Dr. Joseph C. Hall, Professor of Chemistry (1997).
Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences/

Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development

1985-1987 Penn State University Postdoctoral Research (Biophysical Chemistry)
1980-1985 Kent State University Ph.D. (Chemistry)
1977-1979 Old Dominion University M.S. (Biology)
1973-1977 Roanoke College B.S. (Biology)

Email: jchall@nsu.edu
Phone: 757-823-8675

Address: Department of Chemistry
Norfolk State University
700 Park Avenue, WSB 220
Norfolk, VA 23504
 

One of the broad, long-term research objectives of my laboratory is to establish an alternative approach for the development of male anti-fertility compounds that inhibit some or all stages of the fertilization process (i.e., a male birth control pill). Many past and present attempts to develop an effective, safe, and reliable male contraceptive involve chemical or hormonal manipulation of testicular function, namely, “shutting” down the production of sperm cells. These attempts have been unsuccessful due to severe negative side effects such as a subsequent hormonal imbalance or the teratological threat of dysgenic sperm cell production (i.e., chemically induced genetically altered sperm cells). My initial interest in controlling male fertility began as a second year chemistry doctoral student at Kent State University in Ohio and at the urging of my wife. My wife and I had five children and were having intense discussions about the least harmful form of birth control. Finally, after several discussions on the subject of male forms of birth control, my wife said to me one day: “You’re a chemist, why don’t you come up with one?” In 1996, our laboratory was the first to report the development of a non-hormonal approach toward male contraception by demonstrating that transition-state analogues of acetylated amino sugars were potent, competitive inhibitors of the fertilization process. Our current efforts are focused on improving the efficacy of these compounds as well as discovering new compounds that could serve as potential male contraceptives using computer-assisted drug design.

Cancer is a multi-faceted disease that presents many challenges to clinicians and cancer researchers searching for more effective ways to detect and combat its often devastating effects. Among the central challenges to this disease, are the identification of cellular protein biomarkers for improved diagnosis and classification of tumors, and the definition of targets for more-effective therapeutic measures. To accomplish this objective, my laboratory seeks to answer a significant research question: What do sperm cells and tumor cells have in common? Answer: Both sperm and tumor cells must protect themselves from cell-mediated immune responses. What is the scientific implication of this observation? Cancer cells (such as ovarian tumor cells, and perhaps many other tumor cell types) and sperm cells could use the same strategy to protect themselves from cell-mediated responses, which are determined by specific type of cell surface proteins. Thus, our primary focus is to isolate, purify, characterize, and compare the structure/function relationship of gamete and somatic cell surface proteins.
 

Adaikkappan Periyakaruppan, Shubhashish Sarkar, Prabakaran Ravichandran, Bindu Sadanandan, Chidananda S. Sharma, Vani Ramesh, Joseph C.

Hall, Renard Thomas, Bobby L. Wilson, Govindarajan T. Ramesh. 2009. Uranium induces apoptosis in lung epithelial cells. Arch Toxicol 83:595–600 [PDF]

Chidananda S. Sharma, Shubhashish Sarkar, Adaikkappan Periyakaruppan, Prabakaran Ravichandran, Bindu Sadanandan, Vani Ramesh, Renard

Thomas, Joseph C. Hall, Bobby L. Wilson, Govindarajan T. Ramesh. Simulated microgravity activates apoptosis and NF-jB in mice testis. Mol Cell
Biochem (2008) 313:71–78 [PDF]

Poonam Sarkar, Shubhashish Sarkar, Vani Ramesh, Helen Kim, Stephen Barnes, Anil Kulkarni, Joseph C. Hall, Bobby L. Wilson, Renard L. Thomas,

Neal R. Pellis, Govindarajan T. Ramesh. Proteomic Analysis of Mouse Hypothalamus under Simulated Microgravity. Neurochem Res (2008)
to appear. [PDF]

Tubbs, C. E., J. C. Hall, R. O. Scott, V. P. Clark, T. L. Hermon, and C. Bazemore-Walker. 2002. Binding of protein D/E to the surface of rat
        epididymal sperm before and after deposition in the female reproductive tract. J. Androl. 23, 512-521. [PDF]

Hall, J. C., C. E. Tubbs, Y. Li, S. Ashraf, and M. D. Lamarche. 1997. Affinity purification and characterization of a 32- kD glycoprotein from
        the rat sperm plasma membrane that is required for egg zona pellucida binding. IJBC 3, 155-176. [PDF]

Hall, J. C. and C. E. Tubbs. 1997. Purification and characterization of protein D/E, a putative sperm-binding protein involved in fertilization.
        Prep. Biochem. Biotechnol. 27, 239-251. [PDF]

Hall, J. C., D. R. Jacobetz, M. D. LaMarche, J. G. Kochins, C. E. Tubbs. 1997. Purification, characterization, and expression of rat epididymal
        beta-D-galactosidase. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Int. 42, 443-51.

Roach, M. 1997. Don’t Fertilize, Neutralize: Biochemist Hall uses sugar pill to neutralize sperm/egg interaction. Discover Special Issue:
        The Year In Science, Top 100 Science Stories of 1997, pages 68-69.

Wilkinson, S. L. 1997. Compound discovered by Biochemist (Joseph Hall) inhibits enzyme that sperm use to recognize eggs. Chemical &
        Engineering News 75, 9-10.

Cohen, P. 1996. Sugar pill discovered by Biochemist Joseph Hall holds promise for male contraceptive. New Scientist 2019, 10.

Copyright (2008) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. It may be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?JAP/103/064912 

Joshi, R. P.,  F. Mbaye, P. Basappa, S. D. Jang, J. Kim, and J. C. Hall.  2008.  Simulation studies of internal mechanisms in the static deflection of a cellulose electroactive paper actuator.  J. Appl. Phys. 103, 064912.   [DOI: 10.1063/1.2891676]  [PDF]

R. P. Joshi, F. Mbaye, P. Basappa, S. D. Jang, J. Kim, and J. C. Hall. 2008. Simulation studies of internal mechanisms in the static deflection of a
        cellulose electroactive paper actuator. J. Appl. Phys. 103, 64912-64919. [PDF]

2005 NIH Research and Infrastructure at Minority Institutions (RIMI) Grant, NSU Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, $3.6 million,
       Joseph C. Hall, P. D., Steven D. Aird, Tabmitha Y. Jervey, and Kenneth W. Hicks.

1991 NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award. Awarded to Joseph C. Hall by President George Bush on 09 April, 1991.