Gairdner Awards Announced

The Gairdner Foundation announced recipients of the 2014 Canada Gairdner Awards. The international awards recognize individuals from various fields whose work has significantly impacted medical science. Each awardee receives a $100,000 CDN prize. The following 2014 Canada Gairdner Award announcement and additional information pertaining to the annual awards may be found online at www.gairdner.org.

Canada Gairdner International Awards:

These awards are given to biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine resulting in increased understanding of human biology and disease.

James P. Allison, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

“For his discovery of immune checkpoint blockade and its successful application to immune therapy of cancer”

Titia de Lange, PhD, Leon Hess Professor, American Cancer Society Professor, Head, Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, Director, Anderson Center for Cancer Research, Rockefeller University, New York

“For her discovery of the mechanisms by which mammalian telomeres are protected from deleterious DNA repair and damage responses”

Harold Fisher Dvorak, MD, Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston

Napoleone Ferrara, MD, Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology, Senior Deputy Director for Basic Sciences, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla

“For discovering Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a key molecular mediator of new blood vessel formation and the development of effective anti-VEGF therapy for cancer and wet macular degeneration”

Professor Sir Marc Feldmann, FRS, FAA, Head, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford

Sir Ravinder Nath Maini, FRS, FMedSci, FRCP, Visiting Professor Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford

“For the discovery of anti-TNF therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases”

Canada Gairdner Global Health Award:

This award is given to a scientist whose advances have (or will potentially have) a significant impact on health outcomes in the developing world.

Satoshi Omura, PhD, Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Special Coordinator, Department of Drug Discovery Sciences, Kitasato University, Tokyo

“For the discovery of the microorganism Streptomyces avermitilis and its extraordinary biologic activity that in partnership with Merck led to the identification of avermectin and development of ivermectin, a highly successful treatment for many parasitic diseases, and the global consortium directed at eliminating river blindness”

Canada Gairdner Wightman Award:

This award is given to a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science consistent with the purpose of the Foundation.

Salim Yusuf, MBBS, DPHIL, FRCP(UK), FRCPC, FACC, FRSC, OC, Professor of Medicine, McMaster University, Director, Population Health Research Institute, VP of Research, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton General Hospital, David Braley Research Institute, Hamilton

“For his exceptional leadership in global clinical trials and population studies of cardiovascular disease that shaped best guidelines for prevention and treatment”

2014 Avant-Garde Awards Announced

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced recipients of its 2014 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research. This marks the seventh year for the Avant-Garde award competition. The award supports research aimed at the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in drug users. Each of this year's three awardees will receive $500,000 per year for five years to support their research. As announced by the NIDA (www.nih.gov/news/health/may2014/nida-19.htm), the three awardees and a synopsis of their projects follow.

Stephen Waggoner, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Grant Number DA038017

Project: A revolutionary vaccine approach to prevent HIV infection in substance abuse

Dr. Waggoner's group will play an important role in the ongoing science of HIV vaccine development. His project will focus on preventing natural killer cells from destroying activated helper CD4 cells, to strengthen vaccine effectiveness. The CD4 helper cells support the functioning of the immune system against infections, including HIV. A vaccine that enhances the immune system's long-term ability to resist infection could enhance the antibodies against HIV and delay progression to AIDS in vulnerable populations. This will be particularly valuable among drug users who are much less likely to be treated and to have some of the worst outcomes.

“Millions of people, including those with substance use disorders, would benefit from the development of an effective HIV vaccine,” said Waggoner. “This award will permit our group to pursue a revolutionary vaccination approach designed to overcome natural roadblocks imposed by the immune system in order to prevent new HIV infections.”

Heinrich Gottlinger, MD, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester

Grant Number DA038034

Project: Mechanism of HIV cell-cell transmission of relevance to substance users

Dr. Gottlinger will explore the roles of two specific proteins involved in HIV's movement from an infected to an uninfected cell. Because this route of infection allows HIV to evade the immune system's antibodies, a clearer understanding of this process can inform new strategies to prevent HIV and slow HIV disease progression. Such strategies could be especially relevant for injection drug users, who may be exposed to HIV through sharing syringes that contain infected cells.

“HIV transmission via direct cell-to-cell contact is vastly more efficient than the transmission of cell-free virus, and could contribute substantially to the transmission of HIV by blood contact, as may occur among injection drug users. The Avant-Garde award provides us with a unique opportunity to explore in detail how certain cellular pathways are exploited by HIV to move from one cell to another so efficiently,” said Gottlinger.

“We hope that the planned research will yield translational insights into how to block this important mode of transmission and thus benefit all patients infected with HIV, especially substance users.”

Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco

Grant Number DA038043

Project: A new model of accelerated immune aging in HIV-infected drug users

Dr. Ott will investigate the role of an enzyme (SIRT-1) in slowing accelerated immune resulting from either long-term HIV infection or regular drug use. Because SIRT-1 appears to protect against overworked immune activation that can eventually exhaust immune cell functions, new therapies aimed at this enzyme could delay immune aging and its related health risks in HIV-infected drug users.

“The goal of our research is to transform our understanding of how HIV and drug abuse affect the immune system and the aging process,” Ott said. “We hope to identify novel links between HIV, abused substances and the biological pathways of aging that lead to potential therapeutic strategies to slow the accelerated immune aging in this patient population.”

Nimhd Awards $7.4 Million to Clark Atlanta University for Cancer Research

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a five-year, $7.4 million renewal grant for the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD) of Clark Atlanta University. Grant funds will be used to support ongoing research and infrastructure as well as to recruit new investigators and initiate pilot studies.

The primary research focus of the CCRTD is prostate cancer. The CCRTD, along with the Integrative Cancer Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, form the Collaborative Center for Cancer Genomics. Investigators from each of these centers perform DNA sequencing of individual tumors to identify novel genetic variations contributing to differences in prostate cancer susceptibility, progression and response to therapy in black men. Additionally, CCRTD has a community-based program that is focused on educating the community about the importance of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

Michael O. Koch Chair in Urology Established at IU School of Medicine

The Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine received a gift of over $1.3 million from alumnus, Donald C. “Danny” Danielson, to establish the Michael O. Koch Chair in Urology. The Chair honors Michael O. Koch, MD, John P. Donohue Professor of Urology and chairman of the Department of Urology at IU School of Medicine, who successfully treated Mr. Danielson for bladder cancer. Mr. Danielson's gift has been augmented by additional contributions, bringing the total value of the endowed fund to more than $1.5 million.

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Receives $10 Million Gift

The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center received a gift of $10 million from Under Armour Inc. to fund initiatives focused on breast cancer and breast health and establish a women's wellness center. The Under Armour LiveWell Center will be housed in the Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Building, which is currently under construction and is slated to open in 2017. The Center will incorporate exercise, nutrition, learning opportunities and guidance services for breast cancer patients and survivors.

Inaugural Wellington Professorship of Cardiology Named at Marshall University

Mark Studeny, MD, professor and chair of the department of cardiology at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, has been named the inaugural Bernard C. and Pansy P. Wellington Professor of Cardiology. The professorship was established with a grant of $800,000 from the Bernard C. and Pansy P. Wellington Foundation, and will support cardiovascular research and medical education. Dr. Studeny is an alumnus of the Marshall University School of Medicine (1986), and he completed residency training at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute Named

The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, an affiliate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, has renamed the hospital's research center the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute in honor of philanthropist, Stanley Manne. Mr. Manne recently contributed an undisclosed amount, reported to be the second largest gift in the hospital's history, to support and enhance research at the hospital. A successful investor and corporate leader, Mr. Manne retired from his post as President of Brawny Plastics in 2003. The Manne Family Foundation was established in 1997 and provides assistance to a number of charities.

University of Rochester Receives $1.5 Million Gift

The University of Rochester received a $1.5 million gift from Bradford C. Berk, MD, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center and UR Medicine CEO and senior vice president for health services, and his family. Along with $500,000 from the University of Rochester Medical Center's (URMC's) Department of Medicine, the gift establishes the Bradford C. Berk, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professorship in Cardiovascular Research. Renowned cardiovascular expert, Arthur J. Moss, MD, has been named as the inaugural holder of the endowed professorship.

Dr. Moss, who has served at URMC for more than 50 years, is internationally recognized as an expert on the treatment and prevention of cardiac arrhythmias. In particular, his work has focused on Long QT syndrome and sudden cardiac death. His pioneering study on patients using defibrillators demonstrated that raising the heart rate at which a defibrillator is set decreases the likelihood that patients will sustain inappropriate therapy “shocks”. The study showed a decline of 70 percent in the overall mortality rate as a result of the revised device setting.

Dr. Berk earned his MD and PhD from the URMC School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1981. He served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Emory University, and the University of Washington before returning to URMC in 1988 to become chief of Cardiology and chair of Medicine. He has also served as director of URMC's Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI), and operates his own CVRI lab focused on how blood vessels respond to biomechanical forces such as blood flow and hormones, and how these mechanisms contribute to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and stroke. He is a member of the Association of Academic Physicians and is a fellow of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Berk also serves on the Empire State Stem Cell Board Funding Committee.

