John P. Wise, Sr., Ph.D.

Education: 

B.S. in Biology with High Distinction and with Recognition, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; 1990
Ph.D. in Pharmacology, The George Washington University, Washington D.C.; 1994
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Epidemiology, The National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD; 1996 

Current Positions: 

Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Louisville
Deputy Director, Center for Integrated Environmental Health Sciences, University of Louisville
University Scholar, University of Louisville
Member, James Graham Brown Cancer Center 

Contact Information: 

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Clinical & Translational Research Building, 522
505 South Hancock Street
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone:  502/852-8524
Email: 

Website Link:

The Wise Laboratory of Environmental & Genetic Toxicology  

Research Description: 

The Wise Laboratory studies cancer and seeks to understand how environmental chemicals transform normal cells into tumor cells.  Their work focuses on chromosomes and how changes in the number and structure of chromosomes leads to cancer.  The Wise Laboratory has made important advances in understanding DNA damage, DNA repair, mitosis, and centrosome biology; discovering how chemical impacts on these processes lead to chromosome instability and carcinogenesis.  They then compare these outcomes in humans to similar endpoints in whales, alligators and sea turtles to discover novel adaptations and to better conserve wildlife.  In addition to these efforts, the Wise Laboratory pioneers studies on how zero gravity changes these processes during space exploration.  Some of the new directions in the Laboratory include stem cell research, autophagy and three-dimensional cell culture as they consider how metals impact or create cancer stem cells in their carcinogenic mechanism and preventative studies as they seek to understand if natural products like berries and beets can reduce or reverse toxicity.  The Wise Laboratory contextualizes their studies in a “one” environmental health perspective, which considers data from their studies of wildlife, domestic animal, and ecosystem health, together with data from their human health studies.  Thus, work in the Wise Laboratory includes laboratory-based mechanistic investigations using state-of-the-art cellular and molecular toxicology tools in their laboratories on the UofL Medical School campus combined with ship-and-shore-based work at field sites in Vieques, Puerto Rico; Cape Canaveral, Florida; and the Gulfs of Maine, Mexico and California. 

Literature Cited: 

