James Connor, MS, PhD - Penn State Cancer Institute
Researcher Profile
James Connor, MS, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Anatomy and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Neurosurgery
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Penn State Neuroscience Institute
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Penn State Neuroscience Institute
Scientific Program:Next-Generation Therapies
Recent Publications
2025
Shenoy, G, Sahu, A, Kuhn, M, Khristov, V, Heebner, M, Wilding, H, Clegg, T, Bhanja, D, Wade, Q, Liermann, LJ, Wang, D, Smith, N, Remite-Berthet, G, Khunsriraksakul, C, Palsa, K, Slagle-Webb, B, Mansouri, SA, Zacharia, BE, Proctor, EA & Connor, J 2025, 'Analysis of transition metal content in glioblastoma reveals association between iron and survival', Translational Oncology, vol. 55, 102376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranon.2025.102376
2024
Marshall Moscon, S, Neely, E, Proctor, EA & Connor, J 2024, 'A common variant in the iron regulatory gene (Hfe) alters the metabolic and transcriptional landscape in brain regions vulnerable to neurodegeneration', Journal of neurochemistry, vol. 168, no. 9, pp. 3132-3153. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.16171
Shenoy, G, Slagle-Webb, B, Khunsriraksakul, C, Pandya Shesh, B, Luo, J, Khristov, V, Smith, N, Mansouri, A, Zacharia, BE, Holder, S, Lathia, JD, Barnholtz-Sloan, JS & Connor, JR 2024, 'Analysis of anemia and iron supplementation among glioblastoma patients reveals sex-biased association between anemia and survival', Scientific reports, vol. 14, no. 1, 2389. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52492-8
Palsa, K, Neely, EB, Baringer, SL, Helmuth, TB, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2024, 'Brain iron acquisition depends on age and sex in iron-deficient mice', FASEB Journal, vol. 38, no. 1, e23331. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202301596RR
Shehaj, A, Khristov, V, Mareboina, M, Tufano, E, Abdeen, A, Rizk, E & Connor, J 2024, 'Genetic Biomarkers in Astrocytoma: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Potential', World neurosurgery, vol. 189, pp. 339-350.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2024.06.009
Marshall Moscon, SL & Connor, JR 2024, 'HFE Mutations in Neurodegenerative Disease as a Model of Hormesis', International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 25, no. 6, 3334. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063334
Troike, KM, Wang, SZ, Silver, DJ, Lee, J, Mulkearns-Hubert, EE, Hajdari, N, Ghosh, PK, Kay, KE, Beilis, JL, Mitchell, SE, Bishop, CW, Hong, ES, Artomov, M, Hubert, CG, Rajappa, P, Connor, JR, Fox, PL, Kristensen, BW & Lathia, JD 2024, 'Homeostatic iron regulatory protein drives glioblastoma growth via tumor cell-intrinsic and sex-specific responses', Neuro-Oncology Advances, vol. 6, no. 1, vdad154. https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdad154
Nolt, M & Connor, J 2024, 'Implications of Iron in Ferroptosis, Necroptosis, and Pyroptosis as Potential Players in TBI Morbidity and Mortality', ASN Neuro, vol. 16, no. 1, 2394352. https://doi.org/10.1080/17590914.2024.2394352
McWilliams, S, Hill, O, Ipsiroglu, OS, Clemens, S, Weber, AM, Chen, M, Connor, J, Felt, BT, Manconi, M, Mattman, A, Silvestri, R, Simakajornboon, N, Smith, SM & Stockler, S 2024, 'Iron Deficiency and Sleep/Wake Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines—How to Overcome the Current Conundrum?', Nutrients, vol. 16, no. 15, 2559. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152559
Levi, UI, Bintu, MM, Daniella, OC, Oyenike, OAF, Agbonu, AO, Adedamola, AM, Ndidi, E, Saka, SF, Gela, BV, Mbagwu, SI, Edem, EE, Olukayode, OJ & James, C 2024, 'Neurobehavioral deficits, histoarchitectural alterations, parvalbumin neuronal damage and glial activation in the brain of male Wistar rat exposed to Landfill leachate', Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, vol. 136, 102377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchemneu.2023.102377
Ebea-Ugwuanyi, PO, Vidyasagar, S, Connor, JR, Frazer, DM, Knutson, MD & Collins, JF 2024, 'Oral iron therapy: Current concepts and future prospects for improving efficacy and outcomes', British Journal of Haematology, vol. 204, no. 3, pp. 759-773. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.19268
2023
Shenoy, G & Connor, JR 2023, 'A closer look at the role of iron in glioblastoma', Neuro-oncology, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 2136-2149. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noad136
