Clinical Interests
See research interests

Research Interests
In liver transplantation we are dealing with a rising incidence of select diseases; highlighted by the increasing number of cases of hepatitis C. Along with the growing number of patients afflicted with this disease I am subsequently seeing a number of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma there is still very little we know about this disease. Therefore we have limited proven modalities for treating patients with this diagnosis, especially when they have an underlying diagnosis of cirrhosis. While surgical resection is the gold standard therapy for these patients it is not an option for the many patients with decompensated end stage liver disease. During the past several years we have begun examining novel ablative therapies for these patients. Yet all of this is done without having a greater understanding of the biology of the disease process.
While my primary basic science research has focused on stem cell populations isolated from adult liver I would like to meld my clinical practice with these research interests with a focus on the cell biology of hepatocellular carcinoma. This knowledge incorporated with what is known in the field of stem cell biology may potentially lead to new clinical modalities for management of this malignancy in the setting of cirrhosis. The logical pathways of investigation will be an expansion on the knowledge we have obtained with hepatic stem cells; looking at their response to select hepatic growth factors and their mechanisms for communicating with other cells in their microenvironment.

Recent Accomplishments and Honors
2000-2002 Medical Staff Executive Committee, UNC Healthcare 1999-present American Society of Transplant Surgeons
2002-2003 Vanguard Committee Member
2003-2006 Cell Transplant Committee Member
2004-2007 Scientifc Studies Committee Chair, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
2002-present North Carolina Tissue Engineering Interest Group
2002-2003, Vice President and Chair of Steering Committee, NCTEIG
2003-2004, President of North Carolina Tissue Engineering Interest Group
2002-present University of North Carolina, Faculty Council Member
2002 UNC School of Medicine Teaching Excellence Award
2003 UNC School of Medicine Teaching Excellence Award

Training
Cornell University | BS | 1985 | Nutritional Biochemistry
University of Pittsburgh | MD | 1989 | Medicine
Emory University | 1992-94 | Transplant Immunology

Publications
Gerber DA, Oettinger CW, D'Souza M, Milton GV, Larsen CP, Pearson TP. Prolongation of murine cardiac allograft survival by microspheres containing TN Fa and IL-1 b neutralizing antibodies. Journal of Drug Targeting, 1995; 3(4): 311-5.
Gerber DA, Bonham CA, Thomson AW. Immunosuppressive agents: recent developments in molecular action and clinical application. Transplantation Proc; 1998; 30: 1573-9.
Cacciarelli TV, Dvorchik I, Mazariegos GV, Gerber DA, Jain AB, Fung JJ, Reyes J. An analysis of pretransplant variables associated with long-term graft outcome in pediatric liver transplant recipients receiving primary tacrolimus therapy. Transplantation, 1999; vol. 68; no. 5; 650-655.
Patzer JF, Mazariegos GV, Lopez R, Molmenti E, Gerber D, Riddervold F, Khanna A, Vin W-V, Chen Y, Scott VL, Aggarwal S, Kramer OJ, Wagner RA, Zhu Y, Fulmer ML, Block GO, Amiot BP. Novel bioartificialliver Support system: preclinical evaluation. Annals of the New York Academy of Science; 1999; vol. 875; 340-352.
Gerber DA, Green M, Jaffe R, Greenberg D, Mazariegos G, Reyes J. Cryptosporidial infections after solid organ transplantation in children. Pediatric Transplantation; 2000; 4: 50-55.
Reyes J, Gerber D, Mazariegos GV, Casavilla A, Sindhi R, Bueno J, Madariaga J, Fung JJ. Split liver transplantation: a comparison of ex-vivo and in-situ techniques. Journal of Pediatric Surgery; 2000; 35; 2; 283-290.
Weeks SM, Gerber DA, Jaques PF, Sandhu J, Johnson MW, Fair JH, Mauro MA. Primary Gianturco stenting of inferior vena cava abnormalities following liver transplantation. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology; 2000; 11: 177-187.
Gerber DA, Arcement C, Carr B, Towbin R, Mazariegos GV, Reyes J. The use of intrahepatic chemotherapy to treat advanced pediatric hepatic malignancies. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; 30(2); 137-44; 2000.
Johnson MW, Thompson PW, Meehan A, Odell P, Salm MJ, Gerber DA, Zacks SL, Fried MW, Shrestha R, Fair JH. Internal biliary stenting in orthotopic liver transplantation. Liver Transplantation. 2000;6(3):356-361.
Reyes JD, Carr B, Dvorchik I, Kocoshis S, Jaffe R, Gerber D, et al.. Liver transplantation and chemotherapy for hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular cancer in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Pediatrics. 2000; 136:795-804.
Gerber DA, Passannante A, Zacks S, et al. Modified piggyback technique for adult orthotopic liver transplantation. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2000;191 (5):585-589.
Susick R., Moss N, Kubota H, LeCluyse E, Hamilton G, Luntz T, Ludlow J, Fair J, Gerber D, Bergstrand K, White J, Bruce A, Drury 0, Reid LM. Hepatic progenitors and strategies for liver cell therapies. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, Ann N Y Acad Sci; 2001; 944:398-419.
Clark JB, Wang J, Gerber DA. Early proliferation of hepatic progenitor cell colonies is not spontaneously regulated by apoptosis. 2001 Owen H. Wangensteen Surgical Forum, Volume LlI; October 2001.
First MR, Gerber DA, Hariharan S, Kaufman DB, Shapiro R. Post-transplant Diabetes Mellitus in Kidney Allograft Recipients:lncidence, Risk Factors and Management. Transplantation; 2002; vol. 73 no.2; 379-386.
J. Taber, R. E. Dupuis, A. L. Fann, K. A. Andreoni, D. A. Gerber, J. H. Fair, M. W. Johnson, R. Shrestha; Tacrolimus dosing requirements and concentrations in adult living donor liver transplant recipients; Liver Transplantation; 2002; vol 8, no.3; 219-223.
Patzer JF, Mazariegos GV, Lopez R, Molmenti E, Gerber D, Riddervold F, Khanna A, Yin WY, Scott VL, Kim SH, Aggarwal S, Kramer DJ, Wagner RA, Zhu Y, Fulmer ML, Block GD, Amiot BP. Preclinical evaluation of a novel bioartificial liver support system. Support of lethal canine liver failure model. Journal of the American College of Surgeons; 2002; vol.195, no.3; 299-310.
Neuman H, Andreoni K, Johnson M, Fair J, Gerber D. Terminal ileitis secondary to Mycobacterium gordonae in a renal transplant recipient. Transplantation; 2003; vol. 75, no. 4; 574-575.
Wang J, Clark JB, Rhee G-S, Fair JH, Reid LM, Gerber DA. Proliferation and hepatic differentiation of adult-derived progenitor cells. Cells, Tissues, Organs; 2003; vo1.173; pp. 193-203.

E-mail: david_gerber@med.unc.edu
Telephone: 919-966-8008
FAX: 919-966-6308
Address: 2111 Bioinformatics Bldg Chapel Hill, NC 27599

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