Assistant Professor of Neurology, Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry
Phone: (412) 648-9720
e-mail: burtonea@upmc.edu

Biography

Edward Burton, MD, graduated Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honors from the University of Birmingham Medical School, England, UK in 1991.  He completed a general medicine residency in Oxford, UK and was admitted to Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1994.  After neurology residency training in Birmingham, UK, he became a research training fellow at the University of Oxford, graduating Doctor of Philosophy in 2000.  A postdoctoral fellowship in neurological gene transfer carried out at the University of Pittsburgh led to the degree of Doctor of Medicine with Honors from the University of Birmingham, England, UK, in 2003.  He completed higher specialist training in neurology as Clinical Lecturer in Neurology at the University of Oxford, and was admitted to the specialist register of the General Medical Council (UK) in 2003.  Between 2003 and 2004 he completed a clinical fellowship in movement disorders at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London.

Dr. Burton joined the faculty of University of Pittsburgh as Assistant Professor of Neurology in 2004.  He was granted unrestricted licensure to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2005.  Currently, he divides his time between providing clinical care to patients with movement disorders in the comprehensive movement disorders clinic at UPMC, carrying out laboratory research into neurodegeneration in the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and teaching in the medical school.

Dr. Burton's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.

Clinical Interest
Parkinson’s disease and related disorders, including progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy and corticobasal degeneration; Tremor; Dystonia; Botulinum toxin treatment for focal dystonia, sialorrhoea and hemifacial spasm; Wilson’s disease

Research Interests and Representative Recent Publications

Development of neurodegenerative disease models in the zebrafish to enable elucidation of the underlying biochemistry and neuroprotective drug discovery^1.
Viral gene transfer as a means to investigate the biochemistry of neurodegeneration².

Bai, Q., Mullett, S. J., Garver, J. A., Hinkle, D. A. & Burton, E. A. Zebrafish DJ-1 is evolutionarily conserved and expressed in dopaminergic neurons. Brain Res 1113, 33-44 (2006).
Hong, C. S., Goins, W. F., Goss, J. R., Burton, E. A. & Glorioso, J. C. Herpes simplex virus RNAi and neprilysin gene transfer vectors reduce accumulation of Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid-beta peptide in vivo. Gene Ther 13, 1068-79 (2006).

Research Grant Support

Funding for these research studies has been provided by: the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy; the Pittsburgh Foundation; the Parkinson’s Chapter of Greater Pittsburgh; The American Parkinson’s Disease Association; The University of Pittsburgh Competitive Medical Research Fund; the Department of Veteran’s Affairs; the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases; and a research gift from Mr. Henry Fisher.