A. Bennett Jenson, MD

Professor and Senior Scientist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center

Research Program

Tumor Immunobiology

Research Interests

The Jenson/Ghim laboratory (4D, BCC) is a translational, immunology laboratory that is working on humoral responses to prevent infection by papillomavirus. The laboratory is best known for production of papillomavirus vaccines, some of which have been patented and licensed to MedImmune/Smith Kline Beecham and sublicensed to Merck Sharp & Dohme. The laboratory has ongoing TmPV-1 serological studies and a pilot vaccine trial in manatees and ongoing TtPV-1 and -2 serological studies in dolphins. There is also an ongoing pilot vaccine trial (Eq Pv and BPV-1) in horses.

Alfred Bennett Jenson. MD., who is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine, is a board-certified human pathologist and experimental pathologist with extensive experience in the study of animal models for human disease. He was a post-doctoral fellow in immunopathology at Scripps Clinical and Research Foundation, a comparative pathologist in the veterinary pathology branch at Edgewood Arsensal, MD, and worked as an oral and experimental pathologist at NIDR, NIH. After relocating to Georgetown University he practiced surgical and autopsy pathology while studying the pathogenesis of human and animal papillomavirus infection. During this time he developed a number of antibodies that recognize markers of different human papillomavirus infections, including epitope mapping of antibodies. He was largely responsible for interpreting the results of the only two papillomavirus preclinical trials in cattle and dogs that were partially responsible for the initiation of the ongoing HPV phase III trials in humans. At present he is a professor of vaccinology at the Brown Cancer Center where he is working on the vaccinology of canine and equine minor capsid protein HPV vaccines generated in transgenic tobacco plants and he is helping develop a clinical therapeutic trial for women with advanced cervical cancer in India.

Education

B.A., Texas Christian University, Chemistry, 1961
M.S., Baylor University, Pathology/Virology, 1967
M.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Medicine, 1967
Resident, Baylor University Affiliated Hospitals, Pathology, 1971
Fellow, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, Immunopathology, 1973-1975

Research and Professional Experience

1967-1968
Medical Internship, Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

1968-1970
Pathology Residency, Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine

1970-1971
Instructor, Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine

1971-1973
Comparative Pathologist, USAR, Veterinary Medicine Division, Veterinary Pathology Branch, Edgewood Arsenal, MD

1973-1975
Research Associate in Immunopathology, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, CA

1975-1980
Senior Medical Surgeon, USPHS, Laboratory of Oral Medicine, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health

1981-1989
Associate Professor of Pathology, Department of Pathology, Georgetown University

1989-2000
Professor of Pathology, Department of Pathology,Georgetown University

2000-2002
Research Director, Cervical Cancer Research Center, Western Pennsylvania Foundation, PA

2002-
Professor and Senior Scientist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Selected Awards and Professional Honors

1966
Sheard-Sanford Award of the American Society of Clinical Pathology

1966-1967
Salvation Army Boy's Club Service Award

1967-1970
Phi Chi Sophomore Award for Excellence in Teaching, Baylor College of Medicine

1973
Army Commendation Medal

1982, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000
Finalist for Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, Georgetown University

2002
Finalist, Health Care Innovation and Research Award, Metropolitan Pittsburgh, PA

2004
Presentation. 35th Dr. Subodhmitra Memorial Oration at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Calcutta, India

2006
Louisville Metro Council Certificate of Distinguished Service

2006
Fleur de Lis Award, Greater Louisville Inc.

2006
Kentuckian of the Year Award by Kentucky Monthly Magazine

2006
Mint Jubilee Scientist of the Year

2007
Commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel, Commonwealth of Kentucky during State of Commonwealth of Kentucky Addresss by Governor Ernie Fletcher

2007
Unbridled Spirit Award of the Commonwealth of Kentucky presented by Governor Ernie Fletcher

Publications

Ghim SJ, Newsome J, Bell J, Sundberg JP, Schlegel R, Jenson AB. Spontaneously regressing oral papillomas induce systemic antibodies that neutralize canine oral papillomavirus. Exp Mol Pathol 68:147-151, 2000

Sundberg JP, Van Ranst M, Montali R, Homer BL, Miller WH, Rowland PH, Scott DW, England JJ, Dunstan RW, Mikaelian I, Jenson AB. Feline papillomas and papillomaviruses. Vet Pathol 37:1-10, 2000

Ghim S, Delgado G, Sundberg JP, Jenson AB. The pathogenesis of advanced cervical cancer provides the basis for an emperical therapeutic vaccine. J. Exptl Molec Pathol 71(3):181-85, 2001

Ghim S, Basu PS, Jenson AB. Cervical cancer, etiology, pathogenesis treatment and future vaccines. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prevention 3(3):207-14, 2002

Wlazlo AP, Sparkowski JJ, Jenson AB, Schlegel R. Expression of the bovine papillomavirus type 1 E5B gene reveals a protein-protein interaction of the E5A and E5B gene products. Virology 307(2):396-405, 2003

Ghim S, Delius H, Rector A, Sundburg JP, Jenson AB, Van Ranst M. Equine papillomavirus type 1: complete nucleotide sequence and characterization of recombinant virus-like particles composed of the EcPV-1 L1 major capsid protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 324:1108-15, 2004

Rector A, Bossart, GD, Ghim S-J, Sundberg JP, Jenson AB, van Ranst M. Characterization of a novel close-to-root papillomavirus from a Florida manatee by using multiple primed rolling-circle amplification: Trichechus manatus latirostris Papillomavirus type 1. J Virol 12698-702, 2004

Rehtanz M, Ghim SJ, Rector A, Van Ranst M, Fair PA, Bossart GD, Jenson AB. Isolation and characterization of the first American bottlenose dolphin papillomavirus: Tursiops truncatus papillomavirus type 2. J Gen Virol 87(Pt 12):3559-65, 2006.

Rector A, Lemey P, Tachezy R, Mostmans S, Ghim SJ, Van Doorslaer K, Roelke M, Bush M, Montali RJ, Joslin J, Burk RD, Jenson AB, Sundberg JP, Shapiro B, Van Ranst M. Ancient papillomavirus-host co-speciation in Felidae. Genome Biol 8(4):R57, 2007.

Van Doorslaer K, Rector A, Jenson AB, Sundberg JP, Van Ranst M, Ghim SJ. Complete genomic characterization of a murine papillomavirus isolated from papillomatous lesions of a European harvest mouse (Micromys minutus). J Gen Virol 88(Pt 5):1484-8, 2007.

Rehtanz M, Bossart GD, Doescher B, Rector A, Van Ranst M, Fair PA, Jenson AB, Ghim SJ. Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) papillomaviruses: Vaccine antigen candidates and screening test development. Vet Microbiol 2008 Jul 4. [Epub ahead of print]

Rector A, Stevens H, Lacave G, Lemey P, Mostmans S, Salbany A, Vos M, VanDoorslaer K, Ghim SJ, Rehtanz M, Bossart GD, Jenson AB, Van Ranst M. Genomic characterization of novel dolphin papillomaviruses provides indications for recombination within the Papillomaviridae. Virology 378(1):151-61, 2008.

Contact Info

CTR Building
505 South Hancock Street
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502) 852-3768