Dr. McCandless received his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati and his Ph.D. in 1973 in Anatomy from George Washington University Medical School. He subsequently was an Assistant Professor at University of Vermont until 1976. From 1976 to 1978 he was a staff fellow at NIH in Bethesda, MD. From 1978 to 1986 he was an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Medical Scholl at Houston. He joined the faculty of University Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in October 1986 as the John J. Sheinin Professor of Anatomy. Dr. McCandless serves as a grant reviewer for NSF, NIH and the MRC of Canada. He reviews scientific papers for several journals, is on the editorial board of Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, Journal of Neuroscience Research, and is Editor-in-Chief of Metabolic Brain Disease.

Research

Research in Dr. McCandless' laboratory involves an investigation of the basic mechanisms of metabolic encephalopathy. Disorders such as epilepsy, stroke, and coma are being studied. The great heterogeneity of the brain necessitates a highly regional approach to these studies. Quantitive autoradiography is utilized as a screening strategy in order to localize brain regions which show biochemical pathology. Regional micro-dissection of brain permits neurochemical investigation to be performed on brain samples as small a single cell. Correlative studies involve light and electron microscopy as well as electroencephalographic recording. Results indicate that many diverse metabolic encephalopathies may have certain common biochemical derangements. Knowledge of basic alterations in these disorders suggest treatment modalities.

Contact information:

David W. McCandless, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
The Chicago Medical School
3333 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, Illinois 60064

email: david.mccandless@rosalindfranklin.edu
Telephone: (847) 578-3210
Fax: (847) 578-3253