Endowed Chair Established at USC Keck School of Medicine

A gift from Alia Tutor has been given to establish The Alia Tutor Chair in Reproductive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). The new chair is housed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the inaugural holder is Richard Paulson, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and director of USC Fertility. Dr. Paulson has served as director of the Fertility Program at USC since 1986 and is an expert in fertility in women over age 40.

Stony Brook Receives $3.5 Million for Molecular Imaging Laboratory

Stony Brook University received a gift of $3.5 million from Kavita and Lalit Bahl to establish the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Molecular Imaging Laboratory at Stony Brook Medicine. The Bahl Molecular Imaging Laboratory will be located in the University's new Medical and Research Translation (MART) building. Construction of the MART began in November 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2016. The MART is located adjacent to the Hospital and Health Sciences Center on the Stony Brook Medicine campus, and will also house Stony Brook Medicine's Cancer Center and advanced biomedical imaging and biomedical informatics programs. Plans for the Bahl Molecular Imaging Laboratory feature a cyclotron.

UofL Receives $5.5 Million Grant from Helmsley Charitable Trust for Cancer Research

James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville (UofL) received a three-year, $5.5 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. In 2010, the Helmsley Trust contributed over $3 million to fund research aimed at developing novel therapies and vaccines for various forms of cancer, and the recent gift establishes continued support for these efforts. UofL researchers are focused on using plant-based drug delivery systems to treat human tumors and to increase efficacy of cancer therapies. With the new funding, researchers will initiate clinical trials for vaccines aimed at cervical and colon cancers.

Ohio State University Receives $1.5 Million Grant for Spinal Cord Injury Training Program

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Training Program received a $1.5 million grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation. The program, recognized as a Center for Excellence for research training in the area of traumatic spinal cord injury, has been funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the past 10 years. NINDS funding equipped the program with cutting edge technology required to perform and teach research-related skills. Now funded by The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, current support will ensure continued use of these technologies, as well as support the lab-based training program. Over the next five years, the program will train 12 individuals per year, bringing the number of research alumni trained as part of the SCI at Ohio State to 220.

Dartmouth Receives $13 Million NIEHS Grant

Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program (SRP) scientists at Dartmouth University have received a $13 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant provides funding for studies focused on the health effects of exposure to arsenic and to the neurotoxin, methylmercury, as well as investigation of the ways arsenic is introduced into food and water supplies around the globe.

Projects will include the study of adverse health effects from exposure to lower levels of arsenic that are commonly present in unregulated private wells and food, uptake of arsenic by plants and the resulting impact on food supplies, and the environmental factors contributing to increased levels of methylmercury in coastal ecosystems. The program employs a multidisciplinary approach to training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and aims to establish connections with community and agency-based partnerships to translate research findings.

2014 Gerstner Scholars Named

The 2014 Gerstner Scholars have been announced at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) College of Physicians & Surgeons. Recipients receive stipends of $60,000 for up to three years to conduct translational research. Initiated in 2008, the program awards four scholarships annually. As announced by CUMC (http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2014/04/16/ps-names-four-physician-scientists-2014-gerstner-scholars/), the 2014 Gerstner Scholars are:

Emilio Arteaga-Solis, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics

Dr. Arteaga-Solis proposes to expand on his recent finding that leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells that regulates appetite, is involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated asthma. He will apply a multi-pronged approach to study the impact on airway diameter—and, hence, lung function—of other hormones that regulate energy metabolism. His work will initially focus on adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone that regulates bone mass.

George Gallos, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology

Dr. Gallos, an obstetric anesthesiologist, is focused on identifying novel pharmaceutical targets to manipulate and prevent preterm labor and birth, a major cause of neonatal morbidity and death. He will investigate whether targeting ANO-1 channels in human uterine smooth muscle can prevent premature uterine contractions that lead to preterm labor.

Benjamin Lebwohl, MD, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Medicine and assistant professor of epidemiology (Mailman School of Public Health)

Dr. Lebwohl's proposal addresses an important gap in our knowledge of the pathogenesis of celiac disease, an increasingly common condition that carries significant morbidity and an increased mortality rate. He will assess the impact of gluten consumption on gut microbial diversity among a clinic-based cohort of patients with celiac disease and patients with nonceliac gluten sensitivity.

Elaine Wan, MD, the Esther Aboodi Assistant Professor of Cardiology (in Medicine)

Dr. Wan will continue her investigation of the role of BK/SK channels in ischemic heart disease and heart failure. She plans to study whether physiologic changes in heart failure, such as increased vascular resistance due to increase myogenic tone, can be reversed with pharmacological BK- and SK-channel activation. This will shed further light on possible treatment modalities for heart failure by targeting BK and SK channels.