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Dr. Jonathan Wall Has Been Appointed University Distinguished Professor at UTHSC

Pictured from left: Mr. Landsman, Dr. Wall, Dr. Schwab, Dr. Hauptman

Jonathan Wall, PhD, Professor and Director of Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Graduate School of Medicine, has been appointed as University Distinguished Professor.

The title is reserved for those who have contributed in an extraordinary way to UTHSC and brought distinction and respect to the university. Dr. Wall's appointment comes from UTHSC Graduate School of Medicine Dean Paul J. Hauptman, MD, and UTHSC Chancellor Steve Schwab, MD.

Dr. Wall has devoted the last 26 years to exploring amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when abnormal protein aggregates, called amyloid fibrils, build up in tissues and organs causing loss of function.

"It would be an understatement to refer to Dr. Wall’s research as impactful," Dean Hauptman said. "When few investigators were focused on systemic amyloidosis, Dr. Wall was forging ahead with new, innovative, research ideas that are now bearing fruit. Most importantly, beyond his international stature among researchers, Dr. Wall continues to contribute to the Graduate School of Medicine and the wider UTHSC community through mentorship and service."

There are approximately 4,500 new amyloidosis cases diagnosed annually in the United States. However, the number of people suffering from the disease is likely much higher, due to the inability to diagnose the disease accurately. Many patients go undiagnosed, but Dr. Wall, who directs the Amyloidosis and Cancer Theranostics Program, and his research team are changing that narrative by studying and developing new options to diagnose and treat the disease.

After receiving his PhD from the University of Essex in Colchester, England, Dr. Wall was recruited to work in the lab of the school's amyloidosis research program in 1995 by Professor Emeritus and Former Director Alan Solomon, MD, who is considered to be a world expert in amyloid diseases.

Dr. Wall has been awarded many grants from the National Institutes of Health and the biotechnology industry to support his research efforts over the years. He also developed patient-targeted studies using PET/CT imaging. During that process, researchers were able to create an imaging agent labeled with radioactive iodine that can be used to visualize amyloid deposits throughout the body. Its effectiveness is being tested in the first-in-human Food and Drug Administration approved clinical trial using this technique. Clinicians with the Cancer Institute and the Departments of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center are contributing to the clinical research.

Read more about Dr. Wall's work.

 


Posted: May 17, 2021


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