Northwestern scientist gets mentoring award at White House |  |
- Northwestern scientist gets mentoring award at White House
- Wyss Institute founding director, Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., receives 2011 Holst Medal
- RTOG activates study to determine best treatment strategies for patients with glioma brain tumors
- Identify clinically relevant fungi confidently and accurately
- U.S. Supreme Court petitioned to review AMP, et al. lawsuit on gene patents
- IOM report recommends stringent limits on use of chimpanzees in biomedical and behavioral research
- Goddard scientists selected as participating scientists in missions
- NASA's RXTE detects 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate
| Northwestern scientist gets mentoring award at White House Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) CHICAGO --- Teresa Woodruff, the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at the White House from President Barack Obama Monday, Dec. 12. The award was for a Northwestern Medicine program called the Women's Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond. The program mentors urban minority high-school girls for college and careers in science and health. Meeting President Obama in the Oval Office was a true honor and humbling event, said Woodruff, also director of the Institute for Women's Health Research. In his remarks, the president affirmed his deep commitment to science and engineering and the role that basic science plays in the health of our nation. He made time to congratulate us on our efforts and comment on the critical role that science mentorship plays in the development of the next generation of innovators on whom we count to solve our world's most pressing needs. This award is for the hundreds of faculty, staff and students throughout Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital who donate their time to mentorship, Woodruff added. Our program focuses on the next generation of female leaders. Our goal is to ensure that the future is filled with a diverse group of problem solvers ready to meet the world's challenges. The Women's Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond (WHSP), a four-year-old program, targets primarily African American and Latina girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Chicago. The young women can study at four different Northwestern academies: cardiology, physical science, infectious disease and oncofertility. The science program is part of the Institute for Women's Health Research at the Feinberg School. Carole LaBonne, an associate professor of molecular biosciences at... http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| Wyss Institute founding director, Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., receives 2011 Holst Medal Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University announced today that its Founding Director, Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., has received the 2011 Holst Medal in recognition of his pioneering work exploring the cellular mechanisms that contribute to mechanical control of tissue and organ development, and his groundbreaking development of bioinspired technologies, ranging from Organ-on-Chip replacements for animal studies, to new engineering approaches for whole organ engineering. Ingber is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Senior Research Associate in the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston. The prestigious annual award was presented today at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven in the Netherlands during a ceremony at the close of the 2011 Holst Symposium. This year's symposium, which focused on integrated heart repair, was organized by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Philips Research, a leading corporate research organization that helps introduce innovations that improve people's lives. As the medal winner, Ingber also presented the 2011 Holst Memorial Lecture entitled From Cellular Mechanotransduction to Organ Engineering. Starting with an exploration of the role that cell structure and mechanics play in controlling tissue and organ development, Ingber's lecture extended to provide a more comprehensive overview of his most recent innovations, including development of Organ-on-Chip microsystems technologies that recapitulate human organ functions, bioinspired materials that promote whole tooth organ formation, and injectable programmable nanotherapeutics that restore blood flow to occluded blood vessels. The Holst award and lecture were established in 1977 to commemorate TU/e's 21st anniversary by honoring the important contributions of... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| RTOG activates study to determine best treatment strategies for patients with glioma brain tumors Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Treatment remains controversial for patients diagnosed with a low-risk, low-grade glioma (LGG) brain tumor. These patients have significantly better prognosis than patients diagnosed with more aggressive high-grade glioma, and their clinical care often involves ongoing observation for tumor changes with imaging studies. Because low-risk LGG are slow growing tumors, concerns about the potential adverse effects of early treatment on patients' neurocognitive function (NCF) and quality of life (QOL) may outweigh treatment benefits in patients who are frequently young and highly functional. Although a low-grade tumor, LGG has a significant potential for transforming into a high-grade glioma. Currently there is no consensus on when and how best to treat this tumor, says RTOG 0925 principal investigator Ali K. Choucair, M.D., Director of Neuro-oncology and