Clinical Interests

Galactosemia; PKU; inborn errors; newborn screening; lysosomal storage disease

Research Interests

Focus on inborn errors of metabolism, with an emphasis on long term outcome in PKU and in the molecular biology of galactosemia

MD: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1975 to 1979. 

Internship and Residency: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.

Fellowship: Pediatric Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center,OH, 1982 to 1985; Clinical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, 1993 to 1995.

Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, 1986; American Board of Pediatrics, Sub-Board of Pediatric Endocrinology, 1989; American Board of Medical Genetics, Board-Certified in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical Genetics, 1996, Active in MOC.

Slaughter JL, Meinzen-Derr J, Rose SR, Leslie ND, Chandrasekar R, Linard SM, Akinbi HT. The effects of gestational age and birth weight on false-positive newborn-screening rates. Pediatrics. 2010 Nov;126(5):910-6.

Dalal P, Leslie ND, Lindor NM, Gilbert DL, Espay AJ. Motor tics, stereotypies, and self-flagellation in primrose syndrome. Neurology. 2010 Jul 20;75(3):284-6.

Gilbert DL, Leslie EJ, Keddache M, Leslie ND. A novel hereditary spastic paraplegia with dystonia linked to chromosome 2q24-2q31. Mov Disord. 2009 Feb 15;24(3):364-70.

Burrow TA, Leslie ND. Review of the use of idursulfase in the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis II. Biologics. 2008 Jun;2(2):311-20.

Burrow TA, Hopkin RJ, Leslie ND, Tinkle BT, Grabowski GA. Enzyme reconstitution/replacement therapy for lysosomal storage diseases. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2007 Dec;19(6):628-35. Review.

Halperin J, Devi SY, Elizure S, Stocco C, Shehu A, Rebourcet D, Unterman TG, Leslie ND, Le J, Binart N, Gibori, G. Prolactin signaling through the Short form of Its Receptor Represses Forkhead Transcription Factor FOXO3 and its Target Gene GALT Causing a Severe Ovarian Defect. Molecular Endocrinology. 2008 22:513-22.

Leslie, ND.  Inborn errors and Pediatric Critical Care. In Wheeler, D ed.  Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: Basic Science and Clinical Evidence. Springer 2007. 

Tinkle B, Lesli ND. Pompe Disease. Gene Clinics. 2007.

Grabowski GA, Hopkin RJ, Burrow RA, Leslie ND, Tinkle BT. Enzyme Reconstitution/Replacement Therapy for Lysosomal Storage Diseases. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2007 19:628-35.

Kishnani PS, Corzo D, Nicolino M, Byrne B, Mandel H, Hwu W, Leslie N, Levine J, Spencer C, McDonald M, DuMontier J, Michael H, Chien Y, Hopkin R, Vijayaraghavan S, Bruskin D, Barholomew D, van der Ploeg A, Clancy J, Prarin R, Morin G, Beck N, Delagastine G, Jokin M, Thurberg B, Richards S, Bali D, Davison M, Worden MA, Chen YT, Wraith JE. Recombinant Human Acid -Alpha Glucosidase:  Major Clinical Benefits in Infantile-Onset Pompe Disease. Neurology. 2007 68(2):99-109.

 Pediatric cardiology; genetic basis of pediatric heart disease

MD Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1970.

Residency Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, 1970-72.

Fellowship Cardiology, Children's Hospital and Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1972-75.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Merck, Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey, 1975-77.

Liebig M, Schymik I, Mueller M, Wendel U, Mayatepek E, Ruiter J, Strauss AW, Wanders RJ, Spiekerkoetter U. (2006) Neonatal screening for very long-chain acyl-coA dehydrogenase deficiency: enzymatic and molecular evaluation of neonates with elevated C14:1-carnitine levels. Pediatrics 118:1065-9.

Khuchua Z, Yue Z, Batts L, Strauss AW. (2006) A zebrafish model of human Barth syndrome reveals the essential role of tafazzin in cardiac development and function. Circ Res 99:201-8.

