Dermatology

October 2005

Carl K. Edwards, III, Ph.D. is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Dermatology (since 2005), and Visiting Professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases (since 1995), University of Colorado Denver in Denver, CO, U.S.A. Additionally, Dr. Edwards was most recently Head – Research Business Area Dermatology U.S.A. Drug Discovery, and Scientific Director for Schering AG, in Richmond, CA., U.S.A., a position that he held since February 2003. Prior to this, Dr. Edwards held the position(s) of: (1) Research Fellow, and (2) Head, Autoimmune Diseases and Cytokine Research Division, within the Department of Inflammation Drug Discovery Research, at Amgen, Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.A. (since June 2000). Previously, he was the PEGylated Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Type I (PEG sTNF-RI; Pegsunercept) and PEG sTNF-RI/Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1ra; Kineret) global Clinical Research Project Team Leader at Amgen (since 1995). Other positions that he has held have included Associate Director/Product Development Team Leader, Research and Development, at Amgen Colorado, in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. (1995 – 1998); and Senior Research Scientist, Marion Merrell Dow Research Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. (1991 –1995). Dr. Edwards currently interacts extensively with faculty members at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Division of Rheumatology; Stanford University, Department of Medicine; Department of Surgery, University of Florida Medical Center; and the Department of Medicine and VAMC, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL. Dr. Edwards has previously held faculty positions at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (1992 -1995), and the University 0f Cincinnati Medical School, Department of Pediatrics and Rheumatology (1993 – 1996).

 Dr. Edwards received his Ph.D. in Immunophysiology/Infectious Diseases from the College of Veterinary Pathobiology and Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 1989. Prior to that, he obtained an M.A. in Immunology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and B.S. in Virology/Immunology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. He conducted Post-Doctoral research at Indiana University Branch Medical Center, Terre Haute, Indiana, and at the University of Indiana Medical School, Indianapolis, IN (1989 - 1990).

The main focus of Dr. Edwards’ current research is: (1) the study of the molecular and cellular immunological mechanisms of inflammatory cutaneous diseases, including Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, and Psoriatic Arthritis, (2) the molecular regulation of the major proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and (3) the identification of surrogate and biochemical markers of autoimmune disease initiation and severity. Current ongoing research is highly focused on the cell-cell immunological synapse interactions between activated, Memory T lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells/macrophages/dendritic cells, the elucidation of the mechanisms of suppression by lineages of human regulatory T cells, and the dissection of the numerous role(s) of pleotrophic chemokines in the migration of autoreactive T cells to the sites of cutaneous inflammation. Dr. Edwards’ overall research aim is to identify, using cutting edge molecular and cellular technology platforms, novel T-cell membrane proteins that promote proinflammatory cytokine production and the initiation of chronic autoinflammatory diseases in the joints and skin.

 Dr. Edwards has published extensively and has given numerous presentations worldwide on the various aspects of immunology and cytokine research, most recently on “Pegsunercept and other TNF Inhibitors”, in Copenhagen, Denmark (2003). Dr. Edwards is a member of the Society of Investigative Dermatology (2003), International Cytokine Society (1996), the American College of Rheumatology (1991), the American Association of Immunologists (1984) and the Society for Leukocyte Biology (1983). He has reviewed papers for many journals including Arthritis & Rheumatism, Cytokine, Journal of Immunology, Immunity, Journal of Leukocyte Biology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Edwards has authored or co-authored 95 peer-reviewed publications, 203 abstracts, 12 book chapters, and 27 patents representing the basic inflammation and autoimmune disease research that he has been involved in since 1980.