  1. Swovick K, Firsanov D, Welle KA, Hryhorenko JR, Wise JP Sr, George C, Sformo TL, Seluanov A, Gorbunova V, Ghaemmaghami S.  Interspecies differences in proteome turnover kinetics are correlated with life spans and energetic demands.  Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 2021 Jan 7;20:100041.  doi: 10.1074/mcp.RA120.002301.  Epub ahead of print.  PMID: 33639418.  PMCID: PMC7950207.
  2. Polidoro B, Matson CW, Ottinger MA, Renegar DA, Romero IC, Schlenk D, Wise JP Sr, Beltrán González J, Bruns P, Carpenter K, Cobián Rojas D, Collier TK, Duda TF Jr, González-Díaz P, Di Giulio R, Grubbs RD, Haney JC, Incardona JP, Horta-Puga G, Linardich C, Moore JA, Pech D, Perera Valderrama S, Ralph GM, Strongin K, Ringwood AH, Würsig B.  A multi-taxonomic framework for assessing relative petrochemical vulnerability of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico.  Science of the Total Environment 2021 Apr 1;763:142986.  doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142986.  Epub 2020 Oct 16.  PMID: 33168243.
  3. Wise JP Jr, Wise JTF, Wise CF, Wise SS, Gianios C Jr, Xie H, Walter R, Boswell M, Zhu C, Zheng T, Perkins C, Wise JP Sr.  Corrigendum to "A three year study of metal levels in skin biopsies of whales in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil crisis" [Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology - Part C 2018;205:15-25].  Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology - Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 2020 Apr;230:108721.  doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108721.  Epub 2020 Feb 1.  Erratum for: Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology - Part C 2018;205:15-25.  PMID: 32019721.
  4. Wise JP Jr, Croom-Perez TJ, Meaza I, Aboueissa AM, López Montalvo CA, Martin-Bras M, Speer RM, Bonilla-Garzón A, Urbán R J, Perkins C, Wise JP Sr.  A whale of a tale: A One Environmental Health approach to study metal pollution in the Sea of Cortez.  Toxicology &AppliedPharmacology 2019 Aug 1;376:58-69.  doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2019.05.005.  Epub 2019 May 9. PMID: 31078588.  PMCID: PMC6602082.
  5. Hu J, Peng Y, Zheng T, Zhang B, Liu W, Wu C, Jiang M, Braun JM, Liu S, Buka SL, Zhou A, Wise JP Sr, Zhang Y, Jiang Y, Hu C, Chen X, Huang Z, Zheng D, Shi K, Zhang X, Truong A, Qian Z, Xia W, Li Y, Xu S.  Effects of trimester-specific exposure to vanadium on ultrasound measures of fetal growth and birth size: a longitudinal prospective prenatal cohort study.  Lancet Planetary Health 2018 Oct;2(10):e427-e437.  doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30210-9.  PMID: 30318100.
  6. Wise SS, Aboueissa AE, Martino J, Wise JP Sr.  Hexavalent chromium-induced chromosome instability drives permanent and heritable numerical and structural changes and a DNA repair-deficient phenotype.  CancerResearch 2018 Aug 1;78(15):4203-4214.  doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-0531.  Epub 2018 Jun 7.  PMID: 29880483.  PMCID: PMC6072558.
  7. Wise CF, Wise JTF, Wise SS, Wise JP Sr.  Chemically dispersed oil is cytotoxic and genotoxic to sperm whale skin cells.  Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology - Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 2018 Jun;208:64-70.  doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.10.009.  Epub 2017 Nov 8.  PMID: 29104176.
  8. Browning CL, Wise JP Sr.  Prolonged exposure to particulate chromate inhibits RAD51 nuclear import mediator proteins.  Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology 2017 Sep 15;331:101-107.  doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2017.05.030.  Epub 2017 May 26.  PMID: 28554658.  PMCID: PMC5568470.
  9. Speer RM, The T, Xie H, Liou L, Adam RM, Wise JP Sr.  The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of particulate and soluble cobalt in human urothelial cells.  Biological Trace Element Research 2017 Nov;180(1):48-55.  doi: 10.1007/s12011-017-0989-z.  Epub 2017 Mar 21.  PMID: 28324276.
  10. Browning CL, Qin Q, Kelly DF, Prakash R, Vanoli F, Jasin M, Wise JP Sr.  Prolonged particulate hexavalent chromium exposure suppresses homologous recombination repair in human lung cells.  Toxicological Sciences 2016 Sep;153(1):70-8.  doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfw103.  Epub 2016 Jul 22.  PMID: 27449664.  PMCID: PMC5601504.
  11. Wise SS, Holmes AL, Liou L, Adam RM, Wise JP Sr.  Hexavalent chromium induces chromosome instability in human urothelial cells.  Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology 2016 Apr 1;296:54-60.  doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2016.02.015.  Epub 2016 Feb 18.  PMID: 26908176.  PMCID: PMC4886549.