Exil VJ, Gardner CD, Rottman JN, Sims H, Bartelds B, Khuchua Z, Sindhal R, Ni G, Strauss AW. (2006) Abnormal mitochondrial bioenergetics and heart rate dysfunction in mice lacking very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 290:H1289-97.

Bennett MJ, Russell LK, Tokunaga C, Narayan SB, Tan L, Seegmiller A, Boriack RL, Strauss AW. (2006) Reye-like syndrome resulting from novel missense mutations in mitochondrial medium- and short-chain l-3-hydroxy-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. Mol Genet Metab 89:74-9.

Strauss AW. (2005) Surprising? Perhaps not. Long-chain fatty acid oxidation during human fetal development. Pediatr Res 57:753-4.

Spiekerkoetter U, Tokunaga C, Wendel U, Mayatepek E, Ijlst L, Vaz FM, van Vlies N, Overmars H, Duran M, Wijburg FA, Wanders RJ, Strauss AW. (2005) Tissue carnitine homeostasis in very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase-deficient mice. Pediatr Res 57:760-4.

Shekhawat PS, Matern D, Strauss AW. (2005) Fetal fatty acid oxidation disorders, their effect on maternal health and neonatal outcome: impact of expanded newborn screening on their diagnosis and management. Pediatr Res 57:78R-86R.

Djouadi F, Aubey F, Schlemmer D, Ruiter JP, Wanders RJ, Strauss AW, Bastin J. (2005) Bezafibrate increases very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase protein and mRNA expression in deficient fibroblasts and is a potential therapy for fatty acid oxidation disorders. Hum Mol Genet 14:2695-703.

Browning MF, Larson C, Strauss A, Marsden DL. (2005) Normal acylcarnitine levels during confirmation of abnormal newborn screening in long-chain fatty acid oxidation defects. J Inherit Metab Dis 28:545-50.

Strauss AW. (2004) Tandem mass spectrometry in discovery of disorders of the metabolome. J Clin Invest 113:354-6.

Spierkerkoetter U, Khuchua Z, Yue Z, Strauss AW. (2004) The early-onset phenotype of mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency: a lethal disorder with multiple tissue involvement. J Inherit Metab Dis 27:294-6.

Spiekerkoetter U, Tokunaga C, Wendel U, Mayatepek E, Exil V, Duran M, Wijburg FA, Wanders RJ, Strauss AW. (2004) Changes in blood carnitine and acylcarnitine profiles of very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase-deficient mice subjected to stress. Eur J Clin Invest 34:191-6.

Spiekerkoetter U, Khuchua Z, Yue Z, Bennett MJ, Strauss AW. (2004) General mitochondrial trifunctional protein (TFP) deficiency as a result of either alpha- or beta-subunit mutations exhibits similar phenotypes because mutations in either subunit alter TFP complex expression and subunit turnover. Pediatr Res 55:190-6.

Spiekerkoetter U, Bennett MJ, Ben-Zeev B, Strauss AW, Tein I. (2004) Peripheral neuropathy, episodic myoglobinuria, and respiratory failure in deficiency of the mitochondrial trifunctional protein. Muscle Nerve 29:66-72.

McKinney JT, Longo N, Hahn SH, Matern D, Rinaldo P, Strauss AW, Dobrowolski SF. (2004) Rapid, comprehensive screening of the human medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene. Mol Genet Metab 82:112-20.

Strauss A, Lock JE. (2003) Pediatric cardiomyopathy--a long way to go. N Engl J Med 348:1703-5.

Spiekerkoetter U, Sun B, Zytkovicz T, Wanders R, Strauss AW, Wendel U. (2003) MS/MS-based newborn and family screening detects asymptomatic patients with very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. J Pediatr 143:335-42.

Spiekerkoetter U, Sun B, Khuchua Z, Bennett MJ, Strauss AW. (2003) Molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity in mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency due to beta-subunit mutations. Hum Mutat 21:598-607.

Shekhawat P, Bennett MJ, Sadovsky Y, Nelson DM, Rakheja D, Strauss AW. (2003) Human placenta metabolizes fatty acids: implications for fetal fatty acid oxidation disorders and maternal liver diseases. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 284:E1098-105.

