Leslie M. Shaw, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Director, Clinical Toxicology Laboratory
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Contact InformationHospital of the University of Pennsylvania
7.103 Founders Pavilion
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 662-6575
Fax: (215) 662-7529
Email: Les.Shaw@uphs.upenn.edu; shawlmj@mail.med.upenn.edu
Specialty Division
Laboratory Medicine
Research Expertise
Development, validation and implementation of neurodegenerative diseases biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma into treatment trials and clinical studies (eg, ADNI study; UPENN ADRC; PPMI study). These studies include the use of manual and highly automated immunoassays and for amyloid beta(1-42), U-p53AZ and for total tau the use of high sensitivity UPLC/tandem mass spectrometry. Multi-modal statistical analyses of these study data to address several questions including the diagnostic utilities of these biomarkers; assessments of the longitudinal trajectories of these biomarkers in AD, MCI and cognitively normal controls to assess the neuropathological changes over time in these individuals.
Clinical Expertise
Measurement and interpretation of the toxicokinetics of drugs and toxins in patients affected by them. Interpretation of the pharmacokinetics of immunosuppressant maintenance medications in transplant patients.
Other Expertise
Development and implementation of mass spectrometry-based methods for measuring small molecules of clinical utility including therapeutic drugs, toxins and special chemistry tests including Xylazine; 25-OH vitamin D; and biologicals, eg, Infliximab. Development, validation and implementation of plasma based Alzheimers Disease biomarkers.
Education
B.S. (Cum Laude, Chemistry), LeMoyne College, Syracuse, New York, 1962
Ph.D. (Biochemistry), S.U.N.Y. at Upstate Medical Center, 1968
Specialty Certification
American Board of Clinical Chemistry, 1973
American Board of Clinical Chemistry in Toxicological Chemistry, 1990
USC School of Medicine, Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics, 1995
Postgraduate Training
NIH Post doctoral Fellowship Department of Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1968-1970
Fellow, Neuroscience Research Program, 1969-1969
NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, William Pepper Laboratories, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1970-1972
Awards and Honors
Norman Kubasik Lectureship Award, Upstate New York AACC Meeting, 1992-1992
Outstanding Speaker Award, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, 1995-2003
Reinhold Award, Philadelphia Section, AACC, 1995-1995
The Peter C Nowell Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, 1999-1999
IATDMCT Charles Pippenger Award for Outstanding Contributions in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, 1999-1999
The Kevin Salhany, MD, Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, 2005-2005
LeMoyne College - Distinguished Alumni Award, 2012-2012
AACC Lifetime Achievement Award in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine., 2013
Memberships and Professional Organizations
Alpha Sigma Nu, National Jesuit Honor Society, 1962 - 1964
American Chemical Society, 1962 - present
American Association for Clinical Chemistry, 1972 - present
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1978 - present
Philadelphia Section, American Association for Clinical Chemistry:, 1978 - Present
Philadelphia Section, American Association for Clinical Chemistry: 1996 (Program Chairman).
