Robert T. Jensen, M.D.
Senior Investigator
Gastrointestinal Cell Biology Section, Digestive Disease Branch
NIDDK
Research Topics
The ultimate goal of our research is to understand the role of digestive hormones in health and disease and to allow better treatment of patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Current Research
The Gastrointestinal Cell Biology Section is involved in research studying the cellular basis of action of gastrointestinal (GI) hormones (primarily bombesin-related peptides, gastrin-releasing peptide, neuromedin B, CCK-related peptides, and VIP secretin-related peptides) and clinical and laboratory studies on human gastric acid hypersecretory states such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
The studies on GI hormones involve intracellular signaling cascades, especially tyrosine phosphorylation (primarily CCK, bombesin), molecular pharmacology of their receptors (especially bombesin-related peptides), and structure-function studies of various receptor ligands to develop selective agonists and antagonists. In addition, we are conducting studies on characterizing the bombesin-related receptor, BRS-3, as well as developing ligands to deliver receptor-specific chemotherapy to tumors ectopically expressing these receptors.
Studies of patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome involve clinical studies of the diagnosis, localization, and treatment of the gastrinoma and of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, which occurs in a portion of the patients. Laboratory studies involve the characterization of the molecular pathogenesis of gastrinomas and identification of useful prognostic factors.
Applying our Research
These studies will lead to insights that will help in the treatment of patients with GI disorders or with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Biography
- M.D., University of Chicago, 1964
- B.S., Washington State University, 1960
Selected Publications
- Ito T, Ramos-Alvarez I, Jensen RT. Successful Lifetime/Long-Term Medical Treatment of Acid Hypersecretion in Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (ZES): Myth or Fact? Insights from an Analysis of Results of NIH Long-Term Prospective Studies of ZES. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(5).
- Ramos-Alvarez I, Lee L, Jensen RT. Cofilin activation in pancreatic acinar cells plays a pivotal convergent role for mediating CCK-stimulated enzyme secretion and growth. Front Physiol. 2023;14:1147572.
- Alexander SP, Christopoulos A, Davenport AP, Kelly E, Mathie A, Peters JA, Veale EL, Armstrong JF, Faccenda E, Harding SD, Pawson AJ, Southan C, Davies JA, Abbracchio MP, Alexander W, Al-Hosaini K, Bäck M, Barnes NM, Bathgate R, Beaulieu JM, Bernstein KE, Bettler B, Birdsall NJM, Blaho V, Boulay F, Bousquet C, Bräuner-Osborne H, Burnstock G, Caló G, Castaño JP, Catt KJ, Ceruti S, Chazot P, Chiang N, Chini B, Chun J, Cianciulli A, Civelli O, Clapp LH, Couture R, Csaba Z, Dahlgren C, Dent G, Singh KD, Douglas SD, Dournaud P, Eguchi S, Escher E, Filardo EJ, Fong T, Fumagalli M, Gainetdinov RR, Gasparo M, Gerard C, Gershengorn M, Gobeil F, Goodfriend TL, Goudet C, Gregory KJ, Gundlach AL, Hamann J, Hanson J, Hauger RL, Hay DL, Heinemann A, Hollenberg MD, Holliday ND, Horiuchi M, Hoyer D, Hunyady L, Husain A, IJzerman AP, Inagami T, Jacobson KA, Jensen RT, Jockers R, Jonnalagadda D, Karnik S, Kaupmann K, Kemp J, Kennedy C, Kihara Y, Kitazawa T, Kozielewicz P, Kreienkamp HJ, Kukkonen JP, Langenhan T, Leach K, Lecca D, Lee JD, Leeman SE, Leprince J, Li XX, Williams TL, Lolait SJ, Lupp A, Macrae R, Maguire J, Mazella J, McArdle CA, Melmed S, Michel MC, Miller LJ, Mitolo V, Mouillac B, Müller CE, Murphy P, Nahon JL, Ngo T, Norel X, Nyimanu D, O'Carroll AM, Offermanns S, Panaro MA, Parmentier M, Pertwee RG, Pin JP, Prossnitz ER, Quinn M, Ramachandran R, Ray M, Reinscheid RK, Rondard P, Rovati GE, Ruzza C, Sanger GJ, Schöneberg T, Schulte G, Schulz S, Segaloff DL, Serhan CN, Stoddart LA, Sugimoto Y, Summers R, Tan VP, Thal D, Thomas WW, Timmermans PBMWM, Tirupula K, Tulipano G, Unal H, Unger T, Valant C, Vanderheyden P, Vaudry D, Vaudry H, Vilardaga JP, Walker CS, Wang JM, Ward DT, Wester HJ, Willars GB, Woodruff TM, Yao C, Ye RD. THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22: G protein-coupled receptors. Br J Pharmacol. 2021;178 Suppl 1:S27-S156.
- Moody TW, Jensen RT. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide/vasoactive intestinal peptide (Part 2): biology and clinical importance in central nervous system and inflammatory disorders. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2021;28(2):206-213.
- Moody TW, Lee L, Ramos-Alvarez I, Iordanskaia T, Mantey SA, Jensen RT. Bombesin Receptor Family Activation and CNS/Neural Tumors: Review of Evidence Supporting Possible Role for Novel Targeted Therapy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021;12:728088.
Related Scientific Focus Areas
This page was last updated on Wednesday, January 10, 2024