This interview is with Translational Oncogenomics editorial board member Dr James Connor. Translational Oncogenomics is an open access journal published by Libertas Academica.

Editor in Chief Dr Michael Spinella has recently issued a call for papers .

What is the primary focus of your work and main areas of expertise?

The primary focus of our work is on iron metabolism in the brain. This includes genetic variations that may impact iron availability to the brain, mechanisms of brain iron transport, iron utilization by cancer cells, impact of gene allelic variants on brain tumors. The latter area in particular is not specific to brain tumors. Much of our work has relevance to a number of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Restless Legs Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis.

What are the most exciting and cutting-edge developments in your area?

Currently we are particularly excited about our work focusing on the association of HFE gene variants and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition we have discovered an H-ferritin receptor that appears to be a selective uptake mechanism for iron delivery to oligodendrocytes.

Who are your main formal and informal collaborators and/or networks? Please describe your work with them.

We have a number of collaborative activities. These include a NIH funded program project with colleagues at Johns Hopkins on Restless Legs Syndrome and a program project with colleagues at the University of Michigan, Minnesota and UC Davis on the effects of iron deficiency on the developing brain across species including humans.

How did you come to be working in your research area?

We began over 25 years ago by looking for the expression of transferrin, the iron mobilization protein in the brain. Much of our early success and the development of our research program stemmed from the interest in oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases. Iron is the most potent pro-oxidant in biological systems.

What articles and/or books have you published recently?

• The Impact of Host Iron Homeostasis on Disease (A Ghio and J. Connor, eds) Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1790, 2009.

• Connor JR, Wang XS, Allen RP, Beard JL, Wiesinger JA, Felt BT, Earley CJ: Altered dopaminergic profile in the putamen and substantia nigra in restless legs syndrome. In press, Brain.

• Todorich B, Zhang X, Slagle-Webb B, Seaman WE, Connor JR: Tim-2 is the receptor for H-ferritin and oligodendrocytes. Journal of Neurochemistry 107:1495-1505, 2008.

• Mitchell RM, Freeman WM, Randazzo WT, Stephens HE, Beard JL, Simmons Z, Connor JR. A CSF biomarker panel for identification of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurology 72:14-19, 2009.

• Madhankumar AB, Slagle-Webb B, Wang X, Yang Q, Antonetti D, Miller P, Sheehan J, Connor JR: Efficacy of IL-13 receptor targeted liposomal doxorubicin in the intracranial brain tumor model. In press, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Jan, 2009.

• Todorich B, Pasquini J, Garcia C, Paez P, Connor J: Oligodendrocytes and myelination: the role of iron. GLIA 57:467-478, 2009.

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