson . Colin M. . Wagner . Florence F. . Zhang . Yan-Ling . Gale . Jennifer . Holson . Edward B. . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Neuroscience Letters . 550 . 119–124 . 23810801 . 3750730 .
  25. 10.4161/epi.25202 . Class I HDAC imaging using [3H]CI-994 autoradiography . 2013 . Wang . Yajie . Zhang . Yan-Ling . Hennig . Krista . Gale . Jennifer P. . Hong . Yijia . Cha . Anna . Riley . Misha . Wagner . Florence . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Holson . Edward . Hooker . Jacob . Epigenetics . 8 . 7 . 756–764 . 23803584 . 3781195 .
  26. 10.1371/journal.pone.0071323 . free . A Selective HDAC 1/2 Inhibitor Modulates Chromatin and Gene Expression in Brain and Alters Mouse Behavior in Two Mood-Related Tests . 2013 . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Lewis . Michael C. . Fass . Daniel M. . Wagner . Florence F. . Zhang . Yan-Ling . Hennig . Krista M. . Gale . Jennifer . Zhao . Wen-Ning . Reis . Surya . Barker . Douglas D. . Berry-Scott . Erin . Kim . Sung Won . Clore . Elizabeth L. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Holson . Edward B. . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Petryshen . Tracey L. . PLOS ONE . 8 . 8 . e71323 . 23967191 . 3743770 . 2013PLoSO...871323S .
  27. 10.1021/cn500021p . Image-Guided Synthesis Reveals Potent Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors . 2014 . Seo . Young Jun . Kang . Yeona . Muench . Lisa . Reid . Alicia . Caesar . Shannon . Jean . Logan . Wagner . Florence . Holson . Edward . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Weiss . Philipp . King . Payton . Carter . Pauline . Volkow . Nora D. . Fowler . Joanna S. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Kim . Sung Won . ACS Chemical Neuroscience . 5 . 7 . 588–596 . 24780082 . 4102966 .
  28. 10.1021/jm500872p . In Vivo Imaging of Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) in the Central Nervous System and Major Peripheral Organs . 2014 . Wang . Changning . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Borra . Ronald . Wagner . Florence F. . Reis . Surya . Kim . Sung Won . Holson . Edward B. . Haggarty . Stephen J. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Journal of Medicinal Chemistry . 57 . 19 . 7999–8009 . 25203558 . 4191584 .
  29. 10.1021/cn500162j . PET Imaging Demonstrates Histone Deacetylase Target Engagement and Clarifies Brain Penetrance of Known and Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors in Rat . 2014 . Schroeder . F. A. . Wang . C. . Van De Bittner . G. C. . Neelamegam . R. . Takakura . W. R. . Karunakaran . A. . Wey . H. Y. . Reis . S. A. . Gale . J. . Zhang . Y. L. . Holson . E. B. . Haggarty . S. J. . Hooker . J. M. . ACS Chemical Neuroscience . 5 . 10 . 1055–1062 . 25188794 . 4198064 .
  30. 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00066 . Kinetic Analysis and Quantification of [11C]Martinostat for in Vivo HDAC Imaging of the Brain . 2015 . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Wang . Changning . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Logan . Jean . Price . Julie C. . Hooker . Jacob M. . ACS Chemical Neuroscience . 6 . 5 . 708–715 . 25768025 . 4439341 .
  31. 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00297 . Development of a Fluorinated Class-I HDAC Radiotracer Reveals Key Chemical Determinants of Brain Penetrance . 2016 . Strebl . Martin G. . Wang . Changning . Schroeder . Frederick A. . Placzek . Michael S. . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Van De Bittner . Genevieve C. . Neelamegam . Ramesh . Hooker . Jacob M. . ACS Chemical Neuroscience . 7 . 5 . 528–533 . 26675505 . 5784429 .
  32. 10.1126/science.1212625 . A Fluoride-Derived Electrophilic Late-Stage Fluorination Reagent for PET Imaging . 2011 . Lee . Eunsung . Kamlet . Adam S. . Powers . David C. . Neumann . Constanze N. . Boursalian . Gregory B. . Furuya . Takeru . Choi . Daniel C. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Ritter . Tobias . Science . 334 . 6056 . 639–642 . 22053044 . 3229297 . 2011Sci...334..639L .
  33. 10.1021/ja512115s . Virtually Instantaneous, Room-Temperature [11C]-Cyanation Using Biaryl Phosphine Pd(0) Complexes . 2015 . Lee . Hong Geun . Milner . Phillip J. . Placzek . Michael S. . Buchwald . Stephen L. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Journal of the American Chemical Society . 137 . 2 . 648–651 . 25565277 . 4394387 .
