BIOGRAPHICAL DATA: Dr. Theodore A. Litovitz
Dr. Litovitz received his Ph.D. in physics in 1950. He was a Professor of Physics at the Catholic University of America for over 40 years. He is now Professor Emeritus and director of the interdisciplinary Bioelectromagnetics Research Program at the Catholic University of America. This program involves the faculty from electrical and biomedical engineering as well as biology and physics. He is also coDirector of the Vitreous State Laboratory. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Acoustical Society of America. He has published over 125 papers and coauthored a book on the interaction of ultrasonic waves and matter. Over the past 13 years his research and development activities have been directed toward understanding and controlling the effects of electromagnetic fields on biological systems and developing devices to inhibit these effects. He has been a consultant to both the US government and to private industry.
His work includes: 1) An investigation of EMFinduced teratogenic effects in chick embryos where the existence of a genetic predisposition to electromagnetic teratogenesis was shown; 2) Arriving at a theoretical explanation of the origin of power and frequency windows in bioresponses; 3) Discovering the importance of coherence and constancy in the EM field for inducing bioelectromagnetic effects; 4) Determining the origin of microwave absorption in aqueous DNA solutions; 5) Determining the role of modulation in the induction of bioeffects by microwaves; 6) Demonstrating the similarity of microwave and ELF induced bioeffects; 7)Discovering the ability to inhibit EMF induced bioeffects by the superposition of ELF EM noise; 8) Demonstrating that the biochemistry of a chick embryo can be modified by exposure to weak EM fields; and 9) Performing a study of various ELF exposure systems showing advantages and disadvantages of each. He has been the project director for the interdisciplinary study of ELF magnetic field and microwave effects on cell function.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
1.T. A. Litovitz, D. Krause and J. M. Mullins. 1991. Effect of coherence time of the applied magnetic field on ornithine decarboxylase activity. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 178:862865.
2.C. J. Montrose, T. A. Litovitz and E. C. Elson. 1991. Augmented transcription by electromagnetic field exposure: the experimental technique affects the measured transient response. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, 25:383394.
3.B. Saif, R. K. Mohr, C. J. Montrose and T. A. Litovitz. 1991. On the mechanism of dielectric relaxation in aqueous DNA solutions. Biopolymers, 31:11711180.
4.H. Bassen, T. A. Litovitz, L. M. Penafiel and R. Mister. 1992. Recommendations for standardization of sample containers used for invitro ELF biological exposure systems, Bioelectromagnetics13:183198.
5.L. M. Penafiel and T. A. Litovitz. 1992., Counterion condensation and ionic conductivity. J. Chem. Phys. 96:30333038.
6.L.M. Penafiel and T.A. Litovitz.1992. High frequency delectric dispersion of polyelectrolyte solutions and its relation to counterion condensation. J. Chem. Phys., 97:559567.
7.T. A. Litovitz, C. J. Montrose and W. Wang. 1993. Dose response implications of the transient nature of electromagneticfieldinduced bioeffects: theortetical hypotheses and predictions, Bioelectromagnetics Supplement, 1:237246.
8.W. Wang, T. A. Litovitz, L. M. Penafiel and R. Meister. 1993. Determination of the induced electric field distribution in a twolayer invitro system simulating biological cells in nutrient, Bioelectromagnetics, 14:2939(1993)
9.T.A. Litovitz, C.J. Montrose and P. Doinov. 1993. Spatial and temporal coherence affects the response of biological systems to electromagnetic fields. In Electricity and Magnetism in Biology and Medicine. (Ed. M. Blank), San Francisco Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 347349.
10.J.M. Mullins, D. Krause and T.A. Litovitz. 1993. Simultaneous application of a spatially coherent noise field blocks the response of cell cultures to a 60 Hz electromagnetic field. In Electricity and Magnetism in Biology and Medicine. (Ed. M. Blank), San Francisco Press, San Francisco, CA. pp.345346.
11.J.M. Farrell, M. Barber, P. Doinov, D. Krause and T.A. Litovitz. 1993. Effect of 60Hz sinusoidal magnetic fields on ornithine decarboxylase activity in developing chick embryos. In Electricity and Magnetism in Biology and Medicine. (Ed. M. Blank), San Francisco Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 342344.
12.T.A. Litovitz, D. Krause, M. Penafiel, E.C. Elson and J.M. Mullins. 1993. The role of coherence time in the effect of microwaves on ornithine decarboxylase activity. Bioelectromagnetics, 39:261268.
