Joseph H. Coggin, Jr.

Dr. Joseph H. Coggin, Jr Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology and holds a joint appointment as Professor of Pathology. He received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1965. Dr. Coggin completed his post-graduate training at the Merck Institute under Dr. Maurice Hilleman, and began his academic career at the University of Tennessee in 1967 in Microbiology and Immunology. He was also made a member of the Tumor Immunology Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratories [ORNL]. Over 12 years at Tennessee and ORNL, he rose to the rank of full Professor and was named Head of the ORNL Molecular Anatomy Tumor Program before taking the Chairmanship here at USA in the College of Medicine in 1977. He is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology [AAM] and is certified by the AAM as a Specialist in Public Health and Laboratory Microbiology and also is a Certified Biological Safety Professional. He has served on the Immunological Sciences Study Section and the Radiation Study Section at NIH, and also served on the Comprehensive Cancer Center Review Committee and has worked on many site visit teams for the National Cancer Institute over the past 24 years at USA. He was as consultant to OSHA on human bloodborne pathogens. Dr. Coggin has been a consultant to six international pharmaceutical companies in the last 24 years as a biological safety professional.

Dr. Coggin has focused his research in two areas: (1) mechanisms of oncogenic viruses tumor induction and (2) in the use of oncofetal antigen [OFA] in early tumor induction, detection, and therapy monitoring. He holds several US patents for developing monoclonal antibodies to OFA and for the use of OFA in cancer detection and treatment. OFA was identified in Dr. Coggin=s laboratory at USA and the gene encoding this auto-immunogen was cloned and sequenced in his laboratory and identified to be immature laminin receptor protein [iLRP]. This protein is uniquely expressed on mammalian embryo and early fetus, and phased from active expression in mid-gestation. When rodent, human and tumors of other species were tested in his laboratory, the iLRP/OFA was re-expressed as an universal, early and essential step in oncogenesis induction in all tumors tested. Working with Dr. James Rohrer and Dr. Adel Barsoum of this department they have identified the iLRP/OFA protein and its role as a T-cell inducing and immuno-regulating factor in fetogenesis and oncogenesis. This group of USA scientists along with a surgeon Dr. Lynn Dyess and Dr. Alan Tucker in Pathology have published pioneering research with iLRP/OFA. They have successfully developed iLRP / OFA as a potential universal anti-tumor immunogen for preventing tumor recurrence after surgical removal and for detection of such recurrences with blood testing. Current research is targeted to understand the role of iLRP/OFA in cancer promotion, cancer prevention following specific vaccination, and in regulating T-lymphocyte immunity to emerging or recurring tumors in humans and animals.

Recent Publications

Zelle-Rieser, C, Barsoum, A, Sallusto, F, Ramoner, R, Rohrer, J, Holtl, L, Bartsch, G, Coggin, J, and Thurnher, M. Expression and immunogenicity of Oncofetal Antigen-Immature Laminin Receptor Protein in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma. J. Urology 165: 1705-1709. May 2001.

Rohrer, J.W., Barsoum, A. I., and Coggin, J. H. Development of a new universal tumor rejection antigen expressed on human and rodent cancers (and fetus) for vaccination and prevention of cancer and in anti-tumor therapy and therapy outcome predictions. Modern Aspects of Immunology, 1 (5) pp 191-195, 2001.

Coggin, J. H. Chapter 6. "Bacterial Pathogens" In Biological Safety; Principles and Practices. 3rd Ed. pp. 65-88, Eds. D.O. Fleming and D.H. Hunt, Dec. 2000, ASM Press Washington, D.C.

Coggin J.H. and R. Schwartz, Chapter 32. "Occupational Health and Medical Surveillance" In Biological Safety; Principles and Practices. 3rd Ed. pp. 497-516, Eds. D.O. Fleming and D.H. Hunt, Dec. 2000, ASM Press Washington, D.C.

Barsoum, A .L. , Rohrer, J. and Coggin, J.H. 37kDa oncofetal antigen is an autoimmunogenic homologue of the 37kDa laminin receptor protein precursor. Cellular and Molecular Biol. Letters. 5: 207-230, 2000

Rohrer, J., Barsoum, A. Dyess, L., Tucker, A. and Coggin, J.H. Human breast cancer patients develop clonable Oncofetal Antigen /I LRP effector and regulatory lymphocytes. J. of Immunology. 162: 6880-6892, 1999.

Coggin, J. H., Barsoum, A. and Rohrer, J. 37 KiloDalton Oncofetal Antigen and Immature Laminin Receptor Protein are Identical, Shared, Universal Auto-immunogenic Proteins on Primary Rodent and Human Cancers. Anti-Cancer Res. 19: 5535-5542 1999.

Coggin, J. H., Barsoum, A., and Rohrer, J. A. Tumors express both unique TSTA and cross-protective 44kD oncofetal antigen. Immunology Today 19: No. 9, pp 405-408, September 1998.

Coggin, J.H., Rohrer, J. and Barsoum, A. A new immunobiological view of radiation-promoted lymphomagenesis. International J. Radiation Biology 71: pp 81-94, 1997.

Phone:	(251) 460-6339
FAX:	(251) 460-7269
E-mail:	jcoggin@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

Adel L. Barsoum

John W. Foster