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Chemistry and Aging Research

By Lynn McCain | October 10

Brian Harry coat sq 500.jpgAfter graduating from the University of Virginia, Brian Harry, MD, PhD, packed his bags and left his native Virginia to travel more than 1600 miles for medical school at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus and to pursue a PhD in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While there, he met his wife, Liz. When he finished his education in 2015, he made the cross-country trip once again, this time with Liz, to Boston, Massachusetts, where he completed his residency training in clinical pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and was named Chief Resident in 2016. As an Innovation Fellow with Partners Healthcare and Third Rock Ventures, he also helped to found and launch several biotechnology start-ups. After a postdoctoral fellowship in proteomics, he returned to Colorado in 2019 as an Assistant Professor of Pathology, Associate Medical Director for Special Chemistry and the Core Chemistry Lab, and Medical Director for several UCHealth sites.

In 2023, Brian headed east again, but not quite so far. Elizabeth, who specialized as an internist, had been hired as the Chief Wellbeing Officer for Michigan Medicine and Brian joined her as a pathologist specializing in clinical chemistry. This was Brian’s path to Michigan, but what started him along this path to pathology?

During his first research experience, Brian studied how white blood cells contribute to atherosclerosis. This led to long-term interest in inflammation. As he moved toward the end of medical school, “I realized that clinical pathology was a career path in medicine perfectly situated between patient care and research.” But which area of pathology? “I chose to pursue clinical chemistry because it allows me to focus on how factors in the blood signal or contribute to health and disease.”

Dr. Brian Harry reviews data in the Chemistry lab.Brian’s position in clinical chemistry provides him with insights into how we monitor disease as well as the freedom to pursue his research interests. He now focuses on studying the mechanisms of inflammation and aging using a variety of longer-lived mice. He is studying features in these mice that are associated with a 10-50% increase in lifespan. “Our goal is to determine if these mice can teach us how to think about aging in our patients. Interpretation of laboratory tests is often linked to disease or chronological age, but we largely ignore that individuals age differently and that aging can change the nature of disease. In the future I think we will pay more attention to one’s physical or biological age.” Brian is currently working with his colleague and mentor, Dr. Richard Miller, on his aging research and hopes to expand his research effort as he gains more funding. “Over the next year or two, I would like to move from 80% clinical to a more balanced effort between clinical and research.”

In addition to his clinical duties and research, Brian is also leading the task force addressing the FDA’s final rule on the regulation of laboratory-developed testing (LDT). The FDA has changed its stance on how LDTs are regulated, which could significantly impact which tests a laboratory will offer for patients. “We are preparing for compliance with the FDA’s final rule, which will go into effect in 2025,” explained Brian. He is very qualified for this role as his primary responsibility in the lab is to ensure that laboratory testing is performed at the highest quality and reflects best practices to care for patients.

In addition to his overarching roles in the laboratory, Brian also provides patient care for those whose specimens are sent to the immunopathology and special chemistry laboratories. “I sign out testing related to hemoglobinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and other blood-based tests,” he added. These include staining for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and electrophoresis of blood and urine. “Most of our service focuses on patients who have monoclonal gammopathies, especially multiple myeloma, but it also includes diseases such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemias, and autoimmune diseases.”

Over the next few years, Brian’s goals include setting the department up for success related to the FDAs final rule implementation and becoming more involved with the immunopathology and special chemistry laboratories. At the same time, he hopes to get his aging research projects better established.

On the personal front, he and Liz have three school-aged children for whom he wants to be present. “My three kids at home bring me the greatest personal joy, but also many commitments.” In his limited free time, Brian enjoys mountain biking and frequents the DTE Foundation Trail in Chelsea and the Potawatomi Trail in the Pinckney State Recreation area. He also enjoys playing guitar, “but my primary role in life, in terms of time and energy, is being a dad.”

 
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