$25 Million Gift Establishes the Drukier Institute for Children's Health at Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College received a $25 million gift from Gale and Ira Drukier to establish the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children's Health. Researchers at the cross-disciplinary institute will focus on discovering the underlying causes of childhood diseases and will work to translate their discoveries into novel therapies geared toward pediatric patients. The Institute headquarters will be located on the 12th floor of Weill Cornell's new Belfer Research Building.

The Drukiers’ gift will support recruitment of five prominent investigators, including a post for clinical research in pediatric genetics, to the faculty at Weill Cornell and will endow the Drukier Lectureship. The Lectureship will be an annual lecture at Weill Cornell on a research or clinical topic in the field of pediatric health. Additionally, the gift establishes the Drukier Prize, an annual award to recognize a junior faculty member for outstanding contributions toward advancing research on childhood diseases or disorders. Funds are also allocated for the purchase of cutting edge research equipment and to develop an infrastructure to establish a biobank.

American Liver Foundation Awards Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award

The American Liver Foundation awarded Raymond F. Schinazi, PhD, DSc, with the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award. Dr. Schinazi is the Frances Winship Walters Professor of Pediatrics in Emory University School of Medicine; director of the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology; Senior Research Career Scientist at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medicine Center, and director of the Scientific Working Group on Viral Eradication at the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). The Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award is the American Liver Foundation's top award. Dr. Schinazi's pioneering work has yielded treatments for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and he is recognized for his outstanding contributions to science and to human health.

Dr. Schinazi is an internationally renowned leader in nucleoside chemistry. He is known for his groundbreaking work yielding development of numerous novel antiviral drugs, in particular the HIV and HCV drugs d4T (stavudine), 3TC (lamivudine), FTC (emtricitabine/Emtriva), LdT (telbivudine), and sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), which are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He holds numerous patents and his discoveries have produced 13 New Drug Applications.

Dr. Schinazi earned his BSc and PhD in chemistry and an honorary DSC from the University of Bath, England. He completed postdoctoral training in pharmacology at Yale University and in virology/immunology at Emory University. He has founded five biotechnology companies focused on antiviral drug discovery and development: RFS Pharma, LLC (2004); ActivBiotics, LLC (2008); Pharmasset Inc. (acquired by Gilead in 2012); Triangle Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Gilead in 2003), and Idenix Pharmaceuticals (51 percent acquired by Novartis in 2003). He has received numerous honors and awards for his work, including: the Georgia Biomedical Industry Growth Award (2006); the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Hepatitis B Foundation (2006); the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's Top Innovators in America Award, and two Merit Awards (10-year grants) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health. He was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia and received the Intellectual Property Legends Award in 2012, and was named as a Charter Fellow by the National Academy of Inventors the following year. He received the Research & Hope Award for Excellence in Academic Research by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

University of Washington Receives $10 Million Gift to Endow Palliative Care Center

The Cambia Health Foundation announced a gift of $10 million to support the University of Washington Medicine (UW Medicine) Palliative Care Center of Excellence. The gift renames the Center as the Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence at UW Medicine. The majority of funds will be used to create three endowments to support research, education and training, and clinical leadership. The Center will focus on providing palliative care at UW Medicine hospitals, as well as research and education related to palliative care. Funding from Cambia Health Foundation helped to initiate the Palliative Care Center of Excellence in 2012, and the Foundation has provided ongoing support. The renaming gift is the Foundation's largest investment to date and brings its total funding for palliative care initiatives to more than $22 million.

Funding for Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology Announced

Continued support for 11 Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology and the designation of two new centers was announced by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Pending availability of funds, the new round of support will total more than $23.4 million over five years. The majority of funding is provided by the NIA. Supplemental funding for one of the new centers comes from the Social Security Administration.

The Roybal Centers were authorized by Congress in 1993 and named for former House Select Committee on Aging Chair Edward R. Roybal. Research at the centers is focused on finding ways to improve the health and quality of life for older people. Studies are aimed at issues of mobility and physical function as well as pain management, cognitive function, and financial and medical decision making.

As announced by the NIH, the two new Centers, their principal investigators and research focus are:

Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Royal Center

Margie E. Lachman, PhD

This center will develop and test interventions to increase and sustain an active lifestyle to promote health and well-being, especially among those populations at risk for poor health outcomes.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Roybal Center

David L. Roth, PhD

The center will conduct research on the informal support resources of vulnerable older adult populations, focusing on the transition of health care services from traditional institutions like nursing homes to home- and community-based models, which include key family members and caregivers.

As announced by the NIH, the 11 Roybal Centers renewed for funding, their principal investigators and research focus are:

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility

Karlene K. Ball, PhD

This center supports research evaluating the impact of visual, physical, cognitive, educational and social interventions to prevent or delay declines in mobility, independence, and quality of life that often accompany aging.

Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York City, Cornell Roybal Center-The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life

M. Carrington Reid, MD, PhD

The center conducts research to translate the findings of behavior change science into novel interventions for older adults with pain.

National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Behavior Change in Health and Saving

David Laibson, PhD

The center extends research on behavioral economics and successful financial decision making to choices about health behavior and the development of new interventions that improve health outcomes and financial well-being while reducing costs.

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging

Jeffrey A. Kaye, MD

The center focuses on identifying technologies to help meet two critical challenges of aging: loss of mobility and decline in cognitive function. The center develops independent living technologies, supports aging-in-place research and pursues partnerships with industry and academia.

