Research Division
USF Health · Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences

Brian Giunta, M.D., M.S.

Brian Giunta, M.D.Brian Giunta was born in Atlanta, Georgia and received his B.S. in Microbiology in 1999 from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. As an undergraduate, Dr. Giunta received a Florida Academic Scholarship and was inducted into both the USF College of Arts and Sciences Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honors Society. During this time he also worked as an organic chemist, developing adenosine receptor antagonists, at the Suncoast Cardiovascular Research Lab, located at the USF College of Medicine. Following graduation, Dr. Giunta attended medical school at USF and receviecd his medical degree in 2004. As a medical student, Dr. Giunta was the recipient of the Anthony J. Reading, M.D. Award for Outstanding Fourth Year Student in Psychiatry and the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society Award. After completing Psychiatry Internship at Duke University, Dr. Giunta returned to the University of South Florida and was selected to participate in the K30 Scholars Program in Clinical and Translational Research and attained a Masters Degree in Medical Science with a concentration in clinical and translational research.

In 2007, Dr. Giunta received a Future Leader in Psychiatry Award from Emory University and a Young Investigator Award in Drug Discovery, Development, and Regulatory Affairs from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Dr. Giunta is Director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, and currently, his research is focused on developing natural compounds for the treatment of neuroinflammatory dementias, particularly HIV-associated dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. In 2008, he received a Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award from the NIH/NIMH entitled The Role of HIV-1 Tat in Alzheimer's Disease." The goal of this project is to determine whether green-tea EGCG is effective in a novel mouse model of HIV-1 Tat induced Alzheimer's Pathology.

Positions
1997-2000: Research Assistant, Department of Medicine, Suncoast Cardiovascular Research Lab, USF COM
1999: Analytical Chemist, R.P. Scherer, St. Petersburg, FL
2004-2005: Intern/Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC
2006-2008:  Instructor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Neuroimmunology Laboratory, University of South Florida College of Medicine;
2007-present: Department of Psychiatry Clinical Protocol Review Commitee
2007-present: Undergraduate Research Mentor
2008-present: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Neuroimmunology Laboratory, University of South Florida Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
2009- present: Journal Article Reviewer for: Brain Research Bulletin, Current Immunology Reviews, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
2009- present: Grant Reviewer for: Alzheimer’s Association
2009- present Instructor- Medical Neuroscience and Neuroimmunology Graduate Level Courses

Honors and Awards
1994- Florida Academic Scholarship
1996- University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences Honor Society
1997- Golden Key International Honors Society
2004- Anthony J. Reading M.D. Award for Outstanding Fourth Year Student in Psychiatry
2004- Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society- Bahrnes/Benhke Chapter
2006- Selected for NIH K30 Scholars Program in Clinical and Translational Research
2007- Emory University Future Leader in Psychiatry
2007-American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Young Investigator Award in Drug Discovery, Development, and Regulatory Affairs
2008- NIH/NIMH Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award