Co-director of the Brain Tumor Center at the Neuroscience Institute, Norton Healthcare System, Louisville, KY. The RTOG 0925 study was designed with compilation of best available data from both prospective as well as retrospective studies in an effort to identify early clinical and neurocognitive changes that could precede changes observed on imaging scans and could trigger early and timely treatment, Choucair explains. The study's goal is to better understand the affects of tumor progression on patients with low-risk LGG. The phase II trial will enroll 170 study participants with newly diagnosed LGG who are undergoing observation alone for clinical care. The study will compare NCF, QOL, and seizure control over time in patients who have evidence of tumor progression versus patients who have no evidence of progression as determined by magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) scans. Standardized and clinically meaningful definitions of tumor progression in low-risk LGG are clearly needed to further the examination and understanding of these tumors, says Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, RTOG Group... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Identify clinically relevant fungi confidently and accurately Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A new edition of the definitive practical resource for laboratory identification of fungal infections is now available. The fully revised Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification, 5th Edition, published by ASM Press, offers step-by-step guidance and textual descriptions that allow both novice and experienced lab technologists to accurately distinguish between fungi that display similar characteristics. Dr. Davise Larone clearly details the microscopic morphology of fungi in tissue as well as on culture, fungal colony morphology on routine media, and the possible pathogenicity of more than 150 fungi that may be encountered in the clinical laboratory. Readers will find side-by-side comparisons of similar organisms using photomicrographs, the author's own exquisite line drawings, and comparative tables to illustrate critical characteristics and distinctions. Included are an illustrated glossary of mycologic terms, plus over 150 color photos illustrating tissue reactions to fungal infection and characteristic colony morphology when grown on agar plates. The book also provides instructions on essential laboratory procedures, staining methods, and formulas and applications of useful media. Further, Medically Important Fungi covers the basics of the molecular approach to fungal identification, including definitions of molecular terminology, amplification and sequencing- and non-sequencing-based methods, applications of DNA sequencing, and commercial platforms and recently developed techniques. I wrote the initial manuscript as a notebook to teach myself mycology by organizing the necessary information in the logical order in which it is actually used, and by drawing precise illustrations of the microscopic forms that contribute so greatly to identification. The first book and the subsequent editions were written to enable microbiology/mycology laboratory personnel to identify the fungi they encounter with confidence... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| U.S. Supreme Court petitioned to review AMP, et al. lawsuit on gene patents Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a case that challenges the validity of patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation originally filed the lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of professional organizations led by the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and representing over 150,000 physicians and scientists, against licensees and patent holders Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah Research Foundation, as well as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other plaintiffs included individual physicians and scientists, genetic counselors, women's groups and patients. The lawsuit argued that as products of nature, genes are ineligible for patenting under Section 101 of the U.S. Patent Act. In addition, the suit asserted that process claims involving comparison of mutated and normal sequences are also invalid. Finally, the plaintiffs challenged the issuance of the patents on Constitutional grounds, contending that the encumbrances placed by the patents on scientific inquiry and medical care violate Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 and the First Amendment. In March, 2010 a district court granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs, ruling that human genes and the sequence comparison claims are not patent eligible under Section 101. A divided Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last July reversed in part, holding that the gene sequences at issue are patent eligible as isolated human DNA. However, the Appeals Court affirmed the lower court's finding of invalidity of the comparison, or correlation, claims as unpatentable mental processes. The patents granted to Myriad give the company the right to exclude others from sequencing the genes or... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| IOM report recommends stringent limits on use of chimpanzees in biomedical and behavioral research Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) WASHINGTON -- Given that chimpanzees are so closely related to humans and share similar behavioral traits, the National Institutes of Health should allow their use as subjects in biomedical research only under stringent conditions, including the absence of any other suitable model and inability to ethically perform the research on people, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. In addition, use of these animals should be permissible only if forgoing their use will prevent or significantly hinder advances necessary to prevent or treat life-threatening or debilitating conditions, said the committee that wrote the report. Based on these criteria, chimpanzees are not necessary for most biomedical research. NIH also should limit the use of chimpanzees in behavioral research to studies that provide otherwise unattainable insights into normal and abnormal behavior, mental health, emotion, or cognition, the report says. NIH should require these studies to be performed only on acquiescent animals using techniques that are minimally invasive and are applied in a manner that minimizes pain and distress. Animals used in either biomedical or behavioral studies must be maintained in appropriate physical and social environments or in natural habitats, the report adds. The report's recommendations answer the need for a uniform set of criteria for assessing the scientific necessity of chimpanzees in biomedical, comparative genomics, and behavioral research, said committee chair Jeffrey Kahn, senior faculty member, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore. The committee concluded that research use of animals that are so closely related to humans should not proceed unless it offers insights not possible with other animal models and unless it is of sufficient scientific or health value to offset the moral costs. We found very few cases that satisfy these criteria. Advances in the development of other research tools... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Goddard scientists selected as participating scientists in missions Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Five scientists from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. have been selected as Participating Scientists in NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Cassini missions. The new MSL Participating Scientists are Jennifer Eigenbrode, Daniel Glavin, and Michael Smith. Jennifer Eigenbrode was selected for her proposal to study the effects of high-energy ionizing radiation on the organic chemistry in sediments that are analogous to those of the Gale Crater, the MSL landing site. The study will draw from MSL observations on the sediments, minerals, salt chemistry, and radiation in that environment. Results of the radiation tests will be used to help guide organic analyses on Mars by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Eigenbrode will work primarily with the SAM and Radiation Assessment Detector teams on MSL. Daniel Glavin was awarded a grant to investigate new Sample Analysis at Mars instrument protocols to search for amines of biological origin on Mars. Goddard team members include Jason Dworkin, Amy McAdam, Caroline Freissinet, and Millie Martin. The proposal was one of 22 U.S. investigations selected out of 149 total proposals submitted. Michael Smith was selected for his proposal to study ozone, dust, and ice particles in the Martian atmosphere. He will determine the abundance and physical characteristics, such as size, of the particles using a combination of MSL instruments that operate at the visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared wavelengths. From that, the illumination of Mars's surface from the sky will be calculated; this information is helpful for scientists who study processes at the surface and for identifying minerals using remote sensing. The new Cassini Participating Scientists are Carrie Anderson and Brigette Hesman. Both Anderson and Hesman will work with the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) team at Goddard. Carrie Anderson's proposed... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| NASA's RXTE detects 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific type of X-ray pattern, nicknamed a heartbeat because of its resemblance to an electrocardiogram. The pattern until now has been recorded in only one other black hole system. Named IGR J17091-3624 after the astronomical coordinates of its sky position, the binary system combines a normal star with a black hole that may weigh less than three times the sun's mass. That is near the theoretical mass boundary where black holes become possible. Gas from the normal star streams toward the black hole and forms a disk around it. Friction within the disk heats the gas to millions of degrees, which is hot enough to emit X-rays. Cyclical variations in the intensity of the X-rays observed reflect processes taking place within the gas disk. Scientists think that the most rapid changes occur near the black hole's event horizon, the point beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape. Astronomers first became aware of the binary system during an outburst in 2003. Archival data from various space missions show it becomes active every few years. Its most recent outburst started in February and is ongoing. The system is located in the direction of the constellation Scorpius, but its distance is not well established. It could be as close as 16,000 light-years or more than 65,000 light-years away. The record-holder for wide-ranging X-ray variability is another black hole binary system named GRS 1915+105. This system is unique in displaying more than a dozen highly structured patterns, typically lasting between seconds and hours. We think that most of these patterns represent cycles of accumulation and ejection in an unstable disk, and we now see seven of them in IGR J17091, said Tomaso Belloni at Brera Observatory in Merate, Italy. Identifying these... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
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