Shesh, B & Connor, JR 2023, 'A novel view of ferritin in cancer', Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer, vol. 1878, no. 4, 188917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188917
Baringer, SL, Lukacher, AS, Palsa, K, Kim, H, Lippmann, ES, Spiegelman, VS, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2023, 'Amyloid-β exposed astrocytes induce iron transport from endothelial cells at the blood–brain barrier by altering the ratio of apo- and holo-transferrin', Journal of neurochemistry, vol. 167, no. 2, pp. 248-261. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15954
Baringer, SL, Palsa, K, Spiegelman, VS, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2023, 'Apo- and holo-transferrin differentially interact with hephaestin and ferroportin in a novel mechanism of cellular iron release regulation', Journal of Biomedical Science, vol. 30, no. 1, 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-023-00934-2
Baringer, SL, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2023, 'Brain iron acquisition: An overview of homeostatic regulation and disease dysregulation', Journal of neurochemistry, vol. 165, no. 5, pp. 625-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15819
Helmuth, TB, Kumari, R, Palsa, K, Neely, EB, Slagle-Webb, B, Simon, SD & Connor, JR 2023, 'Common Mutation in the HFE Gene Modifies Recovery After Intracerebral Hemorrhage', Stroke, vol. 54, no. 11, pp. 2886-2894. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.043799
Palsa, K, Baringer, SL, Shenoy, G, Spiegelman, VS, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2023, 'Exosomes are involved in iron transport from human blood–brain barrier endothelial cells and are modified by endothelial cell iron status', Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 299, no. 2, 102868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102868
Palsa, K, Connor, JR, Flanagan, J & Hines, EA 2023, 'H-ferritin in sows' colostrum- and milk-derived extracellular vesicles: a novel iron delivery concept', Journal of animal science, vol. 101, skad013. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad013
Shenoy, G, Kheirabadi, S, Ataie, Z, Sahu, AP, Palsa, K, Wade, Q, Khunsriraksakul, C, Khristov, V, Slagle-Webb, B, Lathia, JD, Wang, HG, Sheikhi, A & Connor, JR 2023, 'Iron inhibits glioblastoma cell migration and polarization', FASEB Journal, vol. 37, no. 12, e23307. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202202157RR
Bhanja, D, Wilding, H, Baroz, A, Trifoi, M, Shenoy, G, Slagle-Webb, B, Hayes, D, Soudagar, Y, Connor, J & Mansouri, A 2023, 'Photodynamic Therapy for Glioblastoma: Illuminating the Path toward Clinical Applicability', Cancers, vol. 15, no. 13, 3427. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15133427
Pandya Shesh, B, Walter, V, Palsa, K, Slagle-Webb, B, Neely, E, Schell, T & Connor, JR 2023, 'Sexually dimorphic effect of H-ferritin genetic manipulation on survival and tumor microenvironment in a mouse model of glioblastoma', Journal of neuro-oncology, vol. 164, no. 3, pp. 569-586. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-023-04415-2
Pandya Shesh, B, Slagle-Webb, B, Shenoy, G, Khristov, V, Zacharia, BE & Connor, JR 2023, 'Uptake of H-ferritin by Glioblastoma stem cells and its impact on their invasion capacity', Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, vol. 149, no. 12, pp. 9691-9703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-04864-2
2022
Du, G, Wang, E, Sica, C, Chen, H, De Jesus, S, Lewis, MM, Kong, L, Connor, J, Mailman, RB & Huang, X 2022, 'Dynamics of Nigral Iron Accumulation in Parkinson's Disease: From Diagnosis to Late Stage', Movement Disorders, vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 1654-1662. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.29062
Wang, GM, Cioffi, G, Patil, N, Waite, KA, Lanese, R, Ostrom, QT, Kruchko, C, Berens, ME, Connor, JR, Lathia, JD, Rubin, JB & Barnholtz-Sloan, JS 2022, 'Importance of the intersection of age and sex to understand variation in incidence and survival for primary malignant gliomas', Neuro-oncology, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 302-310. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab199
Bhanja, D, Neighbors, J, Connor, J, Zadeh, G & Mansouri, A 2022, 'Neuropharmacological Study of Posaconazole for Glioblastoma: A Phase 0 Clinical Trial Protocol', Neurosurgery, vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 658-665. https://doi.org/10.1227/neu.0000000000002071
