JOHN P. HAGAN, PH.D.

​Associate Professor
The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery
UTHealth

Dr. Hagan is an R01-funded Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at UTHealth who is actively involved in both the educational and research mission of the McGovern Medical School. He direct/co-directs three courses and is a frequent invited lecturer. His research focuses on understanding how 3’ RNA uridylation, a newly discovered form of post-transcriptional gene regulation, contributes to mammalian development and cancer biology. The Terminal Uridylyl Transferase ZCCHC11 is a promising cancer target as its inhibition causes dramatic regression of established LIN28A-expressing tumor xenografts by reactivating expression of the tumor suppressor let-7 microRNA family. In addition, his team in collaboration with the physician scientist Dong Kim seeks to identify and characterize genes whose mutation cause intracranial aneurysms, leading to the identification of the first bona fide IA-causing gene, THSD1, that causes both familial and sporadic disease.