Robert H. Silverman

Robert H. Silverman is a Professor at the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, with dual appointments in the Departments of Molecular Medicine and Biochemistry. He holds the Mal and Lea Bank Chair in Cancer Biology at the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, and is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Genomics and Epigenomics Program.

Research Focus: Dr. Silverman has dedicated 34 years to studying the 2',5'-oligoadenylate (OAS)/RNase L system, a critical interferon-regulated pathway for antiviral defense and cancer biology. His lab cloned RNase L, developed RNase L-deficient mice, and uncovered its roles in RNA degradation, autophagy induction, and transcriptional signaling during viral infections. Current work explores how 2-5A turnover controls viral pathogenesis and investigates RNase L's links to prostate cancer genetics through the hereditary prostate cancer 1 (HPC1) gene, alongside developing oncolytic virus-sunitinib combination therapies for late-stage cancers.

Key Publications: His work spans RNA biology, viral antagonism, and innate immunity, with recent 2024 studies on SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 endoribonuclease and SKIV2L helicase roles in immune modulation, and 2025 research on RNase L's impact in hair follicle regeneration. Earlier seminal work includes cloning RNase L (1993) and defining its antiviral/apoptotic activities (1998).

Scientific Contributions: Notable achievements include establishing RNase L's antiviral mechanisms via RNA cleavage, uncovering its role in IFN synthesis via RIG-I/MDA5 activation, and linking it to prostate cancer through HPC1 gene studies. His 2007 Nature paper on small self-RNA amplification remains a milestone in innate immunity research.