Penn Faculty, Staff, and Students
Previous Announcements - 2004
2004: October | November | December
December
December 20, 2004
Potent Anticancer Drug Increases Function of Nerve Cells in Mouse Model of Neurodegeneration
Paxceed Shows Therapeutic Promise for Diseases Involving Brain Amyloids
(Philadelphia, PA) - In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)-which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells-reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that the microtubule-stabilizing drug Paxceed helps correct the problems caused by clumped tau proteins in the nerve cells of mice. "Our hope is that microtubule-stabilizing drugs could be used to treat Alzheimer's and other related diseases," says John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD , Director of the Institute on Aging and Co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and the Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Program at Penn. This research appears in the December 20 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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December 10, 2004
NIH Establishes Website for New Investigators
(NOT-OD-05-014)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-014.html
December 6, 2004
Penn Epidemiological Study Shows Difference in Cardiovascular Effects Between Vioxx and Celebrex
(Philadelphia , PA) - In the first epidemiological study designed and executed specifically to determine the heart-attack risk associated with COX-2 inhibitors rofecoxib (Vioxx) and celecoxib (Celebrex), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found a greater risk of heart attack associated with Vioxx than Celebrex, although neither of the two drugs showed a statistically significant elevated risk of heart attack relative to people who did not use the drugs. In addition, the researchers found discrete clinical differences between the two COX-2 inhibitors -- which suggest that the effect of the drugs on the cardiovascular system should be viewed separately rather than as a single class of drugs. This study appears online December 7, 2004 and will be published in the February 1, 2005 print issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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December 1, 2004
Molecular Tailoring of Chemotherapy with Novel Imaging Techniques.
Molecular Beacons, Gene Silencing, and Reporter Genes Studied to Better Predict Response to Chemotherapy
(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania are applying a host of imaging techniques to develop better ways to look noninvasively at the molecular characteristics of tumors. The experiments, now in human cell cultures and mouse models, are aimed at better forecasting early response to chemotherapy so that treatment choices can be adjusted.
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November
November 30, 2004
Albert J. Stunkard, MD, Receives Prestigious Award from the Institute of Medicine.
(Philadelphia, PA) - Albert J. Stunkard, MD, Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has been selected by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), to receive the 2004 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize. The award recognizes the international scope and significance of Dr. Stunkard's many contributions to psychiatry and mental health, and takes the form of a Gold Medal and $20,000.
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November 30, 2004
Morris J. Birnbaum, MD, PhD, Receives Mosenthal Award from American Diabetes Association.
(Philadelphia, PA) - Morris J. Birnbaum, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been recognized by the Northeastern Division of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for his many significant contributions to diabetes research. The Mosenthal Award, established in 1966 and named after one of the ADA's founding members, was presented during the 52nd Annual Gerald Friedman Scientific Symposium in New York City.
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November 29, 2004
Resistin Integral Part of the Inflammatory Response.
Findings Further Link Inflammation, Obesity, and Type-2 Diabetes.
(Philadelphia, PA) - Chronic inflammation is being implicated in diseases as widespread as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and most recently, diabetes and obesity. The role of the hormone resistin in people with these diseases has been questioned because it is primarily secreted by immune cells called macrophages in humans rather than fat cells, as in mice. Nevertheless, resistin is elevated in some people with diabetes and obesity. Higher levels of resistin are associated with insulin resistance. But what is the connection among inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity?
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November 18, 2004
Estrogen-Associated COX-2 Pathways Explain Protection From Heart Disease in Female Mice.
Implications for Chronic Use of COX-2 Inhibitors in Pre-Menopausal Women
(Philadelphia, PA) - Heart disease is less pronounced in women than in men as humans age, but this difference narrows after menopause. Some studies have shown that estrogen slows heart disease in mouse models, but the mechanism is largely unknown. Now scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine show for the first time that in female mice protection from hardening of the arteries purported to come from higher levels of estrogen acts predominately through cyclooxygenase (COX)-2.
Garret FitzGerald, MD, Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology, and colleagues found that estrogen binds to a cell receptor that activates COX-2, which in turn ramps up the production of the prostacyclin PGI2. This biochemical provides protective benefits both by inhibiting platelet activation and by reducing oxidative stress in the circulatory system by increasing expression of an antioxidant enzyme. Earlier experiments in mice by the FitzGerald lab and others have shown that platelet activation and oxidative stress can independently hasten hardening of the arteries. The most recent findings appear in the November 18 issue of Science.
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November 15, 2004
Penn Addictions Expert, Charles P. O'Brien, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious, International Honor.
Delivering 'The Anatomy Lesson' Dates Back to the 16th Century
(Philadelphia, PA) - Charles P. O'Brien, MD, PhD, Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Director, Center for the Study of Addictions at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Director of Psychiatric Research at the Philadelphia Veteran's Administration Medical Center (VAMC), has been invited by the Academisch Medisch Centrum (Academic Medical Center) and the University of Amsterdam in Holland to present The Anatomy Lesson - a tradition dating back to the 16th century.
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November 10, 2004
C. William Schwab, MD, FACS, Elected President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
(Philadelphia) - C. William Schwab, MD, Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Trauma & Surgical Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania Health System was elected President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) at its 63rd Annual Meeting on October 1, 2004. He will serve as President Elect through August, 2005, at which time he will assume the full duties of the presidency.
