Dr. James P. Hamilton

   Assistant Professor of Medicine
   Division of Gastroenterology
   Department of Medicine
   The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

   1503 E. Jefferson St, Rm 101A
   Tel : (410) 502-6057
   Fax: (410) 502-1329
   Email: jpahamilton@jhmi.edu

   M.D., 2000,  University of Maryland Medicine School,     Baltimore, MD

I am the only Baltimore native working in the Meltzer lab, and still live with my wife and daughter in Fells Point. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Bates College in Maine, majoring in History.  I graduated from the University of Maryland Medical School in 2000 and completed my medical residency at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago in 2003. I came back to Baltimore for a 3-year fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Maryland Medical System and I am currently assistant professor in Advanced Hepatology and Liver Transplant at Johns Hopkins. I am Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Research Interest:

My main research interests are the molecular pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma and the development of molecular markers to help diagnose and manage cancer of the liver. My clinical interests are the management of hepatocellular carcinoma through liver transplantation and the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases.

Ongoing Project:

"Molecular pathogenesis and detection of novel biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma"

I am interested in the molecular pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as the genes and pathways involved in its initiation and progression. In addition, we are investigating biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and response to various treatment modalities. Results of this study will provide a molecular classification of HCC and allow us to identify targets for chemoprevention and treatment.

Specifically, we extract genomic DNA and total RNA from liver tissues and use this genetic material for methylation-specific PCR (MSP), cDNA microarray, microRNA microarray, and genomic DNA methylation array experiments.

This research is in collaboration with multiple other members of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty, including other physicians from the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Surgery, and Department of Pathology.

Selected Publications:

1.      Hamlyn JM, Lu ZR, Manunta P, Ludens JH, Kimura K, Laredo J, Hamilton JP, Hamilton MJ, and Hamilton BP. Observations on the Nature, Biosynthesis, Secretion, and Significance of Endogenous Ouabain. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypertension 1998;20(5): 523-533.

2.      Manunta P, Hamilton JP, Rogowski A, Hamilton BP, and Hamlyn JM. Chronic Hypertension Induced by Ouabain but Not Digoxin in the Rat: Antihypertensive Effect of Digoxin and Digitoxin.  Hypertension Research 2000;23:s77-s85.

3.      Schulmann K, Sterian A, Berki A, Yin J, Sato F, Xu Y, Olaru A, Wang S, Mori Y, Deacu E, Hamilton J, Kan T, Krasna MJ, Beer DG, Pepe MS, Abraham JM, Feng Z, Schmiegel W, Greenwald BD, Meltzer SJ. Inactivation of p16, RUNX3, and HPP1 occurs early in Barrett's-associated neoplastic progression and predicts progression risk. Oncogene 2005; 24:4138-48.

4.      Schulmann K, Mori Y, Croog V, Yin J, Olaru A, Sterian A, Sato F, Wang S, Xu Y, Deacu E, Berki AT, Hamilton JP, Kan T, Abraham JM, Schmiegel W, Harpaz N, Meltzer SJ. Molecular phenotype of inflammatory bowel disease-associated neoplasms with microsatellite instability. Gastroenterology 2005; 129(1):74-85.

5.      Wang S, Zhan M, Yin J, Abraham JM, Mori Y, Sato F, Xu Y, Olaru A, Berki AT, Li H, Schulmann K, Kan T, Hamilton JP, Paun B, Yu MM, Jin Z, Cheng Y, Ito T, Mantzur C, Greenwald BD, and Meltzer SJ. Transcriptional profiling suggests that Barrett's metaplasia is an early intermediate stage in esophageal adenocarcinogenesis. Oncogene 2006; 25(23):3346-56.

6.      Sato F, Abraham JM, Yin J, Kan T, Ito T, Mori Y, Hamilton JP, Jin Z, Cheng Y, Paun B, Berki A, Wang S, Shimada Y, Meltzer SJ. Polo-like kinase (PLK) and Survivin are Esophageal Tumor-Specific Promoters. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2006;342(2):465-71.

7.      Hamilton JP, Sato F, Greenwald BD, Suntharalingam M, Krasna MJ, Edelman MJ, Doyle LA, Berki AT, Abraham JM, Mori Y, Mantzur C, Kan T, Paun B, Wang S, Ito T, Jin Z, Meltzer SJ. Promoter Methylation and Response to Chemotherapy and Radiation in Esophageal Cancer. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2006; 4(6):701-8.

