Casey Dorr, PhD

Casey R. Dorr, PhD, was born and raised in Bemidji, Minnesota and is a first-generation Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe descendent. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in cell biology and chemistry from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He trained in molecular virology as an NIH funded trainee at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, ENEA-Casaccia Research Center, in Rome. 

Dr. Dorr earned his Doctor of Philosophy in molecular, cellular, developmental biology and genetics from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His PhD thesis was titled “Compounds Derived from Birch Trees that Inhibit HIV-1 Replication.” Dr. Dorr completed post-doctoral training in cancer genetics at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center. Dr. Dorr completed further post-doctoral training in molecular epidemiology, pharmacogenomics of transplantation at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). 

Dr. Dorr won the James R. Gillette award from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) for best drug metabolism manuscript of 2017 titled: “CRISPR/Cas9 genetic modification of CYP3A5 *3 in HuH-7 human hepatocyte cell line leads to cell lines with increased midazolam and tacrolimus metabolism.” Dr. Dorr is a life member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), a Sequoyah Fellow of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and a member of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Dr. Dorr is Co-Director for the University of Minnesota’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute’s Pathways to Research Program (PReP) and Advanced Pathways to Research Program (A-PReP).

• Pharmacogenomics
• Molecular Genetics
• Drug Metabolism
• Spatialomics
• Genomics
• Transcriptomics
• Cell line engineering
• Clinical Outcomes

• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
• American Society of Nephrology
• American Society of Transplantation

Dr. Dorr’s lab investigates genetic variants associated with drug metabolism in kidney transplant recipients through pharmacogenomics and functional analysis in bioengineered cell lines. The Dorr lab also investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms of kidney allograft loss through association of biopsy spatialomics and long-term clinical outcomes data. Dr. Dorr’s research has special focus aimed to solve health disparities through translational research, precision medicine and training of the next generation of scientists. 

Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute's Pathways to Research Program (PReP)  

Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute's Advanced Pathways to Research Program (A-PReP) 

