As Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is an internationally renowned investigator in cutaneous immunology and cell biology, and melanoma research. He has been continuously funded for 40 years by the NIH, studying mechanisms of cell death in photosensitive lupus, vitiligo, and alopecia areata and has made seminal discoveries regarding the role of ultraviolet light in inducing translocation of autoantigens to the plasma membrane in keratinocytes in photosensitive lupus. His interest in immune mechanisms in vitiligo lead to many years of research in pigment cell biology, which eventually developed into studies of the resistance of melanocytes and melanoma to apoptosis. Over the past 17 years, Dr. Norris has been funded by a VA Merit Award to study drug combinations that kill melanoma by overcoming anti-apoptotic defenses, especially in melanoma initiating cells, and recently served on the Board of Scientific Councilors to the NCI Director.
Publications
Mukherjee N, Dart CR, Amato CM, Honig-Frand A, Lambert JR, Lambert KA, Robinson WA, Tobin RP, McCarter MD, Couts KL, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Expression Differences in BCL2 Family Members between Uveal and Cutaneous Melanomas Account for Varying Sensitivity to BH3 Mimetics. J Invest Dermatol. 2022 Jul;142(7):1912-1922.e7. PubMed PMID: 34942200
Mukherjee N, Dart CR, Amato CM, Honig-Frand A, Lambert JR, Lambert KA, Robinson WA, Tobin RP, McCarter MD, Couts KL, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Expression differences in BCL2 family members between uveal and cutaneous melanomas account for varying sensitivity to BH3 mimetics. J Invest Dermatol. 2021 Dec 20. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34942200
Dart CR, Mukherjee N, Amato CM, Goulding A, MacBeth M, Van Gulick R, Couts KL, Lambert JR, Norris DA, Robinson WA, Shellman YG. A Novel Regimen for Treating Melanoma: MCL1 Inhibitors and Azacitidine. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Jul 30;14(8). PubMed PMID: 34451846
Mukherjee N, Lambert KA, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Enrichment of Melanoma Stem-Like Cells via Sphere Assays. Methods Mol Biol. 2021;2265:185-199. PubMed PMID: 33704715
Warshauer EM, Brown A, Fuentes I, Shortt J, Gignoux C, Montinaro F, Metspalu M, Youssefian L, Vahidnezhad H, Jacków J, Christiano AM, Uitto J, Fajardo-Ramírez ÓR, Salas-Alanis JC, McGrath JA, Consuegra L, Rivera C, Maier PA, Runfeldt G, Behar DM, Skorecki K, Sprecher E, Palisson F, Norris DA, Bruckner AL, Kogut I, Bilousova G, Roop DR. Ancestral patterns of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa mutations in Hispanic populations suggest sephardic ancestry. Am J Med Genet A. 2021 Nov;185(11):3390-3400. PubMed PMID: 34435747
Goldstein NB, Steel A, Barbulescu CC, Koster MI, Wright MJ, Jones KL, Gao B, Ward B, Woessner B, Trottier Z, Pakieser J, Hu J, Lambert KA, Shellman YG, Fujita M, Robinson WA, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Melanocyte Precursors in the Hair Follicle Bulge of Repigmented Vitiligo Skin Are Controlled by RHO-GTPase, KCTD10, and CTNNB1 Signaling. J Invest Dermatol. 2021 Mar;141(3):638-647.e13. PubMed PMID: 32800877
Barbulescu CC, Goldstein NB, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Therapy for Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata. J Invest Dermatol. 2020 Jan;140(1):29-37. PubMed PMID: 31196751
Birlea SA, Serota M, Norris DA. Nonbullous Skin Diseases: Alopecia Areata, Vitiligo, Psoriasis, and Urticaria. In: The Autoimmune Diseases, 6th Edition, Academic Press an imprint of Elsevier, Section VII, Chapter 6, Page 1211-1234 (2020)
Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Therapy for Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata.
Barbulescu CC, Goldstein NB, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA.J Invest Dermatol. 2020 Jan;140(1):29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.03.1142. Epub 2019 Jun 10.PMID: 31196751 Review.
