printable versionResearchers offer glimpses of the future
Two-day seminar for journalists showcases research at medical school's new institutes
After declaring that stem cells represent a new era in medical research, Irving Weissman (left), MD, director of the Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, talks with Alice Park of Time magazine, Annie Pong of ABC News and Edward Clendaniel of the San Jose Mercury News.
Over the last three years the School of Medicine has revamped its approach to research, establishing four institutes – cancer and stem cell biology; cardiovascular medicine; neurosciences, and immunity, transplantation and infection – to be the pillars of its future efforts.
On Monday, the school offered science journalists a look at recent work emerging from these institutes, with leading faculty speculating about applications of their findings in the coming years. There was talk of growing insulin-producing cells to cure diabetes, new techniques to permit an amputee’s brain waves to manipulate a prosthesis and the benefits of identifying genes linked to cardiovascular disease, among other ideas. Underlying many of these discussions was a common thread: research in stem cells is about to usher in a new era in medicine.
The two-day seminar for reporters, called “Venture into the Future: Trends, Research and Innovation,” was the first of what the school expects to be an annual event. While the first day focused on the work in the new institutes, Tuesday’s talks covered new developments in the studies of bioengineering, women’s health, childhood obesity and other areas.
What was clear in many of the panels was how much still needs to be learned. Researchers connected with the Cardiovascular Institute, for instance, pointed out that former President Bill Clinton was rushed into heart bypass surgery even though his health was monitored by top physicians and he exercised often and watched his weight, despite a penchant for fast food. So how could Clinton have reached such a life-threatening stage without anyone noticing?
Identifying the genes that may put individuals like Clinton at higher risk for cardiovascular disease is critical to early intervention, said Thomas Quertermous, MD, the professor of medicine (cardiovascular). His lab is screening 2,000 people with heart disease and 2,000 without to determine the genetic differences between the two groups. “We have identified 100 genes this year that we have good reason to believe play a role in the heart disease process,” he said.
Another panelist, Robert Robbins, MD, the institute’s director, discussed new techniques that his lab is developing to repair damaged cardiac muscle following a heart attack using stem cells.
At a panel for the Neurosciences Institute, its director, William Mobley, MD, professor and chair of neurology and neurosciences, reiterated that basic research needs to be translated into cures for the sick. Accompanying him were Krishna Shenoy, PhD, assistant professor of electrical engineering, who is investigating how to use brain waves to control a cursor on a computer screen, and Larry Recht, MD, professor of neurology, who is studying how to use a miniature camera, originally developed for the telecommunications industry, to observe brain tumor development. Another panelist, Sean Mackey, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesia, discussed his work using neural imaging to teach people with chronic pain how to control their pain.
In an overview of the new Institute of Immunity, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, Mark Davis, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, and his colleagues described how the overlap between these three fields is more significant than the divisions. New appreciation of host-pathogen interactions, said professor of microbiology and immunology John Boothroyd, PhD, point to effective ways of fine-tuning the immune system to reduce overreactions associated with allergies and autoimmune diseases, as well as new ways to quell the body’s rejection of transplanted tissues and to boost its defense against microbial invaders. Still, such diseases as SARS and West Nile virus are reminders that research must continue to advance to keep up with the microbes, Boothroyd added.
The most crowded sessions were the presentations by Irving Weissman, MD, the director of the Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, and his colleagues. Weissman has drawn much attention lately for his advocacy on behalf of Propostion 71, a measure on the California ballot in November that proposes $3 billion in state funding for stem cell research over the next 10 years. While Weissman cautioned against expecting immediate cures from such work, he was unabashed in its promise. “We want to create a new medicine – regenerative medicine,” he said, after explaining how such cells have the potential to be developed into new tissue. “This is a new way of thinking.”