Khristov, V, Nesterova, D, Trifoi, M, Clegg, T, Daya, A, Barrett, T, Tufano, E, Shenoy, G, Pandya, B, Beselia, G, Smith, N, Mrowczynski, O, Zacharia, B, Waite, K, Lathia, J, Barnholtz-Sloan, J & Connor, J 2022, 'Plasma IL13Rα2 as a novel liquid biopsy biomarker for glioblastoma', Journal of neuro-oncology, vol. 160, no. 3, pp. 743-752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-022-04196-0
Baringer, SL, Neely, EB, Palsa, K, Simpson, IA & Connor, JR 2022, 'Regulation of brain iron uptake by apo- and holo-transferrin is dependent on sex and delivery protein', Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, vol. 19, no. 1, 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12987-022-00345-9
Khristov, V, Lin, A, Freedman, Z, Staub, J, Shenoy, G, Mrowczynski, O, Rizk, E, Zacharia, B & Connor, J 2023, 'Tumor-Derived Biomarkers in Liquid Biopsy of Glioblastoma', World neurosurgery, vol. 170, pp. 182-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2022.11.012
2021
Chen, P, Bornhorst, J, Patton, S, Bagai, K, Nitin, R, Miah, M, Hare, DJ, Kysenius, K, Crouch, PJ, Xiong, L, Rouleau, GA, Schwerdtle, T, Connor, J, Aschner, M, Bowman, AB & Walters, AS 2021, 'A potential role for zinc in restless legs syndrome', Sleep, vol. 44, no. 4, zsaa236. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaa236
Lee, SY, Slagle-Webb, B, Schengrund, CL, Zhu, J & Connor, JR 2021, 'Association between iron and cholesterol in neuroblastomas', Anticancer Research, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 2795-2804. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.15060
Lee, SY, Slagle-Webb, B, Sharma, AK & Connor, JR 2021, 'Biological activity of a thiobarbituric acid compound in neuroblastomas', Anticancer Research, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 1171-1181. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.14874
Beg, U, Snyder, BM, Madhani, SI, Hamidi, N, Padmanaban, V, Tuanquin, LC, Kruser, TJ, Connor, J & Mansouri, A 2021, 'Current Landscape and Future Prospects of Radiation Sensitizers for Malignant Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review', World neurosurgery, vol. 151, pp. e839-e856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2021.04.134
Wang, EW, Trojano, ML, Lewis, MM, Du, G, Chen, H, Brown, GL, Jellen, LC, Song, I, Neely, E, Kong, L, Connor, JR & Huang, X 2021, 'HFE H63D Limits Nigral Vulnerability to Paraquat in Agricultural Workers', Toxicological Sciences, vol. 181, no. 1, pp. 47-57. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfab020
Kaur, H, Bush, WS, Letendre, SL, Ellis, RJ, Heaton, RK, Patton, SM, Connor, JR, Samuels, DC, Franklin, DR, Hulgan, T & Kallianpur, AR 2021, 'Higher CSF Ferritin Heavy-Chain (Fth1) and Transferrin Predict Better Neurocognitive Performance in People with HIV', Molecular Neurobiology, vol. 58, no. 10, pp. 4842-4855. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-021-02433-7
Patil, N, Somasundaram, E, Waite, KA, Lathia, JD, Machtay, M, Gilbert, MR, Connor, JR, Rubin, JB, Berens, ME, Buerki, RA, Choi, S, Sloan, AE, Penas-Prado, M, Ashby, LS, Blumenthal, DT, Werner-Wasik, M, Hunter, GK, Flickinger, JC, Wendland, MM, Panet-Raymond, V, Robins, HI, Pugh, SL, Mehta, MP & Barnholtz-Sloan, JS 2021, 'Independently validated sex-specific nomograms for predicting survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma: NRG Oncology RTOG 0525 and 0825', Journal of neuro-oncology, vol. 155, no. 3, pp. 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-021-03886-5
Jellen, LC, Lewis, MM, Du, G, Wang, X, Galvis, MLE, Krzyzanowski, S, Capan, CD, Snyder, AM, Connor, JR, Kong, L, Mailman, RB, Brundin, P, Brundin, L & Huang, X 2021, 'Low plasma serotonin linked to higher nigral iron in Parkinson’s disease', Scientific reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 24384. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03700-2
Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation 2021, 'The Management of Restless Legs Syndrome: An Updated Algorithm', Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol. 96, no. 7, pp. 1921-1937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.12.026
Kang, YJ, Holley, CK, Abidian, MR, Madhankumar, AB, Connor, J & Majd, S 2021, 'Tumor Targeted Delivery of an Anti-Cancer Therapeutic: An In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation', Advanced Healthcare Materials, vol. 10, no. 2, 2001261. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202001261