Joseph Mccarty Email & Phone Number

I am an expert in the development and analysis of genetically engineered mouse models to decipher mechanisms of cell adhesion and signaling in the central nervous system (CNS). As an HHMI-funded post-doctoral fellow at MIT, I was one of the first researchers to develop Cre/lox systems to conditionally ablate integrin genes in mice. Using these approaches, I identified alphavbeta8 integrin as the first glial-specific regulator of angiogenesis and BBB formation. I started my independent research laboratory in the Department of Cancer Biology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 2005, and continued studies in brain vascular development and physiology. I also expanded my research interests into the area of CNS vascular pathologies, particularly related to brain tumor-induced neovascularization and cancer cell co-option of blood vessels. These efforts have led to several extramural grant awards, including a New Scholar Award from the Ellison Medical Foundation, an NIH/NINDS ARRA award, and a SPORE Career Development Award from NCI. I was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2012. In 2013 I transferred to the Department of Neurosurgery. In 2018, I was promoted to full Professor, appointed Vice Chair of Research in Neurosurgery, and selected to a four-year membership on the NIH Tumor Microenvironment (TME) study section. I have been an active member of the MD Anderson/UT Health GSBS since 2005. Currently, I am PI on three R01 grants that fund work on cell-cell adhesion and signaling pathways in the normal and cancerous brain.