Richard L. Hurwitz, MD
Department or Service
Location
- Texas Medical Center
Specialty
Phone: 832-824-4259
Contact Information
Director, Retinoblastoma Program
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, and Department of Ophthalmology, and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine
Education
| School | Education | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota Medical School at Minneapolis | fellowship | Hematology-Oncology | 1980 |
| University of Minnesota Medical School at Minneapolis | residency | Pediatrics | 1978 |
| Albany Medical College | medical school | Doctor of Medicine | 1975 |
About
Dr. Richard Hurwitz is a Co-Director of the Retinoblastoma Program. Dr. Richard Hurwitz studies the potential use of gene therapy for the treatment of ocular diseases. He has shown that a novel treatment for retinoblastoma using suicide gene therapy is safe and possibly effective in children. To further refine this therapeutic option, Dr. Hurwitz is studying the cellular origin of retinoblastoma and the differences between invasive and non-invasive forms of this disease. In addition, in vivo models of retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration are being used to develop gene therapy treatments for retinal degenerative diseases. The mechanism of adenoviral-mediated transgene expression in the ocular environment is being explored with goals of providing future molecular targets to modulate adenoviral-mediated gene therapy for both retinoblastoma and retinal degenerative diseases and possibly of controlling adenovirus infection in general.
Clinical Interests
Hematology
Retinoblastoma
Gene Therapy
Research Interests
Gene therapy for ocular diseases
Cellular origin of retinoblastoma
Retinal degenerative diseases
Board Certifications
American Board of Pediatrics American Board of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology
Organization
| Organization Name | Role |
|---|---|
| American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | Member |
| American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) | Member |
| American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Member |
| Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology | Member |
| The Society for Pediatric Research | Member |