Selected peer-reviewed publications

  1. Zhang S, Salemi J, Hou H, Zhu Y, Mori T, Giunta B, Obregon D, Tan J. Rapamycin promotes beta-amyloid production via ADAM-10 inhibition. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Jun 10.
  2. .Giunta, B., H. Hou, Y. Zhu, J. Salemi, A. Ruscin, R. D. Shytle, and J. Tan. 2010. Fish oil enhances anti-amyloidogenic properties of green tea EGCG in Tg2576 mice. Neurosci. Lett. 471:134-138. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.01.026.
  3. Smith, A., B. Giunta, P. C. Bickford, M. Fountain, J. Tan, and R. D. Shytle. 2010. Nanolipidic particles improve the bioavailability and alpha-secretase inducing ability of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Int. J. Pharm. 389:207-212. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2010.01.012.
  4. Fernandez, F, Giunta B, Tan J. 2010. "Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection of the Central Nervous System." Essentials of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences 2nd Addition. Ed. Yudofsky S, and Hales R. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Washington, DC pp 349-368.
  5. Giunta, B., K. P. Figueroa, T. Town, and J. Tan. 2009. Soluble Cd40 Ligand in Dementia. Drugs Future. 34:333-340. doi: 10.1358/dof.2009.034.04.1358595.
  6. Giunta, B., K. Rezai-Zadeh, and J. Tan. 2010. Impact of the CD40-CD40L dyad in Alzheimer's disease. CNS Neurol. Disord. Drug Targets. 9:149-155.
  7. Caserta, M. T., Y. Bannon, F. Fernandez, B. Giunta, M. R. Schoenberg, and J. Tan. 2009. Normal brain aging clinical, immunological, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging features. Int. Rev. Neurobiol. 84:1-19.
  8. Zhu, Y., D. Obregon, H. Hou, B. Giunta, J. Erhart, F. Fernandez, T. Mori, W. Nikolic, Y. Zhao, D. Morgan, T. Town, and J. Tan. 2009. Mutant presenilin-1 deregulated peripheral immunity exacerbates alzheimer-like pathology. J. Cell. Mol. Med. . doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2009.00962.x.\Giunta, B., H. Hou, Y. Zhu, E. Rrapo, J. Tian, M. Takashi, D. Commins, E. Singer, J. He, F. Fernandez, and J. Tan. 2009. HIV-1 Tat contributes to Alzheimer's disease-like pathology in PSAPP mice. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Pathol. 2:433-443.
  9. Parker-Athill, E., D. Luo, A. Bailey, B. Giunta, J. Tian, R. D. Shytle, T. Murphy, G. Legradi, and J. Tan. 2009. Flavonoids, a prenatal prophylaxis via targeting JAK2/STAT3 signaling to oppose IL-6/MIA associated autism. J. Neuroimmunol. 217:20-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2009.08.012.
  10. Rrapo, E., Y. Zhu, J. Tian, H. Hou, A. Smith, F. Fernandez, J. Tan, and B. Giunta. 2009. Green Tea-EGCG reduces GFAP associated neuronal loss in HIV-1 Tat transgenic mice. Am. J. Transl. Res. 1:72-79.
  11. Shapshak, P., C. Somboonwit, L. N. Drumright, S. D. Frost, D. Commins, T. L. Tellinghuisen, W. K. Scott, R. Duncan, C. McCoy, J. B. Page, B. Giunta, F. Fernandez, E. Singer, A. Levine, A. Minagar, O. Oluwadara, T. Kotila, F. Chiappelli, and J. T. Sinnott. 2009. Molecular and contextual markers of hepatitis C virus and drug abuse. Mol. Diagn. Ther. 13:153-179. doi: 10.2165/01250444-200913030-00002.
  12. Obregon, D., H. Hou, Y. Bai, W. V. Nikolic, T. Mori, D. Luo, J. Zeng, J. Ehrhart, F. Fernandez, D. Morgan, B. Giunta, T. Town, and J. Tan. 2008. CD40L disruption enhances Abeta vaccine-mediated reduction of cerebral amyloidosis while minimizing cerebral amyloid angiopathy and inflammation. Neurobiol. Dis. 29:336-353. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2007.09.0
  13. Zhu, Y., P. C. Bickford, P. Sanberg, B. Giunta, and J. Tan. 2008. Blueberry opposes beta-amyloid peptide-induced microglial activation via inhibition of p44/42 mitogen-activation protein kinase. Rejuvenation Res. 11:891-901. doi: 10.1089/rej.2008.0757.
