New Potential Risk Factor of Heart Disease Reported in NIH-Funded Study

A recent study demonstrates a correlation between abnormal heart rate turbulence and increased risk of heart disease death in otherwise low-risk older individuals. The study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and supported by the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, followed 1,272 adults over the age of 65 as part of the NHLB's Cardiovascular Health Study. The findings, which appear in the February 15 edition of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, indicate that heart rate turbulence may serve as a diagnostic tool in determining an individual's risk for death from cardiovascular disease.

Study participants, who were determined to be at low risk of heart disease based on traditional risk factors, were reported to be on average 8-9 times more likely to die of heart disease during the follow-up period of approximately 14 years if they demonstrated abnormal heart rate turbulence values. Abnormal heart rate turbulence was also reported to be a greater heart disease risk factor than elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Low-risk individuals with elevated CRP in their blood were about 2.5 times more likely to die than those with normal or low CRP. Although heart rate turbulence measurement is not widely available, the study indicates that such measurement may have immense potential for use in clinical diagnostic settings as well as disease prevention and prediction.

2011 Ernst Schering Prize Awarded

Bert O'Malley, MD, chair of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine and the Tom Thompson Distinguished Service Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, was named as the 2011 Ernst Schering Prize awardee. Dr. O'Malley, who also serves as associate director of basic science in the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, is recognized for his innovative work on the actions of steroid hormones and nuclear receptors. One of the most prestigious German science prizes, the award is given annually by the Ernst Schering Research Foundation and includes an unrestricted monetary prize of 50,000 euros. Awardees are selected for outstanding basic research in the fields of medicine, biology or chemistry on an international level. Dr. O'Malley will receive the award in a ceremony at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities on September 20, 2011. He will subsequently give a lecture at a scientific institution in Berlin and a then at a selected high school.

A pioneer in molecular endocrinology, Dr. O'Malley has published extensively and holds 22 patents in the fields of gene regulation, molecular endocrinology and steroid receptor action. He is highly regarded for his research as well as his administrative and teaching accomplishments. In addition to the 2007 National Medal of Science awarded to Dr. O'Malley “for his work on the molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone action and hormone receptors and coactivators which has had a profound impact on our knowledge of steroid hormones in normal development and in diseases,” he has been recognized with numerous other honorary degrees and awards. Among these are: the Ernst Oppenheimer Award; the Gregory Pincus Memorial Medal; the Lila Gruber Cancer Award; the Borden Award; the Dickson Prize in Medicine; the Endocrine Transatlantic Medal; the Antonio Feltrinelli International Prize in Biology; the Brinker International Award in Breast Cancer; the George W. Beadle Award, and the Bowman Distinguished Geneticist Award. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Academy of Microbiology. Additionally, he has been inducted into the Royal Academy of Medicine (IRE). Dr. O'Malley earned his MD at the University of Pittsburgh.

Medanta Duke Research Institute Established

Duke Medicine and Medanta - The Medicity have established the Medanta Duke Research Institute (MDRI). MDRI, a joint venture company in India for early phase clinical research, occupies a 60-bed, 27,000 square-foot space at Medanta - The Medicity in the town of Gurgaon, near New Dehli. As part of the agreement, Duke will contribute scientific, clinical research and operational expertise, and Medanta will fund the creation and operation of the facility. Both Duke and Medanta will oversee the implementation and management of MDRI, which will be governed by the highest international standards for research quality and human subject protection in clinical studies.

The partnership brings cutting edge technology to India and is aimed at fostering international collaboration on the development of therapies to treat a number of diseases and providing new opportunities for Indian doctors and patients to participate in clinical research. The agreement will also provide Duke students the opportunity to study in India. Tal Burt, MD, serves as interim medical director for MDRI. Dr. Burt previously served as associate professor for clinical research at Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School and director of the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit (IMU).

$20M Grant to Fund March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford

The March of Dimes has awarded a $20 million grant to establish the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine. A new School of Medicine research center at Stanford University, the collaborative effort between Stanford and the March of Dimes will be focused on understanding, predicting and preventing preterm birth. The March of Dimes will contribute $2 million per year for a decade to finance the center.

Neonatologist David Stevenson, MD, vice dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine and director of the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, will serve as principal investigator. Paul Wise, MD, professor of pediatrics and of health research & policy, and Gary Shaw, DrPH, research professor of neonatology will serve as co-principal investigators. A multidisciplinary scientific advisory committee of 17 researchers will design collaborative research projects to utilize expertise from various fields. Projects will focus on understanding the causes of preterm birth as well as determining which women are at risk for preterm delivery. Investigators will work to translate research findings into clinical interventions and develop policies aimed at the prevention of preterm delivery. The center will also focus on reducing social disparities that contribute to preterm birth.

