Featured Scholar: Randall Roper, PhD
Professor of GeneticsOpen and Translational Knowledge Sharing
All individuals with Down syndrome (DS) display skeletal and cognitive deficits. Our research seeks to understand the genetic and developmental bases for skeletal and cognitive phenotypes associated with Trisomy 21. The lab is defining the origin and advancement of DS skeletal malformations including the typical craniofacial features, and the appendicular skeleton resulting in short stature, weaker bones and a predisposition to osteoporosis. We are examining spatial and temporal expression of trisomic genes as well as others throughout the genome and correlating this information with DS phenotypic and developmental alterations. We have established a sexual dimorphism in the development of DS skeletal deficits, with males experiencing deficits earlier and in different ways than females. Ongoing preclinical studies in mice test treatments that target trisomic gene products to improve skeletal as well as cognitive-related DS traits. Although many people with DS consume green tea extracts and Epigallocathechin-3-gallate (EGCG), we have shown that EGCG treatment does not target the trisomic gene Dyrk1a and largely does not correct cognitive and skeletal deficits associated with DS. We have also collaborated with clinicians and published important studies on feeding and obstructive sleep apnea in infants with DS. Our long-term goal is to apply the knowledge of how and when trisomic genes affect developmental processes to diagnose and ameliorate cognitive and skeletal Trisomy 21 phenotypes.
Randall's translation of research into understanding the genetic and developmental bases for skeletal and cognitive phenotypes to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome is another excellent example of how IU Indianapolis's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
Selected Publications in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks
With over 85 scholarly works contributed to IU Indianapolis's free, open access repository, Randall has made translational research knowledge available to researchers, students and readers around the world.
Sloan, K., Piner, K. M., Arachchige, P. R. N. K., Goodlett, C. R., Herault, Y., Olbricht, G. R., Wallace, J. M., & Roper, R. J. (2025). Genetic analysis of triplicated genes affecting sex-specific skeletal deficits in Down syndrome model mice. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/51419
Fatemi, S. H., Otte, E. D., Folsom, T. D., Eschenlauer, A. C., Roper, R. J., Aman, J. W., & Thuras, P. D. (2024). Early Chronic Fluoxetine Treatment of Ts65Dn Mice Rescues Synaptic Vesicular Deficits and Prevents Aberrant Proteomic Alterations. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/42128
Hawley, L. E., Stringer, M., Deal, A. J., Folz, A., Goodlett, C. R., & Roper, R. J. (2024). Sex-specific developmental alterations in DYRK1A expression in the brain of a Down syndrome mouse model. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/41462
LaCombe, J. M., Sloan, K., Thomas, J. R., Blackwell, M. P., Crawford, I., Bishop, F., Wallace, J. M., & Roper, R. J. (2024). Sex-specific trisomic Dyrk1a-related skeletal phenotypes during development in a Down syndrome model. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/44455
Lamantia, J., Sloan, K., Wallace, J. M., & Roper, R. J. (2024). Compromised Femoral and Lumbovertebral Bone in the Dp(16)1Yey Down Syndrome Mouse Model. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/48018
Otte, E. D., & Roper, R. J. (2024). Skeletal health in DYRK1A syndrome. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/44312
Sloan, K., Thomas, J., Blackwell, M., Voisard, D., Lana-Elola, E., Watson-Scales, S., Roper, D. L., Wallace, J. M., Fisher, E. M. C., Tybulewicz, V. L. J., & Roper, R. J. (2023). Genetic dissection of triplicated chromosome 21 orthologs yields varying skeletal traits in Down syndrome model mice. Disease Models & Mechanisms, 16(4), dmm049927. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/37511
Stockdale, M. S., Kimble-Hill, A. C., Dinh, T. K., Mosier, A. E., Washington, D., Wu, W., & Roper, R. (2023). Pervasiveness and Impact of Single-Day Episodes of Harassment, Microaggression, and Incivility of Biomedical Health Trainees. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/34435
Find more free articles by Randall Roper in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks.