Available to mentor
Brett A. McCray, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician scientist who leads a basic, translational, and clinical research program and also sees patients with neuromuscular disease. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Neurology at the University of Michigan. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked with Dr. J. Paul Taylor on the pathogenesis of hereditary neuropathy due to mutations in Rab7. He then completed a neurology residency at the Mass General-Brigham Neurology program, followed by a neuromuscular fellowship at Johns Hopkins. He leads a research group focused on furthering the understanding and treatment of peripheral neuropathy, particularly inherited forms of peripheral neuropathy such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. The lab is primarily focused on inherited neuropathy caused by mutations in the calcium-permeable ion channel TRPV4 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 4) that cause a range of conditions, including CMT type 2C, scapuloperoneal spinal muscular atrophy, and congenital distal spinal muscular atrophy. The McCray lab combines the study of cultured cells and analysis of animal models of disease to elucidate pathways important in the pathogenesis of TRPV4 neuropathy and other forms of neuropathy. The lab is also involved in clinical and translational research efforts to help bring insights from the bench to patients affected by various forms of hereditary neuropathy, with a particular focus on TRPV4-related disease.
Bret McCray lab website
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Neuromuscular fellowshipJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Neurology, 2016
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M.D.University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, PA, 2011
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Ph.D.University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 2009
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Bachelor of ScienceDuke University, Durham, 2002
Inherited neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, TRPV4, RhoA, blood-brain barrier
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Goretzki B, Wiedemann C, McCray BA, Schäfer SL, Jansen J, Tebbe F, Mitrovic S-A, Nöth J, Cabezudo AC, Donohue JK, Jeffries CM, Steinchen W, Stengel F, Sumner CJ, Hummer G, Hellmich UA. Nat Commun, 2023 Jul 13; 14 (1): 4165Journal ArticleCrosstalk between regulatory elements in disordered TRPV4 N-terminus modulates lipid-dependent channel activity.
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-39808-4 PMID: 37443299 -
Kwon DH, Zhang F, McCray BA, Feng S, Kumar M, Sullivan JM, Im W, Sumner CJ, Lee S-Y. Nat Commun, 2023 Jun 23; 14 (1): 3732Journal ArticleTRPV4-Rho GTPase complex structures reveal mechanisms of gating and disease.
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-39345-0 PMID: 37353484 -
McCray B. 2023 Nov 22;Presentation“From mechanistic insights to therapeutics: preparing for clinical trials in TRPV4 neuromuscular disease”
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Record CJ, Skorupinska M, Laura M, Rossor AM, Pareyson D, Pisciotta C, Feely SME, Lloyd TE, Horvath R, Sadjadi R, Herrmann DN, Li J, Walk D, Yum SW, Lewis RA, Day J, Burns J, Finkel RS, Saporta MA, Ramchandren S, Weiss MD, Acsadi G, Fridman V, Muntoni F, Poh R, Polke JM, Zuchner S, Shy ME, Scherer SS, Reilly MM, Inherited Neuropathies Consortium—Rare Disease Clinical Research Network . Brain, 2023 Oct 3; 146 (10): 4336 - 4349.Journal ArticleGenetic analysis and natural history of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease CMTX1 due to GJB1 variants.
DOI:10.1093/brain/awad187 PMID: 37284795 -
Rehbein T, Wu TT, Treidler S, Pareyson D, Lewis R, Yum SW, McCray BA, Ramchandren S, Burns J, Li J, Finkel RS, Scherer SS, Zuchner S, Shy ME, Reilly MM, Herrmann DN. Brain, 2023 Sep 1; 146 (9): 3826 - 3835.Journal ArticleNeuropathy due to bi-allelic SH3TC2 variants: genotype-phenotype correlation and natural history.
DOI:10.1093/brain/awad095 PMID: 36947133 -
Donohue JK, Peyton MA, Thomas S, Ben-Davies R, Sumner CJ, McCray BA. Neurology, 2023 Apr 25; 100 (17_supplement_2):Journal ArticleNatural History of TRPV4-Associated Neuromuscular Disease (S7.009)
DOI:10.1212/wnl.0000000000203288 -
Kwon DH, Zhang F, McCray BA, Kumar M, Sullivan JM, Sumner CJ, Lee S-Y. bioRxiv, 2023 Mar 16;Journal ArticleStructural insights into TRPV4-Rho GTPase signaling complex function and disease.
DOI:10.1101/2023.03.15.532784 PMID: 36993766 -
McCray B. 2023PresentationAdvancing clinical trial readiness for TRPV4 neuromuscular disease