  34. 10.1021/ja5039819 . Late Stage Benzylic C–H Fluorination with [18F]Fluoride for PET Imaging . 2014 . Huang . Xiongyi . Liu . Wei . Ren . Hong . Neelamegam . Ramesh . Hooker . Jacob M. . Groves . John T. . Journal of the American Chemical Society . 136 . 19 . 6842–6845 . 24766544 .
  35. 10.1002/anie.201500399 . Targeted Fluorination with the Fluoride Ion by Manganese-Catalyzed Decarboxylation . 2015 . Huang . Xiongyi . Liu . Wei . Hooker . Jacob M. . Groves . John T. . Angewandte Chemie International Edition . 54 . 17 . 5241–5245 . 25736895 .
  36. 10.1038/nature17667 . Concerted nucleophilic aromatic substitution with 19F− and 18F− . 2016 . Neumann . Constanze N. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Ritter . Tobias . Nature . 534 . 7607 . 369–373 . 27281221 . 4911285 . 2016Natur.534..369N .
  37. Web site: J. Freyer . Felice . November 22 . Updated . ‘It’s a very human condition’: Researchers seek answers to mystery of autism, in blood - The Boston Globe . BostonGlobe.com.
  38. Tseng . Chieh-En Jane . Canales . Camila . Marcus . Rachel E. . Parmar . Anjali J. . Hightower . Baileigh G. . Mullett . Jennifer E. . Makary . Meena M. . Tassone . Alison U. . Saro . Hannah K. . Townsend . Paige Hickey . Birtwell . Kirstin . Nowinski . Lisa . Thom . Robyn P. . Palumbo . Michelle L. . Keary . Christopher . Catana . Ciprian . McDougle . Christopher J. . Hooker . Jacob M. . Zürcher . Nicole R. . In vivo translocator protein in females with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study . Neuropsychopharmacology . June 2024 . 49 . 7 . 1193–1201 . 10.1038/s41386-024-01859-6 . en . 1740-634X. 11109261 .
  39. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.06.025 . Dynamic functional imaging of brain glucose utilization using fPET-FDG . 2014 . Villien . Marjorie . Wey . Hsiao-Ying . Mandeville . Joseph B. . Catana . Ciprian . Polimeni . Jonathan R. . Sander . Christin Y. . Zürcher . Nicole R. . Chonde . Daniel B. . Fowler . Joanna S. . Rosen . Bruce R. . Hooker . Jacob M. . NeuroImage . 100 . 192–199 . 24936683 . 4224310 .
  40. 10.1093/brain/awu377 . Evidence for brain glial activation in chronic pain patients . 2015 . Loggia . Marco L. . Chonde . Daniel B. . Akeju . Oluwaseun . Arabasz . Grae . Catana . Ciprian . Edwards . Robert R. . Hill . Elena . Hsu . Shirley . Izquierdo-Garcia . David . Ji . Ru-Rong . Riley . Misha . Wasan . Ajay D. . Zürcher . Nicole R. . Albrecht . Daniel S. . Vangel . Mark G. . Rosen . Bruce R. . Napadow . Vitaly . Hooker . Jacob M. . Brain . 138 . 3 . 604–615 . 25582579 . 4339770 .
  41. Web site: Weintraub . Karen . Doctor hopes film raises awareness about adult autism - The Boston Globe . BostonGlobe.com.
  42. Web site: Editor-in-Chief Jacob Hooker . ACS Publication.
  43. Web site: 2019-08-13 . DOE's Winners Since 1996 U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC) . 2024-02-29 . science.osti.gov . en-US.
  44. Web site: MGH Research Scholars 2016-2021 . mgh research scholar.
  45. Web site: C&EN’s Talented 12 . Chemical & Engineering News . en.
  46. Web site: PET project: Imaging modality offers new insights into neurodegenerative disease MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging . www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
  47. Web site: Jacob Hooker: Weaver of Brain Science . The Scientist Magazine® . en.
  48. Web site: Welcome talented12.cenmag.org - BlueHost.com . talented12.cenmag.org.
  49. Halford. Bethany. 2015. Jacob Hooker: The Mind Mapper. Chemical & Engineering News. 93. 27. 15. 10.1021/cen-09327-cover5.
  50. Web site: ‘How big can I dream?’ – Rappaport . Rappaport Foundation.

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