University at Albany and SUNY Downstate Medical Center Announce New MD/PhD Program

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany and SUNY Downstate Medical Center (Downstate) announced the establishment of a unique MD/PhD program focused on producing physicians trained in nanoscale medical applications. Graduates of the program, which is designed as a seven-year course of study, will earn an MD degree and a PhD in either Nanoscale Science or Nanoscale Engineering.

The program will be jointly administered by CNSE and Downstate and students will participate in an integrated course of study alternating between the institutions. Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, who serves as CNSE Assistant Vice President for NanoHealth Initiatives, and Mark Stewart, MD, PhD, Dean of Downstate's School of Graduate Studies and Vice Dean for Basic Research at Downstate College of Medicine, will serve as program directors. They will provide leadership in coordination with a joint nanomedicine executive committee comprised of faculty members from both institutions.

Ucsd Health Sciences Receives $10M for Clinical & Translational Research Institute

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Health Sciences received a $10 million gift from philanthropists Steve and Lisa Altman to support the development of the planned Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI). The new facility, to be named the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, will be located at UCSD's medical campus in La Jolla. The CTRI will house research laboratories and clinical research space and will bring together investigators from UCSD as well as the area biotech community.

The project is anticipated to cost a total of $269 million, and will be primarily supported by external sources rather than state funds. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP (ZGF) has been awarded the project, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 and be completed in 2016. The CTRI was previously awarded a five-year, $37.2 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Altmans have supported many local and national charities. Their family has been immediately impacted by the effects of type 1 diabetes, and they host an annual charity event, “Rock the Cure,” aimed at raising money to support type 1 diabetes research. Mr. Altman is president of Qualcomm, Inc.

Ucsf Receives $48M Bequest

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has received a bequest of $48 million - the largest estate gift ever made to the campus - from the estate of Nina Ireland to support pulmonary medicine research and care. Ms. Ireland was a long-time supporter of UCSF. Her generosity over the past 30 years has supported a variety of projects, including establishment of the Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Biology, the Nina Ireland Distinguished Professorship in Pulmonary Medicine and the Nina Ireland Distinguished Professorship in Child Psychiatry.

The bequest will further research in a variety of areas related to pulmonary conditions, including interstitial lung disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The pulmonary medicine research and care program is led by the director of the Nina Ireland Lung Disease Center, Jeffrey A. Golden, MD. Dr. Golden also serves as UCSF professor of medicine and surgery, medical director of Lung Transplantation, and director of Clinical Research in Interstitial Lung Disease.

Unc Scientists Receive Simons Foundation Grant for Autism Research

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded a three-year, $1,050,000 grant from the Simons Foundation. Investigators Ben Philpot, PhD, Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, and Mark Zylka, PhD, will use the funds to identify drug-like compounds for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The team will work with an animal model of Angelman syndrome to investigate expression of UBE3A.

Dr. Philpot, an electrophysiologist, has previously used mouse models of Angelman syndrome to demonstrate how single gene defects can impair the brain's ability to encode new experiences. Dr. Roth, who serves as the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at UNC, is director of the Psychoactive Drug Screening Center at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Zylka's research has focused on development of pain therapeutics through neurogenetic and molecular approaches. The team will focus on identifying small molecules that have the capacity to alter UBE3A gene expression and testing the therapeutic potential of the molecules in mice.

Nhlbi Announces Smartt Program

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced the Science Moving towArds Research Translation and Therapy program (SMARTT), a program aimed at turning basic discoveries into effective treatments for heart, lung, and blood diseases. The program will assist in the pre-clinical phase by providing researchers with services that support the development and testing of their potential therapies. Through SMARTT, academic researchers can connect with industry to receive assistance with manufacturing, pharmacology and toxicology testing, pre-clinical and early-phase clinical study design support, and administrative and regulatory expertise.

As outlined by the NHLBI announcement, SMARTT will provide up to $31.6 million over five years to the following four facilities across the country:

The production facilities will provide Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) services required for initiating clinical trials. The pharmacology and toxicology center will conduct Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) testing of potential treatments. The coordinating center will serve as a hub to monitor and coordinate organizational and regulatory aspects of the SMARTT program.

The SMARTT program is not a grant program, rather an avenue for investigators to access pre-clinical development services and resources. The program does not fund basic research, as all associated services are directed toward obtaining a U.S. FDA Investigational New Drug Exemption (IND) to be held by the investigator who initiates a request for services. Investigators who are interested in learning more about the SMARTT program are encouraged to request information by emailing SMARTT@nhlbi.nih.gov.