  12. Browning CL, The T, Mason MD, Wise JP Sr.  Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are not cytotoxic or clastogenic in human skin cells.  Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology 2014 Nov;4(6):239.  doi: 10.4172/2161-0525.1000239.  Epub 2014 Sep 6.  PMID: 26568896.  PMCID: PMC4643289.
  13. Martino J, Holmes AL, Xie H, Wise SS, Wise JP Sr.  Chronic exposure to particulate chromate induces premature centrosome separation and centriole disengagement in human lung cells.  Toxicological Sciences 2015 Oct;147(2):490-9.  doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfv146.  Epub 2015 Aug 19.  PMID: 26293554.  PMCID: PMC4635651.
  14. Goodson WH 3rd, Lowe L, Carpenter DO, Gilbertson M, Manaf Ali A, Lopez de Cerain Salsamendi A, Lasfar A, Carnero A, Azqueta A, Amedei A, Charles AK, Collins AR, Ward A, Salzberg AC, Colacci A, Olsen AK, Berg A, Barclay BJ, Zhou BP, Blanco-Aparicio C, Baglole CJ, Dong C, Mondello C, Hsu CW, Naus CC, Yedjou C, Curran CS, Laird DW, Koch DC, Carlin DJ, Felsher DW, Roy D, Brown DG, Ratovitski E, Ryan EP, Corsini E, Rojas E, Moon EY, Laconi E, Marongiu F, Al-Mulla F, Chiaradonna F, Darroudi F, Martin FL, Van Schooten FJ, Goldberg GS, Wagemaker G, Nangami GN, Calaf GM, Williams G, Wolf GT, Koppen G, Brunborg G, Lyerly HK, Krishnan H, Ab Hamid H, Yasaei H, Sone H, Kondoh H, Salem HK, Hsu HY, Park HH, Koturbash I, Miousse IR, Scovassi AI, Klaunig JE, Vondráček J, Raju J, Roman J, Wise JP Sr, Whitfield JR, Woodrick J, Christopher JA, Ochieng J, Martinez-Leal JF, Weisz J, Kravchenko J, Sun J, Prudhomme KR, Narayanan KB, Cohen-Solal KA, Moorwood K, Gonzalez L, Soucek L, Jian L, D'Abronzo LS, Lin LT, Li L, Gulliver L, McCawley LJ, Memeo L, Vermeulen L, Leyns L, Zhang L, Valverde M, Khatami M, Romano MF, Chapellier M, Williams MA, Wade M, Manjili MH, Lleonart ME, Xia M, Gonzalez MJ, Karamouzis MV, Kirsch-Volders M, Vaccari M, Kuemmerle NB, Singh N, Cruickshanks N, Kleinstreuer N, van Larebeke N, Ahmed N, Ogunkua O, Krishnakumar PK, Vadgama P, Marignani PA, Ghosh PM, Ostrosky-Wegman P, Thompson PA, Dent P, Heneberg P, Darbre P, Sing Leung P, Nangia-Makker P, Cheng QS, Robey RB, Al-Temaimi R, Roy R, Andrade-Vieira R, Sinha RK, Mehta R, Vento R, Di Fiore R, Ponce-Cusi R, Dornetshuber-Fleiss R, Nahta R, Castellino RC, Palorini R, Abd Hamid R, Langie SA, Eltom SE, Brooks SA, Ryeom S, Wise SS, Bay SN, Harris SA, Papagerakis S, Romano S, Pavanello S, Eriksson S, Forte S, Casey SC, Luanpitpong S, Lee TJ, Otsuki T, Chen T, Massfelder T, Sanderson T, Guarnieri T, Hultman T, Dormoy V, Odero-Marah V, Sabbisetti V, Maguer-Satta V, Rathmell WK, Engström W, Decker WK, Bisson WH, Rojanasakul Y, Luqmani Y, Chen Z, Hu Z.  Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.  Carcinogenesis 2015 Jun;36 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S254-96.  doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgv039.  Erratum in: Carcinogenesis 2016 Mar;37(3):344.  PMID: 26106142.  PMCID: PMC4480130.
  15. Xie H, Holmes AL, Wise SS, Young JL, Wise JT, Wise JP Sr.  Human skin cells are more sensitive than human lung cells to the cytotoxic and cell cycle arresting impacts of particulate and soluble hexavalent chromium.  Biological Trace Element Research 2015 Jul;166(1):49-56.  doi: 10.1007/s12011-015-0315-6.  Epub 2015 Mar 26.  PMID: 25805272.  PMCID: PMC4470775.
  16. Smith LJ, Holmes AL, Kandpal SK, Mason MD, Zheng T, Wise JP Sr.  The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of soluble and particulate cobalt in human lung fibroblast cells.  Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology 2014 Aug 1;278(3):259-65.  doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2014.05.002.  Epub 2014 May 11.  PMID: 24823294.
  17. Wise JP Jr, Wise JT, Wise CF, Wise SS, Gianios C Jr, Xie H, Thompson WD, Perkins C, Falank C, Wise JP Sr.  Concentrations of the genotoxic metals, chromium and nickel, in whales, tar balls, oil slicks, and released oil from the Gulf of Mexico in the immediate aftermath of the deepwater horizon oil crisis: is genotoxic metal exposure part of the deepwater horizon legacy?  Environmental Science & Technology 2014;48(5):2997-3006.  doi: 10.1021/es405079b.  Epub 2014 Feb 19.  PMID: 24552566.  PMCID: PMC3983321.
  18. Xie H, Huang S, Martin S, Wise JP Sr.  Arsenic is cytotoxic and genotoxic to primary human lung cells.  Mutation Research: Genetic Toxicology & Environmental Mutagenesis 2014 Jan 15;760:33-41.  doi: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2013.11.001.  Epub 2013 Nov 27.  PMID: 24291234.  PMCID: PMC3928068.