Visiting Scientist, Division of Neurotoxicology

Hector Rosas-Hernandez, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7391
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

Back to NCTR Principal Investigators page

 About  |  Publications 

Background

Dr. Rosas-Hernandez received a B.S. in biology and chemistry from the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 2008. He then received an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Bioprocesses from the same university, in 2011 and 2015 respectively. In his Ph.D. work, Dr. Rosas-Hernandez discovered that the hormone prolactin regulates the function of the blood-brain barrier, both in vitro and in vivo. In 2015 he was awarded an ORISE postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Neurotoxicology at NCTR. During his postdoctoral training, he developed in vitro models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on stretch-induced deformation of cells in culture. Using these methods, he studied the effects of TBI on the blood-brain barrier and dopaminergic systems, demonstrating that stretch injury can be used to replicate the effects of TBI in an in vitro setting. In 2018, Dr. Rosas-Hernandez became a Visiting Scientist in the Division of Neurotoxicology, where his work is focused on the experimental modeling of TBI. Dr. Rosas-Hernandez has received multiple awards, including: the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists Travel Award in 2013, the International Brain Research Organization Travel Award in 2014 and 2015, and the NCTR Director’s Publication Award to a Junior Scientist in 2019.

Research Interests

Dr. Rosas-Hernandez’s research interests include experimental modeling focused on the development of neurodegenerative disorders after TBI. Dr. Rosas-Hernandez is also interested in investigating the vascular dysfunction in TBI and Alzheimer’s disease, specifically the contribution of the blood-brain barrier to these pathologies. He is also studying the role of exosomes in the propagation of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and has a particular interest in the use of novel technologies (i.e. microphysiological systems) to model the blood-brain barrier in vitro.

Professional Societies/National and International Groups

National System of Researchers of Mexico
Member (Level I)
2017- Present

Society for Neuroscience
Member
2012- Present

BACK TO TOP

Selected Publications

Stretch-Induced Deformation as a Model to Study Dopaminergic Dysfunction in Traumatic Brain Injury
Rosas-Hernandez H., Burks S.M., Cuevas E. and Ali S.F.
Neurochem Res. 2019 Sep 16. doi: 10.1007/s11064-019-02872-8. [Epub ahead of print].

Amyloid Beta 25-35 Induces Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption In Vitro
Cuevas E., Rosas-Hernandez H., Burks S.M., Ramirez-Lee M.A., Guzman A., Imam S.Z., Ali S.F. and Sarkar S.
Metab Brain Dis. 2019 Oct;34(5):1365-1374. doi: 10.1007/s11011-019-00447-8. [Epub 2019 Jul 2].

Characterization of Serum Exosomes from a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Rosas-Hernandez H., Cuevas E., Raymick J.B., Robinson B.L., Ali S.F., Hanig J. and Sarkar S.
Curr Alzheimer Res. 2019;16(5):388-395. doi: 10.2174/1567205016666190321155422.

Identification of Altered MicroRNAs in Serum of a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease
Rosas-Hernandez H., Chigurupati S., Raymick J., Robinson B., Cuevas E., Hanig J. and Sarkar S.
Neurosci Lett. 2018 Nov 20;687:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.07.022. [Epub 2018 Jul 17]. 

Characterization of Uniaxial High-Speed Stretch as an In Vitro Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on the Blood-Brain Barrier
Rosas-Hernandez H., Cuevas E., Escudero-Lourdes C., Lantz S.M., Sturdivant N.M., Imam S.Z., Sarkar S., Slikker W. Jr., Paule M.G., Balachandran K. and Ali S.F.
Neurosci Lett. 2018 Apr 13;672:123-129. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.02.019. [Epub 2018 Feb 16].

Isolation and Culture of Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells for In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Studies
Rosas-Hernandez H., Cuevas E., Lantz S.M., Paule M.G. and Ali S.F.
Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1727:315-331. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7571-6_23.

Characterization of Biaxial Stretch as an In Vitro Model of Traumatic Brain Injury to the Blood-Brain Barrier
Rosas-Hernandez H., Cuevas E., Escudero-Lourdes C., Lantz S.M., Gomez-Crisostomo N.P., Sturdivant N.M., Balachandran K., Imam S.Z., Slikker W. Jr., Paule M.G. and Ali S.F.
Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Jan;55(1):258-266. doi: 10.1007/s12035-017-0738-5.

Inhibition of Prolactin with Bromocriptine for 28 Days Increases Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in the Rat
Rosas-Hernandez H., Ramirez M., Ramirez-Lee M.A., Ali S.F. and Gonzalez C.
Neuroscience. 2015 Aug 20;301:61-70. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.05.066. [Epub 2015 Jun 3].

BACK TO TOP