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Allan I. Pack, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D.

Allan I. Pack, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D.

faculty photo
John Miclot Professor
Department: Medicine
Graduate Group Affiliations

Contact information
Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology
Translational Research Laboratories
125 South 31st Street, Suite 2100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3403
Office: 215-746-4806
Fax: 215-746-4814
Education
M.B., Ch.B
University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1967.
Ph.D. (Mathematical models of lung function)
University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1976.
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Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Pack is pursuing research on genetics/genomics of sleep apnea. His laboratory is conducting studies in Drosophila and mice and translating these findings to humans. To study the genetics of sleep apnea, he has initiated a linkage/association study in Iceland in collaboration with Dr. Thorarinn Gislason (University of Iceland) and Dr. Kari Stefansson (deCODE Genetics). A particular focus of Dr. Pack’s work is to evaluate whether there are genetic determinants to outcomes of sleep apnea, in particular, sleepiness. Studies are ongoing to evaluate molecular mechanisms of sleepiness and sleep promotion using both hypothesis-driven and discovery science. Techniques being used include behavioral/sleep studies in Drosophila and mice, RT-PCR, Western analysis of protein, expression profiling, laser microcapture dissection, and immunohistochemistry. Dr. Pack is committed to research training and directs two training grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Selected Publications

Mackiewicz, M., Zimmerman, J.E., Shockley, K.R., Churchill, G.A., and Pack, A.I.: What are microarrays teaching us about sleep? Trends in Molecular Medicine 15(2): 79-87, 2009.

Brennick, M.J., Pack, A.I., Ko, K., Kim, E., Pickup, S., Maislin, G., and Schwab, R.J.: Altered upper airway and soft tissue structures in the New Zealand obese mouse. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 179: 158-169, 2009.

Pack, A.I. and Gislason, T.: Obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: a perspective and future directions. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 51(5): 434-451, 2009.

Gurubhagavatula, I., Nkwuo, J.E., Maislin, G., Pack, A.I.: Estimated cost of crashes in commercial drivers supports screening and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Accident Analysis and Prevention 40: 104-115, 2008.

Mackiewicz, M., Paigen, B., Naidoo, N., Pack, A.I.: Analysis of the QTL for sleep homeostasis in mice: Homer1a is a likely candidate. Physiological Genomics 33: 91-99, 2008.

Scharf, M.T., Mackiewicz, M., Naidoo, N., O'Callaghan, J.P., Pack, A.I.: AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in brain is dependent on method of killing and tissue preparation. Journal of Neurochemistry 105(3): 833-841, 2008.

Raizen, D.M., Zimmerman, J.E., Maycock, M.H., Ta, U.D., You, Y., Sundaram, M.V., Pack, A.I.: Lethargus is a C. elegans sleep-like state. Nature 451(7178): 569-572, 2008.

Scharf, M.T., Naidoo, N., Zimmerman, J.E., and Pack, A.I.: The energy hypothesis of sleep revisited. Progress in Neurobiology 86(3): 264-280, 2008.

Zimmerman, J.E., Raizen, D.M., Maycock, M.H., Maislin, G., and Pack, A.I.: A video method to study Drosophila sleep. Sleep 31(11): 1587-1598, 2008.

Pack, A.I., Galante, R.J., Maislin, G., Cater, J., Metaxas, D., Lu, S., Zhang, L., Von Smith, R., Kay, T., Lian, J., Svenson, K. and Peters, L.L.: Novel method for high-throughput phenotyping of sleep in mice. Physiological Genomics 28(2): 232-238, 2007.

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Last updated: 03/06/2009
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