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton Center for Translational Research on Aging

Janet M. Currie, PhD

This center is developing new methods to measure well-being to understand and document the experience of aging comparatively in the United States and in other countries. The measures are being used to analyze how different life circumstances and situations contribute to overall quality of life across the lifespan.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation

Susan L. Hughes, DSW

This center tests, builds and disseminates health promotion programs that may help older adults prevent disability and maintain their independence in the community.

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn Roybal Center on Behavioral Economics and Health

Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD

The center conducts studies that foster the translation of approaches from behavioral economics to the improvement of health care behaviors and health care delivery for older adults.

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Roybal Center for Health Decision Making and Financial Independence in Old Age

Arie Kapteyn, PhD

This center seeks to understand how people reach decisions about issues affecting their economic and health status in old age and to inform how interventions can educate or help people align decisions with their long-term objectives. This center is funded in part by the Social Security Administration.

University of Southern California, Roybal Center for Health Policy Simulation

Dana P. Goldman, PhD

The goal of this center is to develop better models to understand the consequences of biomedical developments and social forces for health, health spending and health care delivery.

University of Washington, Seattle, Northwest Roybal Center

Linda Teri, PhD

This center seeks to improve the health and well-being of older adults with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, Center for Study of Networks and Well-Being

Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD

This center focuses on the social network underpinnings of selected health problems affecting older people in the United States today, such as obesity and cancer.

Ndep Publishes Guiding Principles for Diabetes Treatment

The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has published a set of 10 guiding principles for diabetes care. “Guiding Principles for the Care of People With or at Risk for Diabetes” is a free resource available online at http://ndep.nih.gov/hcp-businesses-and-schools/guiding-principles/. The guide provides a set of established practices to assist clinicians in the identification and treatment of adults who have or are at risk for diabetes. Guiding Principles is also a resource for diabetes patients and care givers, providing information on topics such as physical activity and blood glucose control as well as self-management support.

The 10 Guiding Principles topics are:

NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and over 200 public and private organizations. Guiding Principles is supported by the following agencies and organizations:

Flint Study Concludes Treatment Effective for Common Liver Disease

The Farnesoid X Receptor Ligand Obeticholic Acid (FLINT) in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) Treatment Trial showed favorable results for the use of obeticholic acid (OCA) in the treatment of NASH. The results are published online in The Lancet at www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)61933-4/abstract. The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and was supported by the NIH's National Cancer Institute and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Additional funding and supplies were provided by Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The multicenter clinical trial concluded in November last year, and reported improved liver health in patients with NASH who were treated with OCA. Patients treated with OCA experienced decreased inflammation and fat in the liver as well as decreased body weight over those treated with placebo. Liver health improved in 45 percent of patients receiving OCA, while 21 percent of the patient group receiving placebo showed improvement. Increased total cholesterol values and pruritus were reported among the OCA treatment group.

Investigators initially planned for study participants to receive treatment for 72 weeks, followed by an additional 24 weeks of follow-up treatment. Scheduled interim analysis demonstrated the efficacy of OCA in NASH-related liver treatment, but also revealed unanticipated elevations in LDL cholesterol and decreases in HDL levels among non-placebo patients. As a result, the NIDDK, along with the Data Safety and Monitoring Board, decided to conclude the treatment and continue the study with all patients in the follow-up phase. Additional liver biopsies were not performed.

Adverse cholesterol increases were not sustained upon discontinuing OCA treatment, nor were the improvements in liver enzymes. Researchers anticipate that OCA treatment would be ongoing, much as treatments for conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Further studies will be required to determine the long-term benefits and safety of the treatment.

Nih to Host Amgen Scholars in 2015

Beginning this year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will participate as a host institution for Amgen Scholars. Successful candidates, who must meet both the NIH and Amgen Scholars requirements, will work alongside top NIH scientists at the NIH's main campus in Bethesda, MD over the summer months. The program is supported by an $850,000 grant to the Foundation for the NIH from the Amgen Foundation, Thousand Oaks, CA.

The Amgen Scholars program is a summer program for undergraduate students and is hosted at 17 premier institutions across the U.S., Europe and Japan. Participants work full-time on independent research projects under the mentorship of leading faculty. The program comprises a cohort-based experience of seminars and networking events, and Scholars take part in a regional symposium in their host country. Previous research experience is not required to apply for the program and applicants are not required to be in a biology major program or to be enrolled as a student at one of the host institutions. Participants receive financial support, which varies by host institution. The Amgen Scholars Program is part of a 12-year, $50 million commitment from the Amgen Foundation. Additional program information is available online at www.amgenscholars.com/about.

Announcement of U.S. Science Envoys

Four leading scientists were announced as new U.S. Science Envoys for 2015. Nine Science Envoys have served as part of the program since its inception in 2009. Envoys travel as private citizens and advise the White House, the Department of State, and the scientific community regarding potential opportunities for international collaborations on matters of science, technology and innovation. This is the first year that a Science Envoy for the Ocean has been appointed. As announced by the U.S. Department of State (www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/12/234682.htm), the following scientists have been named as U.S. Science Envoys:

New AAAS Fellows Announced

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced the election of 401 new AAAS Fellows. New Fellows will be recognized on February 14 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Jose, CA. This year's meeting theme is “Innovations, Information, and Imaging”. The following new members were announced by the AAAS:

Section on Biological Sciences

Section on Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences

Section on Medical Sciences

Section on Neuroscience

Section on Pharmaceutical Sciences

Section on Psychology

Section on Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering

Section on Statistics

A complete listing of Fellows, encompassing all Sections, is available online at www.aaas.org/news/new-aaas-fellows-recognized-their-contributions-advancing-science.