Ryu S, Broussard L, Youn C, Song B, Norris D, Armstrong CA, Kim B, Song PI. Therapeutic Effects of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides, TRAIL and NRP1 Blocking Peptides in Psoriatic Keratinocytes. Chonnam Med J. 2019 May;55(2):75-85. PubMed PMID: 31161119
Mukherjee N, Almeida A, Partyka KA, Lu Y, Schwan JV, Lambert K, Rogers M, Robinson WA, Robinson SE, Applegate AJ, Amato CM, Luo Y, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Combining a GSI and BCL-2 inhibitor to overcome melanoma's resistance to current treatments. Oncotarget. 2016 Dec 20;7(51):84594-84607. PubMed PMID: 27829238
Goldstein NB, Koster MI, Hoaglin LG, Wright MJ, Robinson SE, Robinson WA, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Isolating RNA from precursor and mature melanocytes from human vitiligo and normal skin using laser capture microdissection. Exp Dermatol. 2016 Oct;25(10):805-11. PubMed PMID: 27193292
Mukherjee N, Lu Y, Almeida A, Lambert K, Shiau CW, Su JC, Luo Y, Fujita M, Robinson WA, Robinson SE, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Use of a MCL-1 inhibitor alone to de-bulk melanoma and in combination to kill melanoma initiating cells. Oncotarget. 2016 Apr 12. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27086916
Nguyen GH, Guo EL, Norris D. A rare case of erythema elevatum diutinum presenting as diffuse neuropathy. JAAD Case Rep. 2016 Dec 21;3(1):1-3. PubMed PMID: 28050587
Jabbari A, Cerise JE, Chen JC, Mackay-Wiggan J, Duvic M, Price V, Hordinsky M, Norris D, Clynes R, Christiano AM. Molecular signatures define alopecia areata subtypes and transcriptional biomarkers. EBioMedicine. 2016 May;7:240-7. PubMed PMID: 27322477
Mukherjee N, Reuland SN, Lu Y, Luo Y, Lambert K, Fujita M, Robinson WA, Robinson SE, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Combining a BCL2 Inhibitor with the Retinoid Derivative Fenretinide Targets Melanoma Cells Including Melanoma Initiating Cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Mar;135(3):842-50. PubMed PMID: 25350317
Betz RC, Petukhova L, Ripke S, Huang H, Menelaou A, Redler S, Becker T, Heilmann S, Yamany T, Duvic M, Hordinsky M, Norris D, Price VH, Mackay-Wiggan J, de Jong A, DeStefano GM, Moebus S, Böhm M, Blume-Peytavi U, Wolff H, Lutz G, Kruse R, Bian L, Amos CI, Lee A, Gregersen PK, Blaumeiser B, Altshuler D, Clynes R, de Bakker PI, Nöthen MM, Daly MJ, Christiano AM. Genome-wide meta-analysis in alopecia areata resolves HLA associations and reveals two new susceptibility loci. Nat Commun. 2015 Jan 22;6:5966. PubMed PMID: 25608926
Norris DA. Overview of AA and Research Progress: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Headed?. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2015 Nov;17(2):6-8. PubMed PMID: 26551935
Kranz D, Ellison A, Frelinger JA, Mackay-Wiggan J, Norris DA. From Targets to Treatments: Bridging Autoimmune Research to Advance Understanding of Alopecia Areata. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2015 Nov;17(2):1-5. PubMed PMID: 26551934
Shellman YG, Lambert KA, Brauweiler A, Fain P, Spritz RA, Martini M, Janssen KP, Box NF, Terzian T, Rewers M, Horvath A, Stratakis CA, Robinson WA, Robinson SE, Norris DA, Artinger KB, Pacheco TR. SASH1 Is Involved in an Autosomal Dominant Lentiginous Phenotype. J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Dec;135(12):3192-4. PubMed PMID: 26203640
Mukherjee N, Schwan JV, Fujita M, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Alternative Treatments For Melanoma: Targeting BCL-2 Family Members to De-Bulk and Kill Cancer Stem Cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Sep;135(9):2155-61. PubMed PMID: 25947358
Goldstein NB, Koster MI, Hoaglin LG, Spoelstra NS, Kechris KJ, Robinson SE, Robinson WA, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Narrow Band Ultraviolet B Treatment for Human Vitiligo Is Associated with Proliferation, Migration, and Differentiation of Melanocyte Precursors. J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Aug;135(8):2068-76. PubMed PMID: 25822579