Philadelphia Section, American Association for Clinical Chemistry: 1978, 1978 - Present
International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, 1979 - present
AACC/NACB Task Force on Cyclosporine Monitoring, 1985 - 1987
National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry:, 1986 - present
International Association for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology, 1989 - present
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology Division of the AACC:, 1991 - Present
American Society for Mass Spectroscopy, 1991 - 1994
USP Council of Experts,, 2001 - 2002
Society of Toxicology, 2004 - 2007, 2004 - 2007
Alzheimers Association, 2005 - Present
Eli Lilly, 2011 - 2018
Alzheimers Association Global Biomarker Standardization Consortium., 2011 - Present
Roche (Member of Scientific Advisory Board), 2016 - Present
Cerebrospinal Fluid appropriate Use, Criteria Workgroup, Alzheimers Association., 2017 - 2018
FNIH Biomarker Consortium, plasma abeta project team, 2017 - ongoing
FNIH Biomarker Consortium Plasma Aβ Project Team., 2022 - Present
Selected Publications
Evaluation of Copathology and Clinical Trajectories in Individuals with Tau-Clinical Mismatch
Brown CA, Mundada NS, Cousins KAQ, Sadeghpour N, Lyu X, McGrew E, Korecka M, Chen-Plotkin A, Xie L, Wisse LEM, Detre JA, McMillan CT, Lee EB, Nasrallah IM, Das SR, Mechanic-Hamilton D, Yushkevich PA, Shaw LM, Wolk DA; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative., JAMA Neurol., 2026, PMID:41396614
Effect of prior traumatic brain injury on Alzheimer's disease blood biomarkers in Vietnam Veterans
Lang YR, Vrillon A, Pasternak S, Blazhenets G, Soleimani-Meigooni D, Ravinovici GD, Weiner MW, Hantke N, Silbert L, Schwartz DL, Ezer AL, Segev OL, Ganmore I, Ravona-Springer R, Yaffe K, Landau SM, Korecka M, Shaw LM, Joie R, Gardner RC. Effect of prior traumatic brain injury on Alzheimer's disease blood biomarkers in Vietnam Veterans., medRxiv [Preprint], 2026, PMID:41646759
Age of plasma Aβ42/40 positivity in Black and White individuals
Xiong C, Luo J, Wolk DA, Shaw LM, Roberson ED, Bateman RJ, Morris JC, Schindler SE., Alzheimers Dement., 2026
Reference Material for Amyloid Beta 1‐40 in Human CSF: Joint Initiative of the University of Pennsylvania, JRC and IFCC
Korecka M, Uzunova V, Delatour V, Zetterberg H, Shaw LM., Alzheimers Dement, 2026
Predicting onset of Alzheimer disease symptoms with a plasma %p‐tau217 clock
Petersen KK, Milà‐Alomà M, Tosun D, Li Y, Saef BA, Shaw LM, Dage JL, Zetterberg H, Du‐Cuny L, Xiong C, Barthélemy NR, Bateman RJ, Holtzman DM, Morris JC, Bannon AW, Potter WZ, Schindler SE., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
Sex‐stratified GWAS meta‐analyses reveal novel sex‐specific association with CSF biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease
Wang TC, Timsina J, Jiang C, McCartney DL, Tao F, Anastasi F, Genius P, Rodríguez‐Fernández B, Navarro A, Puerta R, van der Lee SJ, Marioni RE, Bertram L, Michael NW, Sims R, Vilor‐Tejedor N, Bradley J, Ali M, Wang C, Liu M, Ruiz A, Fernandez MV, Williams J, Budde JP, Tijms B, Castillo A, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Lleo A, Lee VMMY, Heslegrave AJ, Pastor P, Peskind ER, Saykin AJ, Morris JC, Schindler SE, Holtzman DM, Riemenschneider M, Albert MSS, Van Deerlin VM, Shaw LM, Sung YJJ, Hohman TJ, Cruchaga C, Dumitrescu L., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
Evaluating agreement between visual read and quantification of amyloid PET in the ADNI‐DOD cohort
Vrillon A, Blazhenets G, Lang YR, Lagarde J, Chiotis K, Raya MA, Soleimani‐Meigooni DN, Rabinovici GD, Weiner MW, Silbert LC, Hantke N, Schwartz D, Livny A, Lesman‐Segev OH, Yaffe K, Shaw LM, Landau SM, Gardner RC, Joie RL., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
Non‐amnestic AD syndrome would exhibit WM differences from amnestic and other non‐amnestic syndromes
Nowling B, Radhakrishnan H, Olm CA, Cook PA, Cousins KAQ, Shaw LM, Snyder A, Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Massimo L, Nasrallah IM, Phillips JS., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
Tau Cognitive Mismatch in Alzheimer's Disease Predicts Presence of Co‐Pathology and Diverging Disease Trajectory
Brown CA, Das SR, Cousins KAQ, Xie L, McGrew E, Korecka M, Tropea TF, Chen‐Plotkin A, Detre JA, McMillan CT, Lee EB, Nasrallah IM, Yushkevich PA, Mechanic‐Hamilton D, Shaw LM, Wolk DA., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
Alzheimer disease blood biomarkers and cognition in midlife
Jiang X, Hoang TD, Shaw LM, Jacobs DR Jr, Nasrallah IM, Bryan RN, Yaffe K., Alzheimers Dement., 2025
