Professor of Neurology (primary), Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Medicine, Oncology; Director, Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery; Vice Director, Pederson Brain Science Institute; Co-Director, JH Center for the Advancement of HIV Neurotherapeutics
Huang M, Stremlau M, Zavras J, Zivko C, Thomas AG, Pietri P, Machairaki V, Slusher BS. “Neutral sphingomyelinase 2: A promising drug target for CNS disease.” Advances in Pharmacology, 2025 [PubMed]
Wiseman R, Bigos KL, Arnsten AFT, Slusher BS. “Inhibition of brain glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) to enhance cognitive function.” Advances in Pharmacology, 2025 [PubMed]
Lee CB, Šnajdr I, Tenora L, Alt J, Gori S, Krečmerová M, Maragakis RM, Paule J, Tiwari S, Iyer J, Talwar R, Garza L, Majer P, Slusher BS, Rais R. “Discovery of Orally Available Prodrugs of Itaconate and Derivatives.” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2025 [PubMed]
Nedelcovych MT, Dash RP, Wu Y, Choi EY, Lapidus RS, Majer P, Jančařík A, Abou D, Penet MF, Nikolopoulou A, Amor-Coarasa A, Babich J, Thorek DL, Rais R, Kratochwil C, Slusher BS. “JHU-2545 preferentially shields salivary glands and kidneys during PSMA-targeted imaging.” European Journal of Nuclear Medicine Molecular Imaging, 2025 [PubMed]
Ramos A, Ishizuka K, Hayashida A, Namkung H, Hayes LN, Srivastava R, Zhang M, Kariya T, Elkins N, Palen T, Carloni E, Tsujimura T, Calva C, Ikemoto S, Rais R, Slusher BS, Niwa M, Saito A, Saitoh T, Takimoto E, Sawa A. “Correction: Nuclear GAPDH in cortical microglia mediates cellular stress-induced cognitive inflexibility.” Molecular Psychiatry, 2025 [PubMed]
Li T, Akhtarkhavari S, Chang TY, Shen YA, Yang J, Slusher B, Shih IM, Gaillard S, Wang TL. “Inhibition of Glutamine Metabolism Suppresses Tumor Progression through Remodeling of the Macrophage Immune Microenvironment.” bioRxiv, 2025 [PubMed]
Hoxie N, Qiu Y, Kales SC, Schneider R, Hu X, Dalal A, Ford-Scheimer SL, Wiseman R, Tsukamoto T, Wei H, Slusher BS, Janiszewski JS, Hall MD. “Development of a high-throughput dual-stream liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to screen for inhibitors of glutamate carboxypeptidase II.” Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2025 [PubMed]
Bajaj A, Tsukamoto T. “Evolution of D-amino acid oxidase inhibitors: From concept to clinic.” Advanced Pharmacology, 2025 [PubMed]
Fu XP, Wu RK, Shah AP, Ladenheim B, Alt J, Cadet JL, Rais R, Chandra R, Cen XB, Baraban JM. “Translin deletion impairs cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization and RGS8 expression in the nucleus accumbens.” Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 2025 [PubMed]
Levinstein MR, De Oliveira PA, Casajuana-Martin N, Quiroz C, Budinich RC, Rais R, Rea W, Ventriglia EN, Llopart N, Casadó-Anguera V, Moreno E, Walther D, Glatfelter GC, Weinshenker D, Zarate CA Jr, Casadó V, Baumann MH, Pardo L, Ferré S, Michaelides M. “Reply to "Letter to the Editor regarding 'Unique pharmacodynamic properties and low abuse liability of the μ-opioid receptor ligand (S)-methadone'", Molecular Psychiatry, 2025 [PubMed]
Peters, DE, “Antidepressants for inflammatory bowel disease? Multimodal effects of amitriptyline in murine colitis”, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2025 [PubMed]
Chen J, Yang J, Chu J, Hong Chen K, Alt J, Rais R, Qiu Z, “The SWELL1 Channel Promotes Ischemic Brain Damage by Mediating Neuronal Swelling and Glutamate Toxicity,” Advanced Science, 2024 [PubMed]
Novotná K, Tenora L, Slusher BS, Rais R, “Therapeutic resurgence of 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) through tissue-targeted prodrugs,” Advances in Pharmacology, 2024 [PubMed]
