Hosick, Howard
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Research Interests
The primary thrust of our research makes use of several strategies to investigate the mechanisms of breast cancer development. We have recently helped characterize a new type of transforming growth factor that influences the earliest steps in tumor development. Interestingly, the production of this and related growth factors is sharply increased in older individuals, which may be a significant clue as to why breast cancer is most common during old age. A related 'neutriceuticals' project focuses on how specific substances in garlic can suppress breast cancer development, some of these compounds in fact induce cellular apoptosis. We are also characterizing a newly discovered receptor/ligand circuitry that strongly suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting the process of angiogenesis. Finally, in a quite different project, we are participating in a multi-disciplinary consortium to develop CAD-designed ceramic scaffolds as human implants, particularly for spinal reconstruction. Our role is to characterize how different ceramic surfaces influence expression of specific osteoblast proteins that contribute to adhesion and replication of these bone cells adherent to the scaffolds. Our primary tools for this work are confocal microscopy and microarray analyses.

Publications (1998 - Current)
McIntyre, B.S., K.P. Briski, H.L. Hosick, and P.W. Sylvester, 1998. Effects of protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors on EGF- and insulin-dependent mammary epithelial cell growth. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 217:180-187.

Kintner, R., and H. L. Hosick, 1998. A ribozyme that interferes with synthesis of the transforming growth factor cripto-1 eliminates the tumorigenic phenotype of breast cancer cells and reveals on extended family of cripto-like proteins. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 245:774-779.

Mealey, K.L., R. Barhoumi, R. Burghardt, B. McIntyre, P.W. Sylvester, H.L. Hosick, and D.T. Kochevar,1999. Immunosuppression of P-glycoprotein function is independent of drug-induced suppression of peptide-prolyl isomerase and calcineurin activity. J. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol.44:152-158.

Ram, T.G., M.E. Schelling, and H.L. Hosick, 2000. Blocking HER-2/HER-3 function with a dominant negativeform of HER-3 in cells stimulated by heregulin and in breast cancer cells with HER-2 gene amplification.Cell. Growth Differen.11:173-183.

Stewart, N.T., K.M. Byrne, H.L. Hosick., J.L. Vierck,. and M.V. Dodson, 2000. Traditional and emerging methods for analyzing cell activity in cell culture. Meth. Cell Science 22: 67-78.

Ram, T.G., H.L. Hosick, and S.P. Ethier, 2000. Heregulin- is especially potent in activating phosphatidyl 3-kinase in normal human mammary epithelial cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 183: 301-313.

Bose, S., Darsell, J., Kintner, R., Feely, K., Hosick, H.L. and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2000. Controlled porosity scaffolds for bone graft applications. Amer. Soc. Materials Eng. Symp. 91: 1-18.

Bose, S., Darsell, J., Hosick, H.L., Yang, L., Sarkar, D.K. and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2001. Processing and characterization of porous alumina scaffolds. J. Materials Sci.: Materials in Medicine 13: 23-28.

Kalita, S.J., Bose, S.,. Hosick, H.L. Martinez, S.A. and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2002. Calcium carbonate reinforced natural polymer composites for bone grafts. Proc. Materials Res. Symp. Biomaterials. (in press)

Kalita, S., Finley, J., Bose, S., Hosick, H.L. and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2002. Development of porous polymer-ceramic composites as bone grafts. Proc. Materials Res. Soc. Symp. on Organic-Inorganic Materials. (in press)

Bose, S., Darsell, J., Kintner, M., Hosick, H. and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2002. Pore size and pore volume effects on calcium phosphate based ceramics. Materials Sci. Engineering: C. (accepted)

Bose, S., Bandyopadhyay, A., Hosick, H., Kalita, S., 2002. Porous calcium aluminate ceramics for bone-graft applications. J. Materials Res. (accepted)

Mealey, K., Bentjen, S.A., Gay, J.M. and Hosick, H.L., 2002. Dexamethasone treatment of canine osteosarcoma cells increases chemoresistance independent of P-glycoprotein and MRP expression. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. (submitted).

Darsell, J., Bose, S., Hosick, H.L.and Bandyopadhyay, A., 2002. From CT scan to ceramic bone graft. J. Amer. Ceramics Soc. (submitted).