TTUHSC School of Pharmacy
SOP

Faculty & Staff Details

Photo of Ulrich Bickel Name: Ulrich Bickel
Position: Professor
Email: ulrich.bickel@ttuhsc.edu
Bio Dr. Bickel joined the faculty of Texas Tech School of Pharmacy in 1999 as an Associate Professor, received tenure in 2003 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2004. He graduated from the Medical School at the University of Ulm (Germany) in 1984 where he also completed his dissertation and was awarded the Doctor of Medicine degree (1985). Following a residency specialization in the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at University Clinic Benjamin Franklin (now part of the Charité University, Berlin, Germany) he was board certified in Clinical Pharmacology (1991). Dr. Bickel then joined the group of Dr. William M. Pardridge (Department of Medicine and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles) as Visiting Scientist on a stipend from the German Research Foundation (1991-1994) studying drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier, which continues to be his main research area. Upon returning to Germany, he established his lab at Philipps-University, Marburg, and pursued his Habilitation on a stipend from the German Research Foundation (awarded 1996).
Dr. Bickel has been regularly invited to present his work at international meetings including Gordon Research Conferences. At Texas Tech, his lab has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Heart Association. He serves on NIH study sections and as reviewer on a range of journals in the Pharmacological/Pharmaceutical field. Dr. Bickel received the President’s Research Achievement Award of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Education:


1977 - 1984 Medical School at the University of Ulm, Germany.
1985 Dissertation (Dr. med.) at the University of Ulm.
1984 - 1991 Resident in Clinical Pharmacology and Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology Benjamin Franklin Hospital of the Free University of Berlin (Germany).
1986 - 1988 Resident in Internal Medicine (Endocrinology) at Benjamin Franklin Hospital, Berlin
1991 - 1994 Postdoctoral researcher
1996 Habilitation in Clinical Pharmacology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany

Research Interests:


Dr. Bickel’s research encompasses pharmacokinetic studies to characterize drug transport at the blood-brain barrier, and the development of novel drug targeting strategies to treat disorders of the central nervous system. In particular his lab is focusing on brain delivery of macromolecules (antibodies, oligonucleotide-based drugs) as therapeutics for neuroinflammatory disease. Applied methods range from protein coupling chemistry and analytical techniques (real-time PCR, gel electrophoresis, HPLC and FPLC) to flow cytometry and confocal imaging. Besides the pharmacokinetic experiments, we utilize in vivo disease models in rodents for therapeutic studies, e.g. cytokine administration to induce inflammatory conditions, or middle cerebral artery occlusion to mimic human stroke

Publications:

(selected from over 60 peer reviewed original research papers and reviews)


  1. Sumbria RK, Klein J, Bickel U (2010) Acute depression of energy metabolism after microdialysis probe implantation is distinct from ischemia-induced changes in mouse brain. Neurochem Res (in press)

  2. Bhattacharya R, Xu Y, Rahman MA, Couraud PO, Romero IA, Weksler BB, Weidanz JA, Bickel U (2010) A novel vascular targeting strategy for brain-derived endothelial cells using a TCR mimic antibody. J Cell Physiol 225:664-672

  3. Ko YT, Bhattacharya R, Bickel U (2009) Liposome encapsulated polyethylenimine/ODN polyplexes for brain targeting. J Control Release 133:230-237

  4. Hao J, Mdzinarishvili A, Abbruscato TJ, Klein J, Geldenhuys WJ, Van der Schyf CJ, Bickel U (2008) Neuroprotection in mice by NGP1-01 after transient focal brain ischemia. Brain Res 1196:113-120

  5. Bhattacharya R, Osburg B, Fischer D, Bickel U (2008) Targeted delivery of complexes of biotin-PEG-polyethylenimine and NF-kappaB decoys to brain-derived endothelial cells in vitro. Pharm Res 25:605-615

  6. Fischer D, Bhattacharya R, Osburg B, Bickel U (2005) Inhibition of monocyte adhesion on brain-derived endothelial cells by NF-kappaB decoy/polyethylenimine complexes. J Gene Med 7:1063-1076

  7. Bickel U (2005) How to measure drug transport across the blood-brain barrier. NeuroRx 2:15-26

  8. Fischer D, Osburg B, Petersen H, Kissel T, Bickel U (2004) Effect of poly(ethylene imine) molecular weight and pegylation on organ distribution and pharmacokinetics of polyplexes with oligodeoxynucleotides in mice. Drug Metab Dispos 32:983-992

  9. Osburg B, Peiser C, Domling D, Schomburg L, Ko YT, Voigt K, Bickel U (2002) Effect of endotoxin on expression of TNF receptors and transport of TNF-alpha at the blood-brain barrier of the rat. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 283:E899-908

  10. Bickel U, Schumacher OP, Kang YS, Voigt K (1996) Poor permeability of morphine 3-glucuronide and morphine 6-glucuronide through the blood-brain barrier in the rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 278:107-113

  11. Bickel U, Yoshikawa T, Landaw EM, Faull KF, Pardridge WM (1993) Pharmacologic effects in vivo in brain by vector-mediated peptide drug delivery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 90:2618-2622

  12. Bickel U, Thomsen T, Weber W, Fischer JP, Bachus R, Nitz M, Kewitz H (1991) Pharmacokinetics of galanthamine in humans and corresponding cholinesterase inhibition. Clin Pharmacol Ther 50:420-428

Please click here for all papers listed in PubMed