Faculty Focus - James Eubanks

James Eubanks, PhD

Dr. James Eubanks received his BSc from the University of California, Davis, before going on to receive his Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology in 1991 from the University of California, San Diego. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships in Molecular Neurobiology; the first at Duke University, and the second at the University of Toronto before joining the Toronto Western Research Institute as Scientist in 1994. He later became a Senior Scientist within the Genetics and Development Research Division, a position he has held from 2001 to present. He is currently Professor at the Division of Neurosurgery and the Division Head of Genetics and Development at Toronto Western Research Institute. His research interests include the influence of epigenetic factors on neuronal function, with a particular emphasis on Rett syndrome. He is an Advisory Board member for both the International Rett Syndrome Foundation and the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association. In 2012, he received the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association’s Award of Merit for his dedication to studying Rett syndrome.

Current Appointments

• Professor, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
• Division Head, Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute
• Senior Scientist, Division of Genetics & Development, Toronto Western Research Institute

Selected Professional Activities

• Advisory Board Member, University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program
• Chair, Research Space Committee
• Scientific Advisory Panel Member, Ontario Rett Syndrome Association
• Member, Scientific and Community Contact Committee, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
• Chair, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Committee III Grant Review Panel Scientific Advisory Board Member, International Rett Syndrome Foundation

Selected Peer-Reviewed Funding

• Ontario Brain Institute (EpLink Program), 2013-2018
  Histone Deacetylase 6 As A Novel Target For Recurrent Epilepsies
  Role: Principal Investigator. Collaborator(s): Liang Zhang.
  $375,000 CAD
• Pro-Rett Ricerca (Italy), 2013-2015
  Gene Therapy For Treating Rett Syndrome
  Role: Principal Investigator. Collaborator: Nicoletta Landsberger
  $108,000 CAD
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), 2013-2016
  The Role Of Histone Deacetylase 6 Complexes In Rett Syndrome Pathophysiology
  Role: Principal Investigator. Collaborator(s): Liang Zhang
  $390,123 CAD
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), 2010-2015
  Towards the Correction of Rett-Like Behaviour in MeCP2-Deficient Mice
  Role: Principal Investigator. Collaborator(s): W. McIntyre Burnham, O. Carter Snead, Sheena Josselyn and Liang Zhang.
  746,825 CAD.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Sidorova-Darmos E, Wither RG, Shulyakova N, Fisher C, Ratnam M, Aarts M, Lilge L, Monnier PP, Eubanks JH. Differential expression of sirtuin family members in the developing, adult, and aged rat brain. Front Aging Neurosci. 2014 Dec 18;6:333
• Shulyakova N, Sidorova-Darmos E, Fong J, Zhang G, Mills LR, Eubanks JH. Over-expression of the Sirt3 sirtuin Protects neuronally differentiated PC12 Cells from degeneration induced by oxidative stress and trophic withdrawal. Brain Res. 2014 Oct 31;1587:40-53.
• Lang M, Wither RG, Colic S, Wu C, Monnier PP, Bardakjian BL, Zhang L, Eubanks JH. Rescue of behavioral and EEG deficits in male and female Mecp2-deficient mice by delayed Mecp2 gene reactivation. Hum Mol Genet. 2014 Jan 15;23(2):303-18.
• Lang M, Wither RG, Brotchie JM, Wu C, Zhang L, Eubanks JH. Selective preservation of MeCP2 in catecholaminergic cells is sufficient to improve the behavioral phenotype of male and female Mecp2-deficient mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2013 Jan 15;22(2):358-71.
• Wither RG, Lang M, Zhang L, Eubanks JH. Regional MeCP2 expression levels in the female MeCP2-deficient mouse brain correlate with specific behavioral impairments. Exp Neurol. 2013 Jan;239:49-59.
• D'Cruz JA, Wu C, Zahid T, El-Hayek Y, Zhang L, Eubanks JH. Alterations of cortical and hippocampal EEG activity in MeCP2-deficient mice. Neurobiol Dis. 2010 Apr;38(1):8-16.
• Jugloff DG, Vandamme K, Logan R, Visanji NP, Brotchie JM, Eubanks JH. Targeted delivery of an Mecp2 transgene to forebrain neurons improves the behavior of female Mecp2-deficient mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2008 May 15;17(10):1386-96.
• Zhang L, He J, Jugloff DG, Eubanks JH. The MeCP2-null mouse hippocampus displays altered basal inhibitory rhythms and is prone to hyperexcitability. Hippocampus. 2008;18(3):294-309.