Alan Neil Schechter, M.D., Christian B. Anfinsen Distinguished Scientist
Professional Experience
- Fellow of the AAAS
- American Society of Hematology
- American Association of Physicians
- American Society of Clinical Investigation
- Resident, Albert Einstein Medical College, 1963-1965
- M.D., Columbia University, 1963
- B.A., Cornell University, 1959
Research Goal
Studying the interactions of tissues, especially blood, and its several types of cells and hemoglobin, with the recently discovered signaling molecule nitric oxide (NO) should provide new information about normal and abnormal physiology and potential treatment of several diseases.
Current Research
Our research program has been focused on the interconversions of NO and other nitrogen oxides, with the goal of understanding how NO bioactivity may be transported by blood and between organs, and thus act at distal sites, opening up its use as a therapeutic agent. This work has the potential for developing therapies for a variety of ischemic diseases, as well as sickle cell anemia and related hemoglobinopathies in which blood flow is impaired. Current research projects involve primarily studies of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of NO in the eye and in muscle cells. This work has suggested the existence of nitrate ion reservoirs in the mammalian body and its role in the homeostasis of the NO signaling pathways.
Applying our Research
This research may give us clues regarding how to develop new therapies for several common diseases, as well as improve our understanding and treatment of the genetic anemias.
Need for Further Study
The control of blood flow in human beings, both normally and in disease states, requires further study.
Select Publications
- Time course of human skeletal muscle nitrate and nitrite concentration changes following dietary nitrate ingestion.
- Kadach S, Piknova B, Black MI, Park JW, Wylie LJ, Stoyanov Z, Thomas SM, McMahon NF, Vanhatalo A, Schechter AN, Jones AM.
- Nitric Oxide (2022 Apr 1) 121:1-10. Abstract/Full Text
- Potential roles of nitrate and nitrite in nitric oxide metabolism in the eye.
- Park JW, Piknova B, Jenkins A, Hellinga D, Parver LM, Schechter AN.
- Sci Rep (2020 Aug 5) 10:13166. Abstract/Full Text
Research in Plain Language
Our lab focuses on how nitric oxide (NO), an important cellular signaling molecule involved in many normal and disease-related processes, interacts with hemoglobin, a protein in the blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. We want to understand how NO may be transported by blood and possibly be used as a pharmacological agent to help deliver treatment. Using NO in this way may contribute to development of therapies for a variety of diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, in which oxygen transport or other aspects of blood flow are impaired. We are also studying the role of NO as a signaling messenger within or between cells and how the nitrite/NO pathway affects blood clotting and how nitrate determines muscle function and blood flow.