Reininger KA, Onyeaghala G, Anderson-Haag T, Schladt DS, Wu B, Guan W, Dorr CR, Remmel RP, Mannon R, Matas AJ, Oetting WS, Stahler P, Israni AK, Jacobson PA. Higher number of tacrolimus dose adjustments in kidney transplant recipients who are extensive and intermediate CYP3A5 metabolizers. Clin Transplant. 2022 Dec 26:e14893. doi: 10.1111/ctr.14893. Mowls-Carroll Dana, Murphy S, Meier E, Rhodes K, Dorr CR, Braatan G, Jacobson PA, Tyndale R, Hatsukami D and C Hernandez. Exploring potential for a personalized medicine approach to smoking cessation with an American Indian Tribe. Journal: Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2022 Jun 6;ntac141. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac141. Al‐Kofahi M, Oetting WS, Schladt DP, Remmel RP, Guan W, Wu B, Dorr CR, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Israni AK, and PA Jacobson Precision Dosing for Tacrolimus Using Genotypes and Clinical Factors in Kidney Transplant Recipients of European Ancestry. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2021 Jan 29. doi: https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1002/jcph.1823 Nguyen TT, Pearson RA, Mohamed ME, Schladt DP, Berglund D, Rivers Z, Skaar DJ, Wu B, Guan W, van Setten J, Keating BJ, Dorr C, Remmel RP, Matas AJ, Mannon RB, Israni AK, Oetting WS and PA Jacobson. Pharmacogenomics in kidney transplant recipients and potential for integration into practice. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2020 Jul 14. doi: 10.1111/jcpt.13223. Mohamed ME, Schladt DP, Guan W, Wu B, van Setten J, Keating B, Iklé D, Remmel RP, Dorr CR, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Israni AK, Oetting WS, Jacobson PA; DeKAF Genomics and GEN03 Investigators. Tacrolimus Troughs and Genetic Determinants of Metabolism in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A comparison of four ancestry groups. American Journal of Transplantation. 2019 Apr 6. doi: 10.1111/ajt.15385. Oetting WS, Wu B, Schladt DP, Guan W, van Setten J, Keating BJ, Iklé D, Remmel RP, Dorr CR, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Israni AK and PA Jacobson for the DeKAF Genomics and GEN03 Investigators. (2019). Genetic Variants Associated with Immunosuppressant Pharmacokinetics and Adverse Effects in the DeKAF Genomics Genome Wide Association Studies. Transplantation. 2019 Feb 19. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000002625. Oetting WS, Schladt DP, Dorr CR, Wu B, Guan W, Remmel RP, Iklé D, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Israni AK and PA Jacobson Pharm.D.1 for the DeKAF Genomics Investigators. (2019). Analysis of 75 Candidate SNPs Associated with Acute Rejection in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Validation of rs2910164 in MicroRNA MIR146A. Transplantation. 2019 Feb 11. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000002659 Dorr CR*, Wu B, Remmel RP, Muthusamy A, Schladt DP, Abrahante JE, Guan W, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Oetting WS, Jacobson PA and AK Israni. Identification of genetic variants associated with tacrolimus metabolism in kidney transplant recipients by extreme phenotype sampling and next generation sequencing. The Pharmacogenomics Journal 19, 375–389 (2019) Seibert SR, Schladt DP, Wu B, Guan W, Dorr C, Remmel RP, Matas AJ, Mannon RB, Israni AK, Oetting WS and PA Jacobson for DeKAF Investigators. Clinical Transplantation. 31 Oct 2018, 32(12):e13424 Scheibner A, Remmel RP, Schladt DP, Oetting WS, Guan W, Wu B, Dorr CR, Israni AK and PA Jacobson. Tacrolimus Elimination in Four Subjects with a CYP3A5*3/*3 CYP3A4*22/*22 Genotype. Pharmacotherapy 2018 Jul;38(7):e46-e52. doi: 10.1002/phar.2131. Epub 2018 Jun 27. Oetting WS, Wu B, Schladt DP, Guan W, Remmel RP, Dorr C, Mannon RB, Matas AJ, Israni AK, Jacobson PA. Attempted validation of 44 reported SNPs associated with tacrolimus troughs in a cohort of kidney allograft recipients. Pharmacogenomics. 2018; 19(3):175-184. PMID: 29318894. Dorr CR, Oetting WS, Jacobson PA, Israni AK. Genetics of acute rejection after kidney transplantation. Transplant International 2018; 31(3):263-277. PMID: 29030886. Oetting WS, Dorr C, Remmel RP, Matas AJ, Israni AK, Jacobson PA. Concepts of Genomics in Kidney Transplantation. Current Transplantation Reports 2017; 4(2):116-123. PMID: 29123971. Dorr CR, Remmel RP, Muthusamy A, Fisher J, Moriarity BS, Yasuda K, Wu B, Guan W, Schuetz EG, Oetting WS, Jacobson PA, Israni AK. CRISPR/Cas9 Genetic Modification of CYP3A5 *3 in HuH-7 Human Hepatocyte Cell Line Leads to Cell Lines with Increased Midazolam and Tacrolimus Metabolism. Drug Metabolism and Disposition 2017; 45(8):957-965. PMID:28533324. Oetting WS, Schladt DP, Guan W, Miller MB, Remmel RP, Dorr C, Sanghavi K, Mannon RB, Herrera B, Matas AJ, Salomon DR, Kwok PY, Keating BJ, Israni AK, Jacobson PA. Genomewide Association Study of Tacrolimus Concentrations in African American Kidney Transplant Recipients Identifies Multiple CYP3A5 Alleles. American Journal of Transplantation 2016; 16(2):574-82. PMID: 26485092, PMCID: PMC4733408. Dorr CR, Freedman BI, Hicks PJ, Brown WM, Russell GB, Julian BA, Pastan SO, Gautreaux MD, Muthusamy A, Chinnakotla S, Hauptfeld V, Bray RA, Kirk AD, Divers J, Israni AK. Deceased-Donor Apolipoprotein L1 Renal-Risk Variants Have Minimal Effects on Liver Transplant Outcomes. PloS One. 2016; 11(4):e0152775. PMID: 27054572. Dorr C, Janik C, Weg M, Been RA, Bader J, Kang R, Ng B, Foran L, Landman SR, O'Sullivan MG, Steinbach M, Sarver AL, Silverstein KA, Largaespada DA, Starr TK. Transposon Mutagenesis Screen Identifies Potential Lung Cancer Drivers and CUL3 as a Tumor Suppressor. Molecular Cancer Research. 2015; 13(8):1238-47. PMID: 25995385. Dorr C, Wu B, Guan W, Muthusamy A, Sanghavi K, Schladt DP, Maltzman JS, Scherer SE, Brott MJ, Matas AJ, Jacobson PA, Oetting WS, Israni AK. Differentially expressed gene transcripts using RNA sequencing from the blood of immunosuppressed kidney allograft recipients. PloS One. 2015; 10(5):e0125045. PMID: 25946140. Dorr CR, Yemets S, Kolomitsyna O, Krasutsky P, Mansky LM. Triterpene derivatives that inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 2011; 21(1):542-5. PMID: 21084190. 

Molecular and Cellular Analysis of Allograft Loss in Kidney Transplant Biopsies (6/1/2022 – 5/31/2024), Principal Investigator, NIAID, R21AI171826 Genetic Variants Associated with Tacrolimus Metabolism in Kindy Transplant Recipients (1/2018 - 12/2023), Principal Investigator, NIAID, K01AI130409 Pharmacogenomics to Address Outcomes Disparities in Transplantation, Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research, (07/2022 - 06/2024), Principal Investigator, NIAID, L60AI172044 Molecular and Cellular Analysis of Kidney Transplant Biopsies, (3/2022 – 2/2024) University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute K to R01 Scholar UL1TR00249

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