  14. Zhu, Y., H. Hou, W. V. Nikolic, J. Ehrhart, E. Rrapo, P. Bickford, B. Giunta, and J. Tan. 2008. CD45RB is a novel molecular therapeutic target to inhibit Abeta peptide-induced microglial MAPK activation. PLoS One. 3:e2135. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002135.
  15. Giunta, B., Y. Zhou, H. Hou, E. Rrapo, F. Fernandez, and J. Tan. 2008. HIV-1 TAT inhibits microglial phagocytosis of Abeta peptide. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Pathol. 1:260-275.
  16. Giunta, B., F. Fernandez, W. V. Nikolic, D. Obregon, E. Rrapo, T. Town, and J. Tan. 2008. Inflammaging as a prodrome to Alzheimer's disease. J. Neuroinflammation. 5:51. doi: 10.1186/1742-2094-5-51.
  17. Nikolic, W. V., H. Hou, T. Town, Y. Zhu, B. Giunta, C. D. Sanberg, J. Zeng, D. Luo, J. Ehrhart, T. Mori, P. R. Sanberg, and J. Tan. 2008. Peripherally administered human umbilical cord blood cells reduce parenchymal and vascular beta-amyloid deposits in Alzheimer mice. Stem Cells Dev. 17:423-439. doi: 10.1089/scd.2008.0018.
  18. Bailey, A. R., B. N. Giunta, D. Obregon, W. V. Nikolic, J. Tian, C. D. Sanberg, D. T. Sutton, and J. Tan. 2008. Peripheral biomarkers in Autism: secreted amyloid precursor protein-alpha as a probable key player in early diagnosis. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 1:338-344.
  19. Giunta, B., C. Somboonwit, W. V. Nikolic, E. Rrapo, J. Tan, P. Shapshak, and F. Fernandez. 2007. Psychiatric implications of hepatitis-C infection. Crit. Rev. Neurobiol. 19:79-118.
  20. Giunta, B; Obregon, D; Hou, HY, et al. Neuroprotection of green tea derived EGCG: Implications for HIV associated dementia. 2007. FASEB 21(6) : A1175-A1175   
  21. Legradi, G., M. Das, B. Giunta, K. Hirani, E. A. Mitchell, and D. M. Diamond. 2007. Microinfusion of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide into the central nucleus of amygdala of the rat produces a shift from an active to passive mode of coping in the shock-probe fear/defensive burying test. Neural Plast. 2007:79102. doi: 10.1155/2007/79102.
  22. Nikolic, W. V., Y. Bai, D. Obregon, H. Hou, T. Mori, J. Zeng, J. Ehrhart, R. D. Shytle, B. Giunta, D. Morgan, T. Town, and J. Tan. 2007. Transcutaneous beta-amyloid immunization reduces cerebral beta-amyloid deposits without T cell infiltration and microhemorrhage. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 104:2507-2512. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0609377104. \
  23. Giunta, B., D. Obregon, H. Hou, J. Zeng, N. Sun, V. Nikolic, J. Ehrhart, D. Shytle, F. Fernandez, and J. Tan. 2006. EGCG mitigates neurotoxicity mediated by HIV-1 proteins gp120 and Tat in the presence of IFN-gamma: role of JAK/STAT1 signaling and implications for HIV-associated dementia. Brain Res. 1123:216-225. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.09.057.
  24. Giunta, B., J. Ehrhart, K. Townsend, N. Sun, M. Vendrame, D. Shytle, J. Tan, and F. Fernandez. 2004. Galantamine and nicotine have a synergistic effect on inhibition of microglial activation induced by HIV-1 gp120. Brain Res. Bull. 64:165-170. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2004.06.008.
  25. Tranberg, C. E., A. Zickgraf, B. N. Giunta, H. Luetjens, H. Figler, L. J. Murphree, R. Falke, H. Fleischer, J. Linden, P. J. Scammells, and R. A. Olsson. 2002. 2-Amino-3-aroyl-4,5-alkylthiophenes: agonist allosteric enhancers at human A(1) adenosine receptors. J. Med. Chem. 45:382-389.

 

Research Support: 1 K08 MH082642-01A1 (PI) (NIH/NIMH) 03/2008-03/2012
“The Role of HIV-1 Tat in Alzheimer’s Disease” The goal of this project is to determine whether green-tea EGCG is effective in a novel mouse model of HIV-1 Tat induced Alzheimer’s Pathology.