Steven H. Hinrichs, MD

Department Affiliations
Professor 

Dr. Steven Hinrichs is Professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, previous Chair of the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, former Director of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and was the University of Nebraska Center for Biosecurity.  In his past position as laboratory director he has been responsible for the development of a statewide program for the rapid identification of biological agents of mass destruction. He is principal investigator of multiple national awards from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Defense for the development of an outreach program to extend training and expertise in the early recognition of biological warfare agents. Dr. Hinrichs is past Chair of the APHL committee on Management and Information Systems and is a strong advocate for further development of communication systems and electronic infrastructure in rural states. Under his direction, the NPHL was one of the first public health laboratories in the country to develop internet-based test ordering and reporting capabilities with the ultimate goal of real-time identification of emerging epidemics. He was the national co-leader of the Public Health Informatics Project (PHLIP) that is focused on the harmonization of electronic laboratory messaging practices.

Interests
Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer, Animal Models of Molecular Disease Mechanisms, Infectious Diseases, Informatics and Electronic Information Systems

Dr. Hinrichs' medical background includes board certification in anatomic and clinical pathology after completion of a residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. His research laboratory focuses on molecular diagnostics and the role of viruses in cancer and emerging infectious diseases.  Dr. Hinrichs has published over 182 papers in basic science and medical journals. Research projects in Dr. Hinrichs' laboratory are focused on three distinct areas of interest: molecular microbiology (please see his webpage for further information), regulation of gene expression and protein structure. A method has been developed for inhibiting tumor specific proteins that initiate cancer in certain types of tumors. The method incorporates knowledge regarding biochemical abnormalities in cells following changes in the chromosome, called translocations. These chromosomal events result in the production of new combinations of proteins that do not exist in normal cells. These combinations, termed chimeric proteins, are optimal targets for development of therapeutic molecules. A similar project is focused on identifying chemicals that could be used as antibodies. The drug target is primase, an essential enzyme that generates abort primers during DNP replication. Significant advances have been made using structural biochemistry and molecular modeling to develop lead compounds that were used to test and develop a model system. This work has lately evolved into a new project focused on inhibiting the activity of essential replication enzymes in bacteria. The project envisions the need for a new class of antibiotics in the future or for antibiotics that can be used to treat genetically engineered bacteria released by terrorists. Molecular modeling was used to suggest targets for mutagenesis and confirmation of function in vitro. The work involves collaboration with a wide range of scientists from electrical engineering to chemistry. A separate project is focused on the development of the next generation of molecular diagnostic tests for the detection and identification of infectious diseases.

Education and Training
BS, University of North Dakota, 1976 (Honors)
MD, University of North Dakota, 1980
Residency, University of California, Davis, 1980-1984
Board Certified in Anatomical and Clinical Pathology
Medical Staff Fellow, NIH, 1985-1987

Teaching Activities
Medical students - Intro to Virology, Diagnostic Virology, Respiratory Viruses, Urinary Tract Infections, Mycobacteriology
Creighton, medical students and residents - Infectious diseases tutorial
Graduate Courses - Genetic Basis of Human Disease
Faculty Advisor - Two Graduate Students
Supervisory Committee - Eight Graduate Students

National Activities
NBAS Diagnostics and Lab information Exchange - Committee Chair
National Governor's Association Task Force, Health Information Communication task force
President's Stakeholder Panel on Agent Detection Assays (SPADA) Work Group, AOAC International
CDC/APHL Public Health Laboratory Informatics Project - co-lead
Editorial Boards or Journal Reviewer - Journal of Biological Medicine, JASCP, Archives of Pathology

Notable Publications

Safety Considerations in the Laboratory Testing of Specimens Suspected or Known to Contain Ebola Virus.  Iwen PC, Smith PW, Hewlet AL, Kratochvil CJ, Lisco SJ, Sullivan JN, Gibbs SG, Lowe JJ,  Fey PD, Herrera VL, Sambol AR, Wisecarver JL, and Hinrichs SH. Amer. J. Clin. Path.  143 (1): 4-5. 2015. PMID: 25511134.

Visual Memory Effects on Intraoperator Study Design; Determining a Minimum Time Gap Between Case Reviews to Reduce Recall Bias.  Campbell SW, Talmon GA, Foster KW, Baker JJ, Smith LM, Hinrichs SH. Am J of Clin Path. 143 (3) 412-418. 2015. PMID: 25696800.

Francisella tularensis Subtype A.II Genomic Plasticity in Comparison with Subtype A.I. Larson MA, Nalbantoglu U, Sayood K, Zentz EB, Bartling AM, Francesconi SC, Fey PD, Dempsey MP, Hinrichs SH.  PLoS One, 2015 April. 28;10 (4). E0124906. PMID: 25918839.

Reclassification of Wolbachia persica as Francisella persica comb. Nov. and emended description of the family Francisellaceae. Larson MA, Nalbantoglu E, Sayood K, Kentz EB, Cer RZ, Iwen PC, Francesconi SC, Bishop-Lilly KA, Mokashi VP, Sjostedt A, Hinrichs SH. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2016 March. 66: (3): 1200-5. PMID: 26747442.

Oligomerization of bacterially expressed H1N1 recombinant hemagglutinin contributes to protection against viral challenge.  Kuenstling TE, Sambol AR, Hinrichs SH, Larson MA.  Sci Rep. 2018 Aug. 7;8(1):11856. PMID: 30087372.

Purification of human butyrylcholinesterase from frozen Cohn fraction IV-4 by ion exchange and Hupresin affinity chromatography. Schopfer LM, Lockridge O, David E, Hinrichs SH. PLoS One. 2019 Jan. 9;4(1): e0209795. PMID: 30625168.

Engineered Human Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptides Inhibit Ebola Virus Infection. Yu Y, Cooper C, Wang G, Morwitzer MJ, Kota K, Tran J, Bradfute SB, Liu L, Shao J, Zhang A, Luo LG, Reid SP, Hinrichs SH, Su K. jScience. 2020. March: 22; 23(4): doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100999.

Tyrosines of human and mouse transferrin covalently labeled by organophosphorus agents: a new motif for binding to proteins that have no active site serine. Li B, Schopfer LM, Grigoryan H, Thompson CM, Hinrichs SH, Masson P, Lockridge O. Toxicol Sci. 2009 Jan;107(1):144-55. Epub 2008 Oct 16.

Five tyrosines and two serines in human albumin are labeled by the organophosphorus agent FP-biotin. Ding SJ, Carr J, Carlson JE, Tong L, Xue W, Li Y, Schopfer LM, Li B, Nachon F, Asojo O, Thompson CM, Hinrichs SH, Masson P, Lockridge O. Chem Res Toxicol. 2008 Sep;21(9):1787-94.

For a detailed list of publications, click here.