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Ira Bergman, MD, PhD

  • Division Director, Child Neurology and Child Development and Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology and Immunology
  • Ronald L. and Patricia M. Violi Endowed Chair in Child Development

Bergman has trained clinically in neurology and neuro-oncology and scientifically in cancer immunology. He is currently chief of the division of Child Neurology and Interin Chief of the Division of Child Development and program Director of the Child Neurology Residency at the University of Pittsburgh. He has extensive experience in Clinical Neurology and Medical education.

Bergman's initial research focused on clinical Neonatal Neurology and he has completed several follow-up studies of neonatal seizures, neonatal hemorrhage, hearing loss, infections and head trauma. His focus then switched to cancer immunotherapy and our lab developed new small animal models of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, tested antibody therapies for neuroblastoma and breast cancer, created the first, and patented, targeted replicating recombinant virus whose cell range has been severely and specifically restricted based on modifying the viral surface glycoprotein and combined viral therapy and immunotherapy to achieve consistent cures in a mouse model of mammary cancer metastases.  The lab is currently focused on testing strategies for generating and employing anti-tumor memory T-cells to prevent and treat metastases in models that highly simulate human disease, study methods to quantify the number of anti-tumor memory T-cells and study why these cells resist a wide variety of immune suppressor cells.  

 

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • Child Neurology Society, 1978-Present
  • American Academy of Neurology, 1978-Present
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, 1981-Present
  • National Stroke Association, 1989
  • Children's Cancer Group Committee Membership, 1993
  • American Society of Neuroimaging, 1993
  • American Association of Immunology, 1998-Present
  • American Association of Cancer Research, 1998-Present
  • American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research, 2009-Present

Patents

  • U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/410,329 entitled “Therapeutic recombinant viruses” (Bergman, I and Gao, Y), Application September 27, 2022

Education & Training

  • BA, Yale University, 1970
  • MD, University of Chicago, 1974
  • PhD, University of Pittsburgh, 1998
  • Internship in Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1974-1975
  • Residency in Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1975-1976
  • Residency in Neurology (Adult Service), Massachusetts General Hospital, 1976-1977
  • Residency in Neurology (Pediatric Service), Massachusetts General Hospital, 1977-1978
  • Residency in Neurology (Neuropathology), Massachusetts General Hospital, 1978-1979
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Sabbatical, Neuro-Cancer Center Oncology, 1990-1991

Selected Publications

Munjal NK, Bergman I, Scheuer ML, Genovese CR, Simon DW, Patterson CM: Quantitative Electroencephalography (EEG) Predicting Acute Neurologic Deterioration in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Case Series.  Journal of Child Neurology 2021   PMID: 34816755

Gao, Y, Bergman I: Anti-tumor memory CD4 and CD8 T-cells quantified by bulk T-cell receptor (TCR) clonal analysis.  Frontiers in Immunology 2023: 14: 1-16.  PMID: 37033929

Gao, Y, Bergman I: Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) G Glycoprotein can be modified to create a Her2/Neu-targeted VSV that eliminates large implanted mammary tumors. J Virol 2023: 97: e00373-23 PMID: 37199666

Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P, Watkins SC, Griffin JA, Bergman I:  Rapid adaptation of a recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus to a targeted cell line.  J. Virol, 2006; 80: 8603-8612.  PMID: 16912309

Bergman I, Griffin JA, Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P: Treatment of implanted mammary tumors with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus targeted to Her2/neu.   International Journal of Cancer, 2007; 121: 425-30.  PMID: 17354238

Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P, Griffin JA, Barmada MA, Bergman I:  Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus targeted to Her2/neu combined with anti-CTLA4 antibody eliminates implanted mammary tumors.  Cancer Gene Therapy, 2009; 16: 44-52.  PMID: 18654610

Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P, Griffin JA, Bergman I:  Treatment with targeted Vesicular Stomatitis Virus generates therapeutic multifunctional anti-tumor memory CD4.  Cancer Gene Therapy, 2012; 19: 282-91.  PMID: 22240921

Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P, Barmada MA, Basse PH, Bergman I:  Viral infection of implanted meningeal tumors induces anti-tumor memory T-cells to travel to the brain and eliminate established tumors.  Neuro-Oncology 2015; 17: 536-44.  PMID: 25223975  

Gao Y, Whitaker-Dowling P, Bergman I:  Memory anti-tumor T-cells resist inhibition by immune suppressor cells.  Anticancer Research 2015: 35: 4593-97. PMID:26254347

Gao Y, Barmada MA, Bergman I:  Antitumor Memory T-Cells Become Functionally Mature from 30 to 100 days in a Mouse Model of Neoplasia.  Anticancer Research 2018:38:147-157.  PMID: 29277767

Gao Y, Bergman I:  Potent Antitumor T-Cell Memory Is Generated by Curative Viral Oncolytic Immunotherapy But Not Curative Chemotherapy.  Anticancer Research 2018:38:6621-29. 

Academic and Research Interests

  • Immunotherapy
  • Cancer
  • Virus
  • Quality Improvement