Karimkhani C, Boyers LN, Naghavi M, Coffeng LE, Lott JP, Wulf S, Hay R, Williams HC, Weinstock MA, Norton SA, Armstrong AW, Dunnick CA, Norris DA, Dellavalle RP. The global burden of disease associated with alopecia areata. Br J Dermatol. 2015;172(5):1424-6. PubMed PMID: 25422028
Mukherjee N, Reuland SN, Lu Y, Luo Y, Lambert K, Fujita M, Robinson WA, Robinson SE, Norris DA, Shellman YG. Combining a BCL2 inhibitor with the retinoid derivative fenretinide targets melanoma cells including melanoma initiating cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Mar;135(3):842-50. PubMed PMID: 25350317
Rigo F, Chun SJ, Norris DA, Hung G, Lee S, Matson J, Fey RA, Gaus H, Hua Y, Grundy JS, Krainer AR, Henry SP, Bennett CF. Pharmacology of a central nervous system delivered 2'-O-methoxyethyl-modified survival of motor neuron splicing oligonucleotide in mice and nonhuman primates. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2014 Jul;350(1):46-55. PubMed PMID: 24784568
Norris DA. George W. Hambrick Jr (1922-2013). J Invest Dermatol. 2014 May;134(5):1190-1. PubMed PMID: 24732330
Luo Y, Cai X, Liu S, Wang S, Nold-Petry CA, Nold MF, Bufler P, Norris D, Dinarello CA, Fujita M. Suppression of antigen-specific adaptive immunity by IL-37 via induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Oct 21;111(42):15178-83. PubMed PMID: 25294929
Reuland SN, Smith SM, Bemis LT, Goldstein NB, Almeida AR, Partyka KA, Marquez VE, Zhang Q, Norris DA, Shellman YG. MicroRNA-26a is strongly downregulated in melanoma and induces cell death through repression of silencer of death domains (SODD). J Invest Dermatol. 2013 May;133(5):1286-93. PubMed PMID: 23190898
Deng H, Liu J, Deng Y, Han G, Shellman YG, Robinson SE, Tentler JJ, Robinson WA, Norris DA, Wang XJ, Zhang Q. CtBP1 is expressed in melanoma and represses the transcription of p16INK4a and Brca1. J Invest Dermatol. 2013 May;133(5):1294-301. PubMed PMID: 23303449
Liu W, Luo Y, Dunn JH, Norris DA, Dinarello CA, Fujita M. Dual role of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) in tumorigenesis of human melanoma. J Invest Dermatol. 2013 Feb;133(2):518-27. PubMed PMID: 22931929
Green JS, Norris DA, Wisell J. Novel cutaneous effects of combination chemotherapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors: a report of two cases. Br J Dermatol. 2013 Jul;169(1):172-6. PubMed PMID: 23413975
Baldea I, Costin GE, Shellman Y, Kechris K, Olteanu ED, Filip A, Cosgarea MR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Biphasic pro-melanogenic and pro-apoptotic effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) on human melanocytes: time-course study. J Dermatol Sci. 2013 Nov;72(2):168-76. PubMed PMID: 23867358
Bennett PE, Bemis L, Norris DA, Shellman YG. miR in melanoma development: miRNAs and acquired hallmarks of cancer in melanoma. Physiol Genomics. 2013 Nov 15;45(22):1049-59. PubMed PMID: 24046283
Duvic M, Christiano AM, Hordinsky MK, Norris DA, Price VH, Amos CI. The national alopecia areata registry-update. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S53. PubMed PMID: 24326558
Norris DA. Summary of the preceding three alopecia areata research summits: what's past is prologue. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S5-9. PubMed PMID: 24326556
Shi Q, Duvic M, Osei JS, Hordinsky MK, Norris DA, Price VH, Amos CI, Christiano AM, Mendoza TR. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in alopecia areata patients-a secondary analysis of the National Alopecia Areata Registry Data. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S49-50. PubMed PMID: 24326555
Norris DA. Genes and immune response in alopecia areata: review of the alopecia areata research summit first day proceedings. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2013 Dec;16(1):S10-2. PubMed PMID: 24326540