8.      Sterian A, Kan T, Mori Y, Berki A, Olaru A, Schulmann K, Sato F, Wang S, Paun B, Cai K, Hamilton JP, Abraham JM, Greenwald BD, Meltzer SJ. Mutational and LOH analyses of the chromosome 4q region in esophageal adenocarcinoma. Oncology 2006; 70(3):168-72.

9.      Mori Y, Cai, K, Cheng Y, Wang S, Paun B, Hamilton JP, Jin Z, Sato F, Berki AT, Kan T, Ito T, Mantzur C, Abraham JM, Meltzer SJ. A genome-wide search isolates somatostatin, tachykinin-1, and five other genes as specific targets of epigenetic silencing in human colon cancer. Gastroenterology 2006; 131(3):797-808.

10.  Hamilton JP, Sato F, Greenwald BD, Berki AT, Abraham, JM Mori Y, Olaru A, Kan T, Paun B, Wang S, Sterian A, Ito T, Jin Z, Meltzer SJ. Reprimo, a Novel Methylation Marker in Esophageal Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research 2006; 12(22):6637-6642.

11.  Hamilton JP, Xie G, Raufman JP, Hogan S, Griffin T, Packard CA, Chatfield D, Hagey LR, Steinbach JS, Hofmann AF. Human Cecal Bile Acids: Concentration and Spectrum. American Journal of Physiology Gastrointestinal-Liver Physiology 2007; 293(1):G256-G263.

12.  Jin Z, Mori Y, Yang J, Sato F, Ito T, Cheng Y, Paun B, Hamilton JP, Kan T, Olaru A, David S, Agarwal R, Abraham JM, Beer DG, Montgomery E, Meltzer SJ. Hypermethylation of the nel-like 1 gene is a common and early event and is associated with poor prognosis in early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma. Oncogene 2007; (electronic publication 4/23)

13.  Jin Z, Mori Y, Hamilton JP, Olaru A, Sato F, Yang J, Ito T, Kan T, Agarwal R, Meltzer SJ. Hypermethylation of the Somatostatin Promoter is a Common, Early Event in Human Esophageal Carcinogenesis. Cancer 2007;(in press).

14.  Jin Z, Olaru A, Yang J, Sato F, Cheng Y, Kan T, Mori Y, Mantzur C, Paun C, Hamilton JP, Ito T, Wang S, David S, Agarwal R, Beer DG,. Abraham JM, Meltzer SJ. Hypermethylation of Tachykinin-1 is a Potential Biomarker in Human Esophageal Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research 2007;(in press).

  Book Chapters:

1.   Hamilton JP, Meltzer SJ. Esophageal Cancer: Molecular Biology and Genetics. In: Principles and Practice of Gastrointestinal Oncology (2^nd ed). Kelsen DP, Kern SE, (eds). Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins; 2006 (in press).

2.      Hamilton JP, Laurin JM. Medication-Induced Cholestasis.  In: Cholestatic Liver Disease. Lindor KL, Talwaker J (eds). Totawa, New Jersey: Humana Press; 2006 (in press).

3.      Hamilton JP. A 39 year old man with recurrent episodes of fever and abdominal pain. In: Complicated Cases in Gastroenterology. Buscaglia J, Kalloo AN (eds). Thorofare, New Jersey: Slack Inc.; 2007 (in press)

4.   Hamilton JP. A 32 year old woman with vomiting, diarrhea, and fulminant hepatic failure. In: Complicated Cases in Gastroenterology. Buscaglia J, Kalloo AN (eds). Thorofare, New Jersey: Slack Inc.; 2007 (in press)

5.   Hamilton JP. A 37 year old man with fever, abdominal pain, jaundice, and renal failure. In: Complicated Cases in Gastroenterology. Buscaglia J, Kalloo AN (eds). Thorofare, New Jersey: Slack Inc.; 2007 (in press)

6.   Hamilton JP, Thuluvath PJ. Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. In: Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Diagnosis and Management. Geschwind JF (ed). Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2007 (in press)

                                               Last modified 05/12/2009