Khuchua Z, Wozniak DF, Bardgett ME, Yue Z, McDonald M, Boero J, Hartman RE, Sims H, Strauss AW. (2003) Deletion of the N-terminus of murine map2 by gene targeting disrupts hippocampal ca1 neuron architecture and alters contextual memory. Neuroscience 119:101-11.

Exil VJ, Roberts RL, Sims H, McLaughlin JE, Malkin RA, Gardner CD, Ni G, Rottman JN, Strauss AW. (2003) Very-long-chain acyl-coenzyme a dehydrogenase deficiency in mice. Circ Res 93:448-55.

Zytkovicz TH, Fitzgerald EF, Marsden D, Larson CA, Shih VE, Johnson DM, Strauss AW, Comeau AM, Eaton RB, Grady GF. (2001) Tandem mass spectrometric analysis for amino, organic, and fatty acid disorders in newborn dried blood spots: a two-year summary from the New England Newborn Screening Program. Clin Chem 47:1945-55.

Ibdah JA, Paul H, Zhao Y, Binford S, Salleng K, Cline M, Matern D, Bennett MJ, Rinaldo P, Strauss AW. (2001) Lack of mitochondrial trifunctional protein in mice causes neonatal hypoglycemia and sudden death. J Clin Invest 107:1403-9.

Barycki JJ, O'Brien LK, Strauss AW, Banaszak LJ. (2000) Sequestration of the active site by interdomain shifting. Crystallographic and spectroscopic evidence for distinct conformations of L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase. J Biol Chem 275:27186-96.

Ibdah JA, Bennett MJ, Rinaldo P, Zhao Y, Gibson B, Sims HF, Strauss AW. (1999) A fetal fatty-acid oxidation disorder as a cause of liver disease in pregnant women. N Engl J Med 340:1723-31.

Ophthalmic genetics

MSc: Andhra University, India.

PhD: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Fellowship: Harvard Medical School.

Certification: Clinical Molecular Genetics, 2007.

Kopplin LJ, Igo RP Jr, Wang Y, Sivakumaran TA, Hagstrom SA, Peachey NS, Francis PJ, Klein ML, SanGiovanni JP, Chew EY, Pauer GJ, Sturgill GM, Joshi T, Tian L, Xi Q, Henning AK, Lee KE, Klein R, Klein BE, Iyengar SK. Genome-wide association identifies SKIV2L and MYRIP as protective factors for age-related macular degeneration. Genes Immun. 2010 Dec;11(8):609-21.

Ikram MK, Sim X, Jensen RA, Cotch MF, Hewitt AW, Ikram MA, Wang JJ, Klein R, Klein BE, Breteler MM, Cheung N, Liew G, Mitchell P, Uitterlinden AG, Rivadeneira F, Hofman A, de Jong PT, van Duijn CM, Kao L, Cheng CY, Smith AV, Glazer NL, Lumley T, McKnight B, Psaty BM, Jonasson F, Eiriksdottir G, Aspelund T; Global BPgen Consortium, Harris TB, Launer LJ, Taylor KD, Li X, Iyengar SK, Xi Q, Sivakumaran TA, Mackey DA, Macgregor S, Martin NG, Young TL, Bis JC, Wiggins KL, Heckbert SR, Hammond CJ, Andrew T, Fahy S, Attia J, Holliday EG, Scott RJ, Islam FM, Rotter JI, McAuley AK, Boerwinkle E, Tai ES, Gudnason V, Siscovick DS, Vingerling JR, Wong TY. Genetic determinants for retinal microcirculation: Genome-wide association study from the CHARGE consortium. PLoS Genet. 2010 Oct 28;6(10):e1001184.

SanGiovanni JP, Arking DE, Iyengar SK, Elashoff M, Clemons TE, Reed GF, Henning AK, Sivakumaran TA, Xu X, DeWan A, Agrón E, Rochtchina E, Sue CM, Wang JJ, Mitchell P, Hoh J, Francis PJ, Klein ML, Chew EY, Chakravarti A. Mitochondrial DNA variants of respiratory complex I that uniquely characterize haplogroup T2 are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration. PLoS One. 2009;4(5):e5508.

