Joel Rosenbloom

Joel-Rosenbloom

With more than 50 years of experience in the field of connective tissue biochemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Rosenbloom’s work in the field began as an undergraduate at Harvard where we studied the biosynthesis of elastin the laboratory of Dr. Paul Zameznik at Massachusetts General Hospital. After receiving his MD/PhD at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he joined Dr. Darwin Prockop in a Clinical Research Center at the Philadelphia General Hospital where he collaborated on biochemical studies on collagen biosynthesis. After moving to the University of Pennsylvania, he continued studies on collagen production and in collaboration with Dr. Sergio Jimenez showed that proline hydroxylation was essential for the thermal stability of the collagen triple helix. Dr. Rosenbloom’s laboratory in collaboration with Dr. Jouni Uitto, was the first to clone the human elastin gene, which led to a better understanding of elastin protein structure, fiber formation and identification of mutations in the elastin gene resulting in several genetic diseases including supra-valvular aortic stenosis and cutis laxa. His laboratory also cloned several proteins of the elastic microfibrillar component.

For 25 years, he was Director of the Center for Oral Health Research at the University of Pennsylvania and under his leadership molecular biology techniques were introduced into the field of dental research. His laboratory was one of the first to clone the amelogenin gene, which led to identification of mutations in the human gene responsible for the heritable disease, amelogenesis imperfecta and to demonstration of extensive alternative splicing of the primary amelogenin transcript.

Currently the Director of the Joan and Joel Rosenbloom Research Center for Fibrotic Diseases, where he is committed to unraveling the complex molecular interactions responsible for fibrotic processes throughout the body. In collaboration with members of the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Nephrology and Dermatology, working on pulmonary and cardiac fibrosis, radiation-induced fibrosis, abdominal adhesions, kidney fibrosis and keloids.