13.T.A. Litovitz, C.J. Montrose, P. Doinov, K.M. Brown and M. Barber. 1994. Superimposing spatially coherent electromagnetic noise inhibits fieldinduced abnormalities in developing chick embryos. Bioelectromagnetics, 15:105113.
14.T.A.Litovitz, D. Krause, C.J. Montrose and J.M. Mullins. 1994. Temporally incoherent magnetic fields mitigate the response of biological systems to temporally coherent magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics, 15:399410
15.Mullins, J.M., T.A. Litovitz and C.J. Montrose. 1995 The role of coherence in electromagnetic fieldinduced bioeffects: the signaltonoise dilemma. In ..Electromagnetic Fields, Biological Interactions and Mechanisms, 319338 (Ed. M. Blank) American Chemical Society, WashingtonDC.
16. Penafiel, M., T.A. Litovitz, D. Krause, J.M. Mullins, 1997. The Role of Modulation in Microwave Induced Bioeffects. Bioelectromagnetics 18:132141
17.Litovitz, TA, M. Penafiel, D. Krause, D. Zhang, and J.M. Mullins. 1997 The Role of Temporal Sensing in Bioelectromagnetic Effects, Bioielectromagnetics 18:388395
18.Litovitz T.A., L.M. Penafiel, J. M. Farrell, D. Krause, R. Meister and J.M. Mullins. 1997. Bioeffects Induced by Exposure to Microwaves are Mitigated by ELF Noise Bioelectromagnetics 18:422430
19.Farrell J.M. , T. L. Litovitz, L.M. Penafiel, C. J. Montrose, P. Doinov, M. Barber, K. M. Brown and T. A. Litovitz, (1997) The Effect of Pulsed and Sinusoidal Magnetic Fields on the Morphology of Developing Chick Embryos, Bioelectromagnetics 18:431438
20.Farrell J.M. , M. Barber, D. Krause, T.A. Litovitz, 1997 , Effects of Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on the Activity of Ornithine Decarboxylase in Developing Chicken Embryos, 1997 Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics 43:9196
22.Farrell J.M., M. Barber, D. Krause, T.A. Litovitz, 1997 The Superposition of a Temporally Incoherent Magnetic Field Inhibits 60 Hzinduced Changes in the ODC Activity of Developing Chick Embryos, Bioelectromagnetics 19:5356
23. Di Carlo, A.L., Farrell, J.M., Litovitz, T.A.: A simple experiment to study electromagnetic field effects: protection induced by shortterm exposures to 60 Hz magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics. 19, 498500, 1998
24. Farrell, J.M., Barber, M., Krause, D., Litovitz, T.A.: The superposition of a temporally incoherent magnetic field inhibits 60 Hzinduced changes in the ODC activity of developing chick embryos. Bioelectromagnetics. 19, 5356, 1998
25. Mullins, J.M., Litovitz, T.A., Penafiel, M., Desta, A., Krause, D.: Intermittent noise affects EMFinduced ODC activity. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics. 44, 237242, 1998
26. Di Carlo, A.L., Litovitz, T.A.: Is genetics the unrecognized confounding factor in bioelectromagnetics? Flockdependence of fieldinduced anoxia protection in chick embryos. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics. 48, 209215, 1999
27.Di Carlo, A.L., Farrell, J.M., Litovitz, T.A.: Myocardial protection conferred by electromagnetic fields. Circulation, 99, 813816 (1999)
28. Di Carlo, A.L., Hargis, M.T., Penafiel, L.M., Litovitz, T.A. Short-term magnetic field exposures (60 Hz) induce protection against ultraviolet radiation damage. Int.J.Radiat.Biol. 75, 1541-9, 1999
29. DiCarlo, A.L., Mullins J.M. and Litovitz, T.A. Electromagnetic fieldinduced protection of chick embryos against hypoxia exhibits characteristics of temporal sensing. Bioelectrochemistry 52, 17-21, 2000
30. DiCarlo, A.L., Mullins J.M. and Litovitz, T.A. Thresholds for electromagnetic fieldinduced protection: evidence for a primary electric field effect. Bioelectrochemistry 52, 9-16, 2000
31. Di Carlo AL, WhiteNC, Litovitz TA. Mechanical and electromagnetic induction of protection against oxidative stress. Bioelectrochemistry 53, 87-95, 2001
32. Di Carlo A, White N, Guo F, Garrett P, Litovitz T. Chronic electromagnetic field exposure decreases HSP70 levels and lowers cytoprotection. J Cell Biochem 84, 447-54, 2002