Katherine A. High

Katherine A. High is an American doctor who is an Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Spark Therapeutics.[1] Her work primarily focused on the use of gene therapy for hemophilia.

Katherine A. High
Born
Des Moines, Iowa
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHarvard College, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Known forGene Therapy
Scientific career
FieldsHematology
InstitutionsUniversity of Pennsylvania, Spark Therapeutics
Academic advisorsEdward J. Benz Jr.

Education

High received an A.B. in chemistry at Harvard University in 1972.[2][3] She started her medical training at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, during which she took a leave of absence to work at a chemistry lab.[4] After returning and completing her medical degree in 1978, High continued with a residency in internal medicine.[5] She then became a hematology fellow at Yale University under the supervision of Edward J Benz Jr, during which she worked on the molecular genetics of globin genes.[6][5]

Career and Research

High was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill for seven years,[7][5] where she started her career by developing the earliest canine model of hemophilia by cloning the canine Factor IX gene.[8] She also identified the mutation responsible for Factor VII deficiency blood clotting disorder.[9] High moved to the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she began pioneering gene therapies for blood disorders.[10] During her career at the University of Pennsylvania, High expanded her research into gene therapy solutions for hereditary blindness together with Dr. Jean Bennett.[11]

She was the director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, and as of 2001 head of hematology research,[1] at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.[12][13] High is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Along with Jean Bennett, in 2018, she was one of three finalists for Sanford Health's $1 million Lorraine Cross Award for innovation in medicine and science.

In February 2020, High stepped down from her position at Spark Therapeutics as the company prepared to be absorbed by Swiss pharma Roche.[14]

Personal life

She is married to George Steele, a nutritionist who was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.[15][16] She has three children, one of whom is actress Sarah Steele.[17][18]

References
  1. Yarbrough, Cathy (3 September 2018). "Gene Therapy Pioneer's 30 Years Of Problem-Solving". Life Science Leader.
  2. "Katherine A. High | Faculty | About Us | Perelman School of Medicine | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania". med.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  3. "Katherine High, M.D. | Board Member". Spark Therapeutics Inc. – IR Site. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  4. Wilson, James M. (2016-12-01). "Interview with Katherine A. High, MD". Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development. 27 (4): 127–131. doi:10.1089/humc.2016.29021.int. ISSN 2324-8637. PMID 27983889.
  5. "Katherine A. High, MD". IHG Symposium 2015. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  6. Wilson, James M. (December 2016). "Interview with Katherine A. High, MD". Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development. 27 (4): 127–131. doi:10.1089/humc.2016.29021.int. ISSN 2324-8637. PMID 27983889.
  7. "Factor This! Series: An Interview with Dr. Katherine A. High ·". onthepulseconsultancy.com. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  8. Evans, J. P.; Watzke, H. H.; Ware, J. L.; Stafford, D. W.; High, K. A. (July 1989). "Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding canine factor IX". Blood. 74 (1): 207–212. doi:10.1182/blood.V74.1.207.207. ISSN 0006-4971. PMID 2752110.
  9. Chaing, S.; Clarke, B.; Sridhara, S.; Chu, K.; Friedman, P.; VanDusen, W.; Roberts, H. R.; Blajchman, M.; Monroe, D. M.; High, K. A. (1994-06-15). "Severe factor VII deficiency caused by mutations abolishing the cleavage site for activation and altering binding to tissue factor". Blood. 83 (12): 3524–3535. doi:10.1182/blood.V83.12.3524.3524. ISSN 0006-4971. PMID 8204879.
  10. Herzog, R. W.; Yang, E. Y.; Couto, L. B.; Hagstrom, J. N.; Elwell, D.; Fields, P. A.; Burton, M.; Bellinger, D. A.; Read, M. S.; Brinkhous, K. M.; Podsakoff, G. M. (January 1999). "Long-term correction of canine hemophilia B by gene transfer of blood coagulation factor IX mediated by adeno-associated viral vector". Nature Medicine. 5 (1): 56–63. doi:10.1038/4743. ISSN 1078-8956. PMID 9883840.
  11. "Dr. Jean Bennett & Dr. Katherine High Win $1 Million Sanford Lorraine Cross Award". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  12. "Katherine High" (PDF). Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  13. "Katherine A. High, MD - IHG Symposium 2015". IHG Symposium 2015. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  14. "Spark Co-Founder Katherine High Departs Company Ahead of Merger with Roche". BioSpace. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  15. "Growing into her biggest film role". Los Angeles Times. 2004-12-26. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  16. Elkin, Michael (26 July 2013). "Sarah Steele finding herself on everybody's to-hire list". inquirer.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  17. admin (2018-05-30). "Pulling Back the Curtain: Katherine A. High, MD". ASH Clinical News. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  18. Healy, Patrick (2012-06-28). "Role After Role, She Cuts Years Off Her Age". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
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