Professor of Neurology
Chief of Neurology, Birmingham VA Medical Center
Vice-Chair of Neurology

Professional Background: M.D., Duke University, 1985
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Office: SC 260C, 1720 7th Ave S, Birmingham AL 35294-0017

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Personal Info
Dr. King, Professor of Neurology at UAB, graduated summa cum laude from Duke University in 1981 and then received his medical degree from Duke in 1985. He completed residency training in Neurology at Duke Medical Center and was the recipient of an NIH postdoctoral fellowship award in molecular biology. He subsequently completed a neuromuscular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He is board certified in Neurology with special qualifications in clinical neurophysiology. He is currently Chief of Neurology at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center and Vice Chair of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is Director of Clinical Neurophysiology at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center. He holds secondary appointments as Professor in Genetics and Physiology/Biophysics.

Specialty / Interests
My laboratory interests have centered on mechanisms of growth factor mRNA stabilization in malignant gliomas and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the former disease, growth factor mRNAs such as VEGF and IL-8 are stabilized by cellular factors and upregulated to promote tumor cell growth and angiogenesis. In contrast, ALS linked to mutations of superoxide dismutase leads to motor neuron degeneration and VEGF mRNA destabilization. These two models provide excellent platforms to study the impact of posttranscriptional RNA regulation on human disease. Our long term goal is to characterize mechanisms involved in this level of gene regulation to identify potential therapeutic targets. For ALS, augmenting RNA stabilization of neuroprotective growth factors would promote motor neuron survival. For malignant gliomas, on the other hand, augmenting RNA destabilization of the very same factors would suppress tumor growth. My work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Publications in PubMed 

Dr. King in Health System Directory