Dr. Henry Baker, Director of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and Professor of Pathobiology and Small Animal Surgery and Medicine received the DVM degree from Auburn University, with honors in 1960. He interned at the Angell Memorial Hospital and practiced before entering postdoctoral training in Pathology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In 1968 he joined the faculty of the University of Alabama Medical Center as Associate Professor of Comparative Medicine, and in 1974 he became Professor and Chairman. In 1986 he joined the faculty of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine as Professor and Director of Comparative Medical Genetics. He was appointed Director of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center in 1991 where he has established a research program on molecular and medical genetics of lysosomal diseases, which has been the central focus of his research interest. He is an active participant in research training of postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, professional students and undergraduates.
Research Interests
For 20 years his research has been directed toward understanding the pathogenetic basis for neurological dysfunction in lysosomal diseases, characterizing the molecular defect in these fatal inherited diseases of children, dogs and cats, and developing therapeutic and preventative strategies for these incurable diseases. Diseases in cats which are being investigated include GM1 gangliosidosis, GM2 gangliosidosis, mannosidosis and mucopolysaccharidosis. Most of what is currently known about neuronal defects in these diseases have been learned through studying the cat diseases and this information is crucial for designing therapeutic strategies. The current hypothesis is that alterations in neuronal membrane structure and function due to excess glycosphingolipids results in defective transmembrane signal transduction and second messenger function. Therapeutic trials currently under way include bone marrow transplantation and gene therapy using viral vectors to replace the defective gene in target tissues.
Selected Publications
Baker HJ, Lindsey JR, McKhann GM, Farrell DF. Neuronal GM1 gangliosidosis
in a Siamese cat with -galactosidase deficiency. Science 1971;174:838-839.
Purpura DP, Baker HJ. Neurite induction in mature cortical neurons in
feline GM1 ganglioside storage disease. Nature 1977;266:553-554.
Baker HJ, Walkley SU, Rattazzi MC, Singer HS, Watson HL, Wood PA. Feline
gangliosidoses as models of human lysosomal storage diseases. In Desnick
RJ, Patterson DF, and Scarpelli DG (eds.) Animal Models of Inherited
Metabolic Diseases. Alan R. Liss: 1982;203-212.
Baker HJ, Jope RS. Increased metabolism of acetylcholine in brain of cats
with GM1 gangliosidosis. Brain Res 1985;343:363-365.
Haskins M, Baker HJ, Birkenmeier E, et al Transplantation in Animal Model
Systems. In Desnick R. (ed.) Treatment of Genetic Diseases, Churchill
Livingstone, Inc. New York, NY, 1991.
Lothrop CD, Al-Lebban ZS, Jones JB, Smith JR, Baker HJ, Morgan RA, Eglitis
MA and Anderson WF. Expression of foreign genes in dogs and cats
reconstituted with retroviral vector infected autologous bone marrow. Blood
1991;78:237-295.