Praharaj M, Shen F, Lee AJ, Zhao L, Nirschl TR, Theodros D, Singh AK, Wang X, Adusei KM, Lombardo KA, Williams RA, Sena LA, Thompson EA, Tam A, Yegnasubramanian S, Pearce EJ, Leone RD, Alt J, Rais R, Slusher BS, Pardoll DM, Powell JD, Zarif JC. “Metabolic reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages using glutamine antagonist JHU083 drives tumor immunity in myeloid-rich prostate 239. and bladder cancer tumors,” Cancer Immunology Research, 2024 [PubMed]
Chen EC, Shapiro RL, Pal A, Bartee D, DeLong K, Carter DM, Serrano-Diaz E, Rais R, Ensign LM, Freel Meyers CL. “Investigating inhibitors of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase in a mouse model of UTI,” Microbiology Spectrum, 2024 [PubMed]
Peters DE, Brownlee M, Layne-Colon D, Slusher BS. “Discovery of PSMA in the prostate of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus),” The Prostrate, 2024 [PubMed
Ramos A, Ishizuka K, Hayashida A, Namkung H, Hayes LN, Srivastava R, Zhang M, Kariya T, Elkins N, Palen T, Carloni E, Tsujimura T, Calva C, Ikemoto S, Rais R, Slusher BS, Niwa M, Saito A, Saitoh T, Takimoto E, Sawa A. “Nuclear GAPDH in cortical microglia mediates cellular stress-induced cognitive inflexibility,” Molecular Psychiatry, 2024 [PubMed]
Bonifazi A, Ellenberger M, Farino ZJ, Aslanoglou D, Rais R, Pereira S, Mantilla-Rivas JO, Boateng CA, Eshleman AJ, Janowsky A, Hahn MK, Schwartz GJ, Slusher BS, Newman AH, Freyberg Z. “Development of novel tools for dissection of central versus peripheral dopamine D2-like receptor signaling in dysglycemia,” bioRxiv, 2023 [PubMed]
Wiseman RL, Bigos KL, Dastgheyb RM, Barker PB, Rubin LH, Slusher BS. “Brain N -acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate is associated with cognitive function in older virally suppressed people with HIV,” AIDS, 2024 [PubMed]
Mueller LG, Slusher BS, Tsukamoto T. “Empirical Analysis of Drug Targets for Nervous System Disorders,” ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2024 [PubMed]
Okorom AV, Camacho-Hernandez GA, Salomon K, Lee KH, Ku TC, Cao J, Won SJ, Friedman J, Lam J, Paule J, Rais R, Klein B, Xi ZX, Shi L, Loland CJ, Newman AH “Modifications to 1-(4-(2-Bis(4-fluorophenyl)methyl)sulfinyl)alkyl Alicyclic Amines That Improve Metabolic Stability and Retain an Atypical DAT Inhibitor Profile,” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2024 [PubMed]
Slusher BS, Conn, PJ Conn, Frye S, Glicksman M, Arkin M. “Bringing together the academic drug discovery community”. Nature Review Drug Discovery, 2013, Nov (12) 811
Rahn KA, Watkins CC, Alt J, Rais R, Stathis M, Grishkan I, Crainiceau CM, Pomper MG, Rojas C, Pletnikov MV, Calabresi PA, Brandt J, Barker PB, Slusher BS, Kaplin AI. “Inhibition of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) activity as a treatment for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012, Dec 4;109(49):20101-6
Wozniak KM, Nomoto K, Lapidus RG, Wu Y, Carozzi V, Cavaletti G, Slusher BS. “Comparison of Neuropathy-Inducing Effects of Eribulin Mesylate, Paclitaxel, and Ixabepilone in Mice.” Cancer Research, 2012, 71(11), 3952-3962
Slusher BS, Vornov JJ, Thomas AG, Hurn PD, Traystman RJ, Robinson MB, Britton P, Lu M, Tortella FC, Wozniak KM, Yudkoff M, Jackson PF. “An inhibitor of NAAG hydrolysis prevents ischemic glutamate release and provides neuroprotection”. Nature Medicine, 1999, 5, 1396-1402
Wozniak KM, Vornov JJ, Mistry BM, Wu Y, Rais R, Slusher BS. “Gastrointestinal Delivery of Propofol from Fospropofol: Its Bioavailability and Activity in Rodents and Human Volunteers”. Journal Translational Medicine, 2015 May 29;13:170
Frye SV, Arkin MR, Arrowsmith CH, Conn PJ, Glicksman MA, Hull-Ryde EA, Slusher BS. “Tackling reproducibility in academic preclinical drug discovery.” Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2015, Nov; 14(11):733-4
Rojas C, Alt J, Ator NA, Thomas AG, Wu Y, Hin N, Wozniak K, Ferraris D, Rais R, Tsukamoto T and Slusher BS. “D-Amino-acid oxidase inhibition increases d-serine plasma levels in mouse but not in monkey or dog.” Neuropsychopharmacology, 2016, May:41(6):1610-9
