printable versionMultimillion-dollar grants awarded for study of microbe’s proteins, genomic database
BY LOU BERGERON
Harley McAdams
Russ Altman
Two School of Medicine professors have each received multimillion dollar five-year grants from the federal government.
Harley McAdams, PhD, professor (research) of developmental biology, was recently awarded a $17.9 million grant, and Russ Altman, MD, PhD, professor of genetics, medicine, bioengineering and computer science, was awarded $13.7 million.
McAdams' award was granted by the Genomics: Genomes to Life Program of the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The money will support a study to develop methods using the aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus to identify and characterize all multiprotein complexes in bacterial cells. In addition, the investigators will determine the molecular mechanisms that cause many proteins to localize to particular sites in the cell as the cell performs its functions.
"Proper functioning of the cell cycle, including the ability of cells to divide and differentiate, depends upon specific positioning of different proteins at very specific times and places within the cell," said McAdams, principal investigator of the project. The study is titled "Dynamic spatial organization of multi-protein complexes controlling microbial polar organization, chromosome replication and cytokinesis."
Although the molecular mechanisms operating to control the locations of proteins within a cell at particular times in the cell cycle are not well understood, the researchers hope to change that using a combination of advanced light and electron microscopy coupled with biochemical and genetic analysis.
Other Stanford participants are Lucy Shapiro, PhD, professor of developmental biology, and Mark Horowitz, PhD, the Yahoo! Founders Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the computer systems laboratory. The cross-disciplinary project will also involve researchers from five other institutions working in molecular biology, electron and X-ray microscopy, data systems and physical biosciences.
Altman, who is also director of the Center for Biomedical Computation and director of the biomedical informatics training program, received his award from the National Institutes of Health Pharmacogenetics Research Network, known as PGRN.
Altman is the principal investigator of a project, PharmGKB, which is an online database of genetic and phenotype information from people who have participated in research studies at various medical centers participating in the PGRN. The project also accepts data from the scientific community at large, provided the individuals participating in the study consent.
The grant is one of 12 given out by PGRN to promote research to increase understanding of how genes influence drug responses, with the goal of one day being able to use an individual's genetic make-up to tailor his or her drug prescriptions.
PharmGKB is intended primarily as a research tool. The data is linked by genotype and phenotype, so researchers can look for correlations between various genetic factors and how people with those factors respond to various medications
Access to PharmGKB is not restricted to scientists. "All of it is open to the public except for when you get to the stage of individualized data samples," said Teri Klein, director of the project, which is HIPAA-compliant. To have access to individual patient's data, you must be registered with the project and present good reasons why you'd need that level of access, she said.
NIH director Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, said: "By showing how our genes influence our responses to medicines, the PGRN is making critical advances that will maximize the benefits of treatment while minimizing adverse side effects."