# Rodger P. McEver
**Rodger P. McEver** (born 1948 in New Orleans) is an American hematologist and cardiovascular biologist known for discovering the adhesion molecules P-selectin and PSGL-1 and for showing that selectin-ligand bonds strengthen under mechanical force. He spent 36 years at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) in [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city), retiring in March 2023 as vice president of research and continuing as a Distinguished Career Scientist emeritus.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) • [2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) His laboratory studies how circulating leukocytes and platelets adhere to each other and to vascular endothelium under flow, and how dysregulated adhesion contributes to thrombotic and inflammatory disorders.[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | Hematology; cardiovascular biology; leukocyte and platelet adhesion under flow[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/) |
| Born | 1948, New Orleans[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) |
| Training | Yale University (B.A.); University of Chicago (M.D.); internal medicine residency and hematology fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) |
| OMRF career | Joined 1987; served as principal investigator, program chair, and vice president of research; retired March 2023[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) |
| Signature work | Cloning of the gene encoding P-selectin[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) |
| Industry | Co-founded Selexys Pharmaceuticals (2002), acquired by Novartis for up to $665 million; co-founded TargaZyme Inc.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) • [4](https://www.targazyme.com/teams/rodger-mcever-md/) |
| Honor | Henry M. Stratton Medal, American Society of Hematology, 2023[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) |
## Training and early career
McEver first came to OMRF as a Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar at age 17, a program that introduces students to laboratory research. He earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his medical degree from the University of Chicago.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) After an internship and residency in internal medicine and a hematology fellowship at [Washington University in St. Louis](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-university-in-st-louis), he became assistant professor of medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center in [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio) at age 33.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) It was in San Antonio, in the 1980s, that he began the work on P-selectin that defined his career; he moved to Oklahoma City in 1987.[5](https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/sickle-cell-drug-with-okc-roots-going-to-market-soon)
## Career at OMRF
At OMRF, McEver opened his laboratory in 1987 and served over the following decades as principal investigator, program chair, and vice president of research.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) He also held adjunct professor roles at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) He retired in March 2023 and continues to support OMRF in an emeritus role as a Distinguished Career Scientist.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/)
## Representative work
Using monoclonal antibodies as tools, McEver's group identified a protein on blood platelets and on endothelial cells that is now known as P-selectin, and cloned the gene encoding it.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) In 1984, two groups independently described monoclonal antibodies that bound activated but not resting platelets, recognizing a 140-kD platelet membrane glycoprotein originally called GMP-140 or PADGEM.[6](https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511546198.117) A 1989 *Journal of Clinical Investigation* paper reported that GMP-140, a platelet alpha-granule membrane protein, is also synthesized by vascular endothelial cells and localized in Weibel-Palade bodies.[7](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1565-4_1) [Thrombin](https://www.edgepedia.org/thrombin) and histamine mobilize the protein from these storage granules to the cell surface, which explains why the antibodies bound only activated cells.[6](https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511546198.117)
In 1992, his group identified a specific glycoprotein ligand for P-selectin on myeloid cells, a Ca2+-dependent interaction with sialylated, fucosylated lactosaminoglycans, according to their paper 'Identification of a specific glycoprotein ligand for P-selectin (CD62)'.[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2290037/) That ligand became PSGL-1, a sialomucin his laboratory discovered as the major ligand on leukocytes for P-selectin and [L-selectin](https://www.edgepedia.org/l-selectin) that also binds E-selectin.[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/) His reviews on selectin-carbohydrate interactions in leukocyte trafficking (*Journal of Biological Chemistry*, 1995)[9](https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.270.19.11025) and on PSGL-1's role in leukocyte recruitment (*Journal of Clinical Investigation*, 1997)[10](https://doi.org/10.1172/jci119556) synthesized this work for the field.
## Catch bonds and leukocyte adhesion
McEver's group found that different levels of force affect the lifetimes of selectin-ligand bonds in a biphasic manner: low forces prolong lifetimes (catch bonds), whereas higher forces shorten lifetimes (slip bonds).[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/) Catch bonds help explain the paradoxical requirement for a minimum flow rate to support cell adhesion mediated through L-selectin.[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/) His laboratory combined biochemical and crystallographic approaches, flow chambers, and gene-targeted mice to study selectins, PSGL-1, glycosyltransferases, and cytokine receptors.[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/) In later years, gene-targeted mouse studies identified a role for PSGL-1 in tethering flowing leukocytes to E-selectin on inflamed vascular surfaces, a function for core 1-derived O-glycans in developmental angiogenesis, and a contribution of cytokine receptors in bone marrow endothelial cells to hematopoiesis.[3](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/)
## Translational influence: from antibody to Adakveo
McEver filed his first patent application in 1989. The [University of Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oklahoma) licensed this and other patents to two biotech companies but later took back the technology for lack of diligence, and in 2002 McEver co-founded Selexys Pharmaceutical Corporation.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/) Novartis bought Oklahoma City-based Selexys for up to $665 million, acquiring the antibody McEver discovered.[2](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/)
Crizanlizumab (SelG1; Adakveo), a humanized anti–P-selectin antibody, received US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2019 for the prevention of sickle cell vaso-occlusive crises based on the randomized, placebo-controlled SUSTAIN trial.[11](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12320404/) The drug became available to doctors in 2020 and is given monthly intravenously.[5](https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/sickle-cell-drug-with-okc-roots-going-to-market-soon) The American Society of Hematology credited McEver's pioneering work on P-selectin with giving birth to the first FDA-approved treatment for pain crises in sickle cell disease, a condition affecting an estimated 100,000 Americans and 5 million people worldwide.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) McEver also co-founded TargaZyme Inc.[4](https://www.targazyme.com/teams/rodger-mcever-md/)
## Honors and recognition
The [American Society of Hematology](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-society-of-hematology) presented McEver with its 2023 Henry M. Stratton Medal at its 65th annual meeting in San Diego, recognizing his discoveries over a 36-year career at OMRF.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/) ASH selected him for his pioneering work leading to the discovery and characterization of P-selectin, a blood protein crucial to inflammation and blood clotting.[1](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/)
## References
1. [American Society of Hematology honors OMRF's McEver](https://omrf.org/american-society-of-hematology-honors-omrfs-mcever/)
2. [Executive Q&A with OMRF scientist Dr. Rodger P. McEver, i2E](https://i2e.org/executive-qa-with-omrf-scientist-dr-rodger-p-mcever/)
3. [Rodger P. McEver, M.D., OMRF scientist page](https://omrf.org/scientist/rodger-p-mcever-m-d/)
4. [Rodger McEver, MD, TargaZyme team page](https://www.targazyme.com/teams/rodger-mcever-md/)
5. [OKC VeloCity, Sickle cell drug with OKC roots going to market soon](https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/sickle-cell-drug-with-okc-roots-going-to-market-soon)
6. [P-Selectin (book chapter, Cambridge University Press)](https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511546198.117)
7. [The Selectins in Leukocyte Recruitment (book chapter, Springer)](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1565-4_1)
8. [Identification of a specific glycoprotein ligand for P-selectin (CD62) on myeloid cells (J Cell Biol)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2290037/)
9. [Leukocyte Trafficking Mediated by Selectin-Carbohydrate Interactions (J Biol Chem, 1995)](https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.270.19.11025)
10. [Role of PSGL-1 binding to selectins in leukocyte recruitment (J Clin Invest, 1997)](https://doi.org/10.1172/jci119556)
11. [Targeting the P-selectin/PSGL-1 pathway: discovery of disease mechanisms and drug development](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12320404/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Hematology and blood disorder researchers › Platelet biology researchers*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license