Richard O. Jones

Biography

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Dr. Jones received a bachelor's of science from the University of Manchester (UK) in 1985, and a doctoral degree from the University of Manchester in 1989. After obtaining his doctoral degree, Dr. Jones spent a year as a Royal Society Fellow at Shinshu Universuty in Matsumoto, Japan. In 1990, he was appointed a research fellow in the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB). In 1994, Dr. Jones became an assistant professor of surgery at UMAB. He joined the Hopkins/Kennedy Krieger Institute faculty in 1997. Dr. Jones is currently the Director of the Peroxisomal Diseases Section in the Genetics Laboratories at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as a research associate in neurology at Johns Hopkins. RESEARCH SUMMARY: Dr. Jones' scientific interests lie in the field of peroxisomal disorders. The primary disorder he is concerned with is X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). Elevated plasma levels of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) are diagnostic of X-ALD. An assay for plasma VLCFA was developed in this laboratory and is now used by many other laboratories. Use of this assay has identified more than 2500 patients with peroxisomal disorders. It is also used for prenatal diagnosis, and more than 500 pregnancies have been monitored as a result of it. This laboratory is a major reference laboratory for peroxisomal disorders both nationally and internationally. The major research objective of this laboratory is to develop an effective therapy for X-ALD and other peroxisomal disorders, a goal which is reinforced daily by contact with patients and their families. Dr. Jones has been involved in studies that evaluate the use of Lorenzo's oil therapy in the treatment of X-ALD in both children and adults. He has also been involved in the development of methods to allow for screening for X-ALD and other peroxisomal disorders in blood spots obtained from newborn babies. He continues to work on other pharmacological approaches to the treatment of X-ALD and other peroxisomal disorders.

Research Interest

Neurology