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Faculty Detail    
Name F. SHAWN GALIN
 
Campus Address VH 338 Zip 0005
Phone  (205) 934-6687
E-mail  galin@uab.edu
Other websites
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Associate Professor
Center  Ctr for Interprof Educ and Simulation  Ctr for Interprof Educ and Simulation Professor
Secondary  Dept of Medical Education  Dept of Medical Education Associate Professor
Primary  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Integrative Biomedical Sciences 
Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine 

Biographical Sketch 
Dr. F. Shawn Galin , Assistant Professor, born1966 in Cullman, Alabama , received his B.S. in Biology in 1988 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  In 1990 and 1994, respectively, he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.  After Postdoctoral Training in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at UAB, Dr. Galin became a faculty member in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in 1996.



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Neuroimmunology/Multiple Sclerosis
Description
My current research objectives are focused around studying the effectiveness of a particular monoclonal antibody, F28C4, raised against an encephalitogenic peptide of myelin basic protein, as an idiotypic vaccine in the animal model of Multiple Sclerosis, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). The rationale for using F28C4 as a vaccine results from the finding that an anti-idiotypic antibody to F28C4 cross-reacts with both F28C4 and encephalitogenic T-cell receptors and can suppress EAE. In addition to determining the efficacy of the vaccine in various animal models of EAE, I am also involved in defining the mechanisms (i.e. humoral or T-cell mediated) involved in such protection. Lastly, I am attempting to resolve the X-ray crystallographic structure of the binding site of F28C4 to see how it relates to the binding sites of encephalitogenic T-cell receptors involved in the pathogenesis of EAE.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Galin, F.S., R.D. LeBoeuf, and J.E. Blalock. 1990. Cortico­tropin releasing factor upregulates expression of two trun­cated pro-opiomelanocortin transcripts in murine lympho­cytes. J. Neuroimmunol. 31:51-58. PMID: 1845769  1845769 
Xu L., M. Villain, F. S. Galin, S. Araga, And J. E. Blalock. 2001. Prevention and reversal of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by a monoclonal antibody against acetylcholine receptor-specific T cells. Cell. Immunol. 208:107-114. PMID: 11333143  11333143 
Noerager, B. D., T. Inuzuka, J. Kira, J. E. Blalock, J. N. Whitaker, and F. S. Galin. 2001. An IgM anti-MBP Ab in a case of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia with polyneuropathy expressing an idiotype reactive with an MBP epitope immunodominant in MS and EAE. J. Neuroimmunology 113:163-169. PMID: 11137588  11137588 
Blalock, J.E., S.-R. Zhou, C.C. Maier, F.S. Galin, R. Murali, and J.N. Whitaker. 2000. Highly related immunoglobulin light chain sequences in different multiple sclerosis patients. J.Neuroimmunol. 100:98-101. PMID: 10695719  10695719 
Galin, F.S., S.-R. Zhou, J.N. Whitaker, and J.E. Blalock. 1996. Preferential association of V-lambda-x light chains with gamma-2a heavy chains in naturally occuring human myelin basic protein reactive antibodies. J. Neuroimmunol. 70:15-20. PMID: 8862130  8862130 
Araga, S., F.S. Galin, M. Kashimoto, A. Adachi, and J.E. Blalock. 1996. Prevention of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by a monoclonal antibody to a complementary peptide for the main immunogenic region of the acetylcholine receptor. J. Immunol.157:386-392.   
Galin, F.S., C.C. Maier, S.-R. Zhou, J.N. Whitaker, and J.E. Blalock. 1996. MurineV-lambda x and Vlambda x-containing antibodies human myelin basic protein. J. Clin.Invest. 97:486-492.   
Maier, C.C., Galin, F.S., Jarpe, M.A., Jackson, P., Krishna, M.R., Gautam, A.M., Zhou, S.-R., Whitaker, J.N., and Blalock, J.E. 1994. A V x-bearing monoclonal antibody with similar specificity and sequence to encephalito­genic T cell receptors. J.Immunol.153:1132-1140.   
Galin, F.S., LeBoeuf, R.D., and Blalock, J.E. 1990. A lymphocyte mRNA encodes the adrenocorticotropin/ -lipotropin region of the pro-opiomelanocortin gene. Progress in Neuro­endocrinImmunology 3(3):205-208.   
Smith, E.M., F.S. Galin, R.D. LeBoeuf, D. Coppenhaver, D.V. Harbour, and J.E. Blalock. 1990. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence of lymphocyte-derived corticotropin: Endotoxin induction of a truncated peptide. Proc. Ntl. Acad. Sci. 87:1057-1060.