Wang JJ, Rochtchina E, Smith W, Klein R, Klein BE, Joshi T, Sivakumaran TA, Iyengar S, Mitchell P. Combined effects of complement factor H genotypes, fish consumption, and inflammatory markers on long-term risk for age-related macular degeneration in a cohort. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Mar 1;169(5):633-41.

Robertson NG, Jones SM, Sivakumaran TA, Giersch AB, Jurado SA, Call LM, Miller CE, Maison SF, Liberman MC, Morton CC. A targeted Coch missense mutation: a knock-in mouse model for DFNA9 late-onset hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. Hum Mol Genet. 2008 Nov 1;17(21):3426-34.

Ruel J, Emery S, Nouvian R, Bersot T, Amilhon B, Van Rybroek JM, Rebillard G, Lenoir M, Eybalin M, Delprat B, Sivakumaran TA, Giros B, El Mestikawy S, Moser T, Smith RJ, Lesperance MM, Puel JL. Impairment of SLC17A8 encoding vesicular glutamate transporter-3, VGLUT3, underlies nonsyndromic deafness DFNA25 and inner hair cell dysfunction in null mice. Am J Hum Genet. 2008 Aug;83(2):278-92.

Edwards AO, Chen D, Fridley BL, James KM, Wu Y, Abecasis G, Swaroop A, Othman M, Branham K, Iyengar SK, Sivakumaran TA, Klein R, Klein BE, Tosakulwong N. Toll-like receptor polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008 Apr;49(4):1652-9.

Xing C, Sivakumaran TA, Wang JJ, Rochtchina E, Joshi T, Smith W, Mitchell P, Iyengar SK. Complement factor H polymorphisms, renal phenotypes and age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Genes Immun. 2008 Apr;9(3):231-9.

Sivakumaran TA, Resendes BL, Robertson NG, Giersch AB, Morton CC. Characterization of an abundant COL9A1 transcript in the cochlea with a novel 3' UTR: Expression studies and detection of miRNA target sequence. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2006 Jun;7(2):160-72.

Sivakumaran TA, Shen P, Wall DP, Do BH, Kucheria K, Oefner PJ. Conservation of the RB1 gene in human and primates. Hum Mutat. 2005 Apr;25(4):396-409.

Proteomics, apoptosis, degradomics, protein-protein interactions, genomics, clinical molecular genetics, genetic testing, molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing  

PhD: Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, 2004.

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Carolina Center for Genome Sciences and Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 2009.

Clinical Fellowship: Clinical Molecular Genetics, Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, GA, 2012.

Valencia CA, Rhodenizer D, Bhide S, Chin E, Littlejohn MR, Keong LM, Rutkowski A, Bonnemann C, Hegde M. Assessment of target enrichment platforms using massively parallel sequencing for the mutation detection for congenital muscular dystrophy. J Mol Diagn. 2012;14:233-246.

Cotten SW, Zou J, Valencia CA, Liu R. Selection of proteins with desired properties from natural proteome libraries using mRNA display. Nature Protocols. 2011;6:1163–1182.

Simnick AJ, Valencia CA, Liu R, Chilkoti A. Morphing low-affinity ligands into high-avidity nanoparticles by thermally triggered self-assembly of a genetically encoded polymer. ACS Nano. 2010;4:2217-2227.

Valencia CA, Cotten SW, Dong B, Liu R. mRNA-display-based selections for proteins with desired functions: a protease-substrate case study. Biotechnol. Prog. 2008;24:561-569.

Valencia CA, Cotten SW, Ju W, Duan J, Liu R. Modulation of Nucleobindin-1 and -2 by caspases. FEBS Lett. 2008;582:286–290.

Ju W, Valencia CA, Pang H, Ke Y, Gao W, Liu R. Proteome-wide identification of member-specific natural substrate repertoire of caspases. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007;104:14294–14299.     

Dong B, Valencia CA, Liu R. Ca2+/Calmodulin directly interacts with the Pleckstrin Homology Domain of AKT1. J Biol Chem. 2007;282:25131-25140.       