Vornov JJ, Hollinger KR, Jackson PF, Wozniak KM, Farah MH, Majer P, Rais R and Slusher BS. “Still NAAG’ing After All These Years: The Continuing Pursuit of GCPII Inhibitors.” Advances in Pharmacology, 2016, 76:215-255
Rais R, Jancarik A, Tenora L, Nedelcovych M, Alt J, Englert J, Rojas C, Le A, Elgogary A, Tan J, Monincova L, Pate K, Adam RJ, Ferraris DV, Powell JD, Maje P, Slusher BS. “Discovery of 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) prodrugs with enhanced CSF delivery in monkeys: a potential treatment for glioblastoma.” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2016, Sept 22:59(18):8621-33
Elgogary A, Xu Q, Poore B, Alt J, Zimmermann SC, Zhao L, Fu J, Chen B, Xia S, Liu Y, Neisser M, Nguyen C, Lee R, Park JK, Reyes J, Hartung T, Rojas C, Rais R, Tsukamoto T, Semenza GL, Hanes J, Slusher BS, Le A. “Combination therapy with BPTES nanaoparticles and metformin targets the metabolic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016, Sept 6;113(36):E5328-36
Rais R, Jancarik A, Tenora L, Nedelcovych M, Alt J, Englert J, Rojas C, Le A, Elgogary A, Tan J, Monincova L, Pate K, Adam RJ, Ferraris DV, Powell JD, Maje P, Slusher BS. “Discovery of 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) prodrugs with enhanced CSF delivery in monkeys: a potential treatment for glioblastoma.” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2016, Sept 22:59(18):8621-33
Rais R, Jiang W, Zhai H, Wozniak KM, Stathis M, Hollinger KR, Thomas AG, Rojas C, Vornov JJ, Marohn M, Li X. FOLH1/GCPII is elevated in IBD patients, and its inhibition ameliorates murine IBD abnormalities. JCI insight. 2016 Aug 4;1(12).
Nedelcovych MT, Tenora L, Kim BH, Kelschenbach J, Chao W, Hadas E, Jancarik A, Prchalova E, Zimmermann SC, Dash RP, Gadiano AJ, Garrett C, Furtmuller G, Oh B, Brandacher G, Alt J, Majer P, Volsky DJ, Rais R, Slusher BS. “N-(Pivaloyloxy)alkoxy-carbonyl Prodrugs of the Glutamine Antagonist 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) as a Potential Treatment for HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorders.” J Med Chem. 2017, Aug 24;60(16):7186-7198
Wozniak KM, Vornov JJ, Wu Y, Liu Y, Carozzi VA, Rodriguez-Menendez V, Ballarini E, Alberti P, Pozzi E, Semperboni S, Cook BM, Littlefield BA, Nomoto K, Condon K, Eckley S, DesJardins C, Wilson L, Jordan MA, Feinstein SC, Cavaletti G, Polydefkis M, and Slusher BS. “Peripheral neuropathy induced by microtubule-targeted chemotherapies: insights into acute injury and long-term recovery.” Cancer Research, 2018, Feb 1;78(3):817-29
Rojas C, Barnaeva E, Thomas AG, Hu X, Southall N, Marugan J, Chaudhuri AD, Yoo SW, Hin N, Stepanek O, Wu Y. Slusher BS. “DPTIP, a newly identified potent brain penetrant neutral sphingomyelinase 2 inhibitor, regulates astrocyte-peripheral immune communication following brain inflammation.” Scientific Reports, 2018, Dec 1;8(1):17715
Lemberg KM, Vornov JJ, Rais R, Slusher BS. “We're Not “DON” Yet: Optimal Dosing and Prodrug Delivery of 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine.” Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2018 Sep 1;17(9):1824-32
Zhu X, Nedelcovych MT, Thomas AG, Hasegawa Y, Moreno-Megui A, Coomer W, Vohra V, Saito A, Perez G, Wu Y, Alt J. Slusher BS, Kamiya A. “JHU-083 selectively blocks glutaminase activity in brain CD11b+ cells and prevents depression-associated behaviors induced by chronic social defeat stress.” Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018, Aug 01-12
Tenora L, Alt J, Dash RP, Gadiano AJ, Novotna K, Veeravalli V, Lam J, Kirkpatrick QR, Lemberg KM, Majer P, Rais R, Slusher BS. “Tumor-Targeted Delivery of 6-Diazo-5-oxo-I-norleucine (DON) Using Substituted Acetylated Lysine Prodrugs.” J Med Chem, 2019, Apr 11:62(7):3524-3538