Ms. Moser received a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry in 1961 from Radcliffe College. During the time she was an undergraduate, she was a Technician in Dr. Konrad Bloch’s laboratory at Harvard University. After working as a Technician in laboratories in different hospitals, Ms. Moser joined the John F. Kennedy Institute (later Kennedy Krieger Institute) in 1976 as a Senior Technician. In 1982, she became an Assistant in Neurology. Since 1991, Ms. Moser has been working as a Research Associate in Neurology. She is a Co-Director of the Peroxisomal Diseases Laboratory in The Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

The peroxisomal Diseases Lab receives approximately 100 blood samples per week for the analysis of total lipid fatty acids, including the very long chain fatty acids, essential fatty acids, and branched chain fatty acids. Individuals with increased plasma, very long chain fatty acids and or branched chain fatty acids have disorders of peroxisomal metabolism. The peroxisomal disorders include patients with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, the Zellweger spectrum disorders, rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, and adult Refsum’s disease. Under the leadership of Gerald Raymond we are measuring the plasma and red blood cell fatty acids to follow the dietary therapy of peroxisomal disorders with oils such as Lorenzo’s oil and fish or algae oils (high w3 fatty acid oils). For research collaborators from the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins and/or medical centers outside of Baltimore we measure plasma and red blood cell fatty acids in patients with other diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, type 2 diabetes, chronic seizure disorders, Downs syndrome, ADHD, Alzheimer disease, kidney transplant recipients and autism. In addition to our human fatty acid analyses, we provide fatty acid analyses for various transgenic mouse models including the Zellweger mouse, the X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy mouse, and the obese mouse. Our current research focus is to develop a neonatal screening test for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) by using the newborn blood spot that is collected on all USA babies at birth. In December 2008 together with the MD State Newborn Screening Laboratory we started a pilot study screening for ALD in 5000 newborns born in the local Baltimore hospitals.

Eichler FS, Ren J-Q, Cossoy M, Rietsch AM, Frosch MP, Moser AB, Ransohoff RM. 2008. Is Microglial Apoptosis an Early Pathogenic Change in Cerebral X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy? Annals of Neurology Jun;63 (6) 729-742.

Savransky V, Jun J, Li J, Nanayakkara A, Fonti S, Moser A, Steele K, Schweitzer M, Patil S, Bhanot S, Schwartz A, Polotsky V. 2008 Dyslipidemia and Atherosclerosis Induced by Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Are Attenuated by Deficiency of Stearoyl Coenzyme A Desaturase. Circulation Research 103; 1173-1180.

Furuki S, Tamura S, Matsumoto N, Miyata N, Moser A, Moser H, Fujiki Y, 2006. Mutations in the peroxin Pex 26p responsible for peroxisome biogenesis disorders of complementation group 8 impair its stability, peroxisomal localization, and interaction with the Pex1p Pex6p complex. J Biol Chem 281(3):1317-23.

Hubbard WC, Moser AB, Tortorelli S, Liu A, Jones D, Moser H. 2006. Combined liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as an analytical method for high throughput screening for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy and other peroxisomal disorders: preliminary findings. Mol Genet Metab. Sep-Oct; 89(1-2): 185-7.

Su H-M, Moser AB, Moser HW, Watkins PA, 2001. Peroxisomal Straight-chain Acyl-CoA Oxidase and D-bifunctional Protein Are Essential for the Retroconversion Step in Docosahexaenoic Acid Synthesis. J Bio Chem 276(41):38115-38120.

Wei H, Kemp S, McGuinness MC, Moser AB, Smith KD, 2000. Pharmacological induction of peroxisomes in peroxisome biogenesis disorders. Ann Neurol. (3):286-96.

Braverman N, Steel G, Lin P, Moser A, Moser H, Valle D, 2000. PEX7 Gene Structure, Alternative Transcripts, and Evidence for a Founder Haplotype for the Frequent RCDP Allele, L292ter. Genomics 63, 181-192.

Ann Moser, B.A.

Research Associate in Neurology
Kennedy Krieger Institute

707 North Broadway, Baltimore MD 21205
(map & directions)

Telephone: 443-923-2761
Facsimile: 443-923-2775
Email: mosera@kennedykrieger.org


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