Faculty & Staff

Faculty & Staff

Andrew Carson, PhD

Research Instructor, University Pittsburgh UPMC Cardiovascular Institute




Education

BS, Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, 2000 PhD, Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 2006

 

Research Interests

Dr. Carson has a longstanding interest in the development of novel genetic and molecular therapeutics.  Much of his career has been devoted to developing and understanding principles by which these therapies can be targeted to diseased tissue.  By achieving specific targeting, he hopes to increase therapeutic effects in diseased tissue and limit off-target effects and toxicity in non-target tissues.  As a faculty member at the Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, Dr. Carson’s research has focused on the use of custom design microbubbles and ultrasound based techniques to specifically deliver nucleic acids to diseased tissues in vivo.  Dr. Carson has shown anti-tumor effects of this system in squamous cell carcinoma when used to deliver plasmid DNA or siRNA.  He has also shown that this system can deliver siRNA to the heart in a mouse model and is interested in other cardiovascular applications of this concept.