Valencia CA, Bailey C, Liu R. Novel Zebrafish caspase 3 substrates. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007;361:311-316.

Shen X, Valencia CA, Szostak J, Dong B, Liu R. Scanning the human proteome for calmodulin-binding proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005;102:5969-5974.

Taboada EN, Acedillo RR, Carrillo CD, Findlay WA, Medeiros DT, Mykytczuk OL, Roberts MJ, Valencia CA, Farber JM, Nash JH. Large-scale comparative genomics meta-analysis of Campylobacter jejuni isolates reveals low level of genome plasticity. J Clin Microbiol. 2004;42:4566-4576.

Clinical Interests

Molecular genetics diagnosis of inherited immunodeficiency disorders and other genetic conditions

Research Interests

Molecular defects and molecular diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency diseases; Genetic aspects of predictive personalized medicine (pharmacogenetics)

MD: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, 1993

MBA: University of Cincinnati, College of Business Administration, 2001

Residency: Gong'an Hospital, Tianjin, China, 1993-1995

Fellowship: Clinical Molecular Genetics Fellow, Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, 2002-2004

Zhang K, Jordan MB, Klein P, Villanueva J, Risma K, Filipovic AH. .Hypomorphic mutations in PRF1, MUNC13-4, and STXBP2 are associated with adult-onset familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Blood. 2011 August 31.

Filipovich AH, Zhang K, Snow AL, Marsh RA. X-linked lymphoproliferative syndromes: brothers or distant cousins? Blood. 2010 Nov 4;116(18):3398-408.

Marsh RA, Madden L, Kitchen BJ, Mody R, McClimon B, Jordan MB, Bleesing JJ, Zhang K, Filipovich AH. XIAP deficiency: a unique primary immunodeficiency best classified as X-linked familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and not as X-linked lymphoproliferative disease. Blood. 2010 Aug 19;116(7):1079-82. 

Marsh RA, Satake N, Biroschak J, Jacobs T, Johnson J, Jordan MB, Bleesing JJ, Filipovich AH, Zhang K. STX11 mutations and clinical phenotypes of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in North America. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010 Jul 15;55(1):134-40.

Pestian J, Spencer M, Matykiewicz P, Zhang K, Vinks AA, Glauser T. Personalizing Drug Selection Using Advanced Clinical Decision Support. Biomed Inform Insights. 2009 Jun 23;2:19-29.

Prows CA, Nick TG, Saldaña SN, Pathak S, Liu C, Zhang K, Daniels ZS, Vinks AA, Glauser TA. Drug-metabolizing enzyme genotypes and aggressive behavior treatment response in hospitalized pediatric psychiatric patients. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2009 Aug;19(4):385-94.

Marsh RA, Villanueva J, Kim MO, Zhang K, Marmer D, Risma KA, Jordan MB, Bleesing JJ, Filipovich AH. Patients with X-linked lymphoproliferative disease due to BIRC4 mutation have normal invariant natural killer T-cell populations. Clin Immunol. 2009 Jul;132(1):116-23.

Marsh RA, Villanueva J, Zhang K, Snow AL, Su HC, Madden L, Mody R, Kitchen B, Marmer D, Jordan MB, Risma KA, Filipovich AH, Bleesing JJ. A rapid flow cytometric screening test for X-linked lymphoproliferative disease due to XIAP deficiency. Cytometry B Clin Cytom. 2009 Sep;76(5):334-44.

Prausa SE, Fukuda T, Maseck D, Curtsinger KL, Liu C, Zhang K, Nick TG, Sherbotie JR, Ellis EN, Goebel J, Vinks AA. UGT genotype may contribute to adverse events following medication with mycophenolate mofetil in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2009 May;85(5):495-500.

Zhang K, Biroschak J, Glass DN, Thompson SD, Finkel T, Passo MH, Binstadt BA, Filipovich A, Grom AA. Macrophage activation syndrome in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis is associated with MUNC13-4 polymorphisms. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Sep;58(9):2892-6.