Pak H. Chan

Administrative Appointments

• Director of Research, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine (1997 - present)

Honors and Awards

• James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, Stanford University (2007)
• Mencius Type A & Type B Scholarships, Chinese University of Hong Kong (1960-1961)
• University Scientific Achievement Scholarship, Chinese University of Hong Kong (1962-1963)
• Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award, National Institutes of Health (1997-2004)
• Bugher Foundation Award, American Heart Association (2001-2004)

Professional Education

Postdoctoral Advisees

Hai Chen, Gab Seok Kim, Nobuya Okami, Hiroyuki Sakata, Hideyuki Yoshioka

Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations

• Neurosciences

Research Interests

My primary research interest is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cell death in the CNS following acute injuries such as ischemia and trauma and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. We focus on the role of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage and repair, various gene expressions (gene family of HSP72, Bcl-2, c-fos and COX-2) and various transcription factors (NF-kappaB, AP1, p53) in the pathogenesis of necrosis and/or apoptosis. Various transgenic and knockout mutant mice of CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and mitochondrial manganese SOD (SOD2) have been generated to address the role of superoxide radicals in these cell death processes. In addition, human SOD1 transgenic rats have been established as a model for the study of oxidative mechanisms and acute and chronic CNS injuries. The long-term goal of our research is to derive therapeutic strategies at the cellular and molecular level to ameliorate cell death in CNS injuries.

Publications

• Regulation of Mn-superoxide dismutase activity and neuroprotection by STAT3 in mice after cerebral ischemia. Jung JE, Kim GS, Narasimhan P, Song YS, Chan PH. J Neurosci. 2009; 29 (21): 7003-14
• Faster recovery of cerebral perfusion in SOD1-overexpressed rats after cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Xu Y, Liachenko SM, Tang P, Chan PH. Stroke. 2009; 40 (7): 2512-8
• Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as determinants of ischemic neuronal death and survival. Niizuma K, Endo H, Chan PH. J Neurochem. 2009: 109 Suppl 1 133-8
• Inhibition of NADPH oxidase is neuroprotective after ischemia-reperfusion. Chen H, Song YS, Chan PH. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2009; 29 (7): 1262-72
• VEGF Stimulates the ERK 1/2 signaling pathway and apoptosis in cerebral endothelial cells after ischemic conditions. Narasimhan P, Liu J, Song YS, Massengale JL, Chan PH. Stroke. 2009; 40 (4): 1467-73