Jacob Hooker, PhD, is currently Lurie Family Professor of Radiology in the Field of Autism Research and a Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar. Dr. Hooker also serves as Scientific Director of the Lurie Center for Autism, as editor-in-chief for ACS Chemical Neuroscience and has associate or affiliate appointment throughout Boston/Cambridge including at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT linQ Catalyst) and the Broad Institute (Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research).

Dr. Hooker grew up in Asheville, N.C., received his undergraduate degrees at NC State University and then completed his PhD in chemistry at UC Berkeley. In 2007, he was named Goldhaber Distinguished Fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In 2009, he moved to Boston to begin his independent career at MGH and Harvard. That same year, he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Obama. The citation from the President noted his strong scientific record and his unique commitment to science mentorship. He has since been recognized by several additional national awards, including being named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences, received a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and was an inaugural recipient of the Talented 12 Award by C&E News. Dr. Hooker’s research program focuses on advancing our understanding of the brain through the development and application of molecular imaging agents. His lab has provided insights into biochemical dysregulation of neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in the areas of neuroinflammation, epigenetics and neurochemical dynamics. The program has wide a scope including fundamental radiochemistry methodology, medicinal chemistry, radiotracer development, and preclinical and human magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography imaging.

Education

PhD in Chemistry, UC Berkeley

Select Publications

1. Zürcher NR, Loggia ML, Mullett JE, Tseng C, Bhanot A, Richey L, Hightower BG, Wu C, Parmar AJ, Butterfield RI, Dubois JM, Chonde DB, Izquierdo-Garcia D, Wey HY, Catana C, Hadjikhani N, McDougle CJ, Hooker JM. [11C]PBR28 MR-PET imaging reveals lower regional brain expression of translocator protein (TSPO) in young adult males with autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 May;26(5):1659-1669. doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-0682-z. Epub 2020 Feb 19. PMID: 32076115; PMCID: PMC8159742.

2. Tseng CJ, McDougle CJ, Hooker JM, Zürcher NR. Epigenetics of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Histone Deacetylases. Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Dec 10:S0006-3223(21)01832-1. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.11.021. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35120709.

3. Zürcher NR, Walsh EC, Phillips RD, Cernasov PM, Tseng CJ, Dharanikota A, Smith E, Li Z, Kinard JL, Bizzell JC, Greene RK, Dillon D, Pizzagalli DA, Izquierdo-Garcia D, Truong K, Lalush D, Hooker JM, Dichter GS. A simultaneous [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of striatal dopamine binding in autism. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 11;11(1):33. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-01170-0. PMID: 33431841; PMCID: PMC7801430.

4. Tseng CJ, Gilbert TM, Catanese MC, Hightower BG, Peters AT, Parmar AJ, Kim M, Wang C, Roffman JL, Brown HE, Perlis RH, Zürcher NR, Hooker JM. In vivo human brain expression of histone deacetylases in bipolar disorder. Transl Psychiatry. 2020 Jul 8;10(1):224. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-00911-5. PMID: 32641695; PMCID: PMC7343804.

5. Gilbert TM, Zürcher NR, Catanese MC, Tseng CJ, Di Biase MA, Lyall AE, Hightower BG, Parmar AJ, Bhanot A, Wu CJ, Hibert ML, Kim M, Mahmood U, Stufflebeam SM, Schroeder FA, Wang C, Roffman JL, Holt DJ, Greve DN, Pasternak O, Kubicki M, Wey HY, Hooker JM. Neuroepigenetic signatures of age and sex in the living human brain. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 3;10(1):2945. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11031-0. PMID: 31270332; PMCID: PMC6610136.

6. Wey HY, Gilbert TM, Zürcher NR, She A, Bhanot A, Taillon BD, Schroeder FA, Wang C, Haggarty SJ, Hooker JM. Insights into neuroepigenetics through human histone deacetylase PET imaging. Sci Transl Med. 2016 Aug 10;8(351):351ra106. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf7551. PMID: 27510902; PMCID: PMC5784409.

Websites

Chemical Neuroscience Program

Lurie Center for Autism