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November 8, 2004
Steven L. Galetta, MD, Receives Distinguished Teacher Award From the Association of American Medical Colleges
Award Established by Honor Society Presented at AAMC Annual Meeting
(Philadelphia, PA) - Steven L. Galetta, MD, Director of the Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, Director of Neurological Training, and the Van Meter Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for his efforts to provide the nation's next generation of doctors with an outstanding educational experience. Established by and presented in collaboration with the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society, the Robert J. Glaser AOA Distinguished Teacher Awards are based on a national competition conducted annually through the offices of the deans of U.S. and Canadian medical schools and are designed to recognize distinction in medical student teaching. The awards were presented on November 6th at a special ceremony during the Annual Meeting of the AAMC.
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November 8, 2004
Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair Shows Favorable Preliminary Results
Cath Lab Procedure Could Replace Major Heart Surgery in Some Patients
(Philadelphia, PA and New Orleans, LA) - The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is participating in a nationwide clinical trial of a new valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery in some patients. A tiny clip - delivered by a catheter and deployed in the heart to repair a malfunctioning and leaking mitral valve - is building a favorable safety and feasibility profile as the EVEREST Phase I clinical trial nears completion.
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November 1, 2004
Gene-Silencing Technique Offers New Way to Fight Drug-Resistant Leukemia
(Philadelphia, PA) - Ever since the approval of Gleevec in 2001, a cancer-cell-specific drug used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the field of cancer therapeutics has been rushing full speed into the era of so-called "targeted" medicines. The challenge of developing these medicines, which spare normal cells because they are designed to kill only cancer cells, has been complicated by the recognition that resistance to even targeted therapies can develop. In the case of Gleevec, for example, which disables the BCR-ABL1 protein that causes CML, resistance has become a growing problem. Currently, physicians estimate that 5 percent to 10 percent of patients who begin treatment in the chronic phase of their disease will develop resistance to Gleevec; and if treatment is begun at more advanced stages of CML, this percentage is much higher.
» read more
November 1, 2004
Molecular Clock Genes Influence Metabolism of Sugar and Dietary Fats
Implications for Better Understanding of Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Obesity
(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that components of the internal molecular clock of mammals have an important role in governing the metabolism of sugars and fats within the body. They found in mice that two of the well-studied proteins in the clock control the ability of animals to recover from the fall in blood sugar that occurs in response to insulin.
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October
October 29, 2004
Gene-Silencing Technique Offers New Way
to Fight Drug-Resistant Leukemia
(Philadelphia, PA) - Ever since the approval of Gleevec in 2001, a cancer-cell-specific drug used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the field of cancer therapeutics has been rushing full speed into the era of so-called "targeted" medicines. The challenge of developing these medicines, which spare normal cells because they are designed to kill only cancer cells, has been complicated by the recognition that resistance to even targeted therapies can develop. In the case of Gleevec, for example, which disables the BCR-ABL1 protein that causes CML, resistance has become a growing problem. Currently, physicians estimate that 5 percent to 10 percent of patients who begin treatment in the chronic phase of their disease will develop resistance to Gleevec; and if treatment is begun at more advanced stages of CML, this percentage is much higher.
Now researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
have found a way around this problem. By disabling a BCR-ABL1-associated
enzyme called Lyn kinase, they have induced cell death in drug-resistant
CML cells taken from CML patients.
» read
more
October 20, 2004
Penn Researcher Receives $1 Million Grant for
Cancer Gene Therapy Research
(Philadelphia, PA) - Carl June, MD, Director of Translational Research at
the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in Penn’s School of Medicine,
is one of two recipients of the first grant awarded by the Alliance for
Cancer Gene Therapy, Inc. (ACGT) for research in treating lymphoma and leukemia.
As the only national foundation devoted exclusively to funding cancer gene
therapy research, the mission of ACGT is to identify and fund innovative
scientific research on the causes, treatment, and prevention of all types
of cancer, using cells and genes as medicine.
» read more
October 14, 2004
Penn To Participate in National Alzheimer’s Disease Research Initiative
Brain Imaging Data to be Combined With Genetic and Biomarker
Information to Ultimately Streamline Clinical Trials
(Philadelphia, PA) – The clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
(AD) remains imprecise, especially in its initial stages,
with a definitive diagnosis requiring an autopsy. While research conducted
in the past 10 years has led to dramatic advances in understanding
AD (and thereby accelerating drug discovery efforts), increasing
evidence suggests that potential AD therapies are likely to be most
effective early in the course of the disease. To that end, reliable
diagnostic tests for the early detection of AD are needed to increase
the likelihood of arresting memory impairments and other cognitive
deficits, says John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute
on Aging, and Co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease
Research and the Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Program at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
» read more
October 11, 2004
Francisco Gonzalez-Scarano, MD, Named to National Neurology Advisory
Council
(Philadelphia, PA) – Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson
has recently appointed Francisco Gonzalez-Scarano, MD, Professor and Chair
of the Department of Neurology and Professor in the Department of Microbiology
at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, to the National Advisory
Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council -- the major advisory panel of
the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
» read more
October 8, 2004
Penn To Participate in Nationwide Study Seeking Families with Two or
More Siblings Living with Alzheimer’s Disease Search for Risk-Factor
Genes to Identify Causes, Drug Targets
(Philadelphia, PA) – The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
is taking part in a nationwide effort to identify 1,000 families with two
or more siblings with late-life Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to participate
in a major research study, called the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics
Study. The goal of the study is to hasten the search for risk-factor genes
that increase the chance of developing AD later in life.
» read
more
October 4, 2004
Eli J. Glatstein, MD, Named a 2004 Gold Medal Recipient by The American
Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
(Philadelphia, PA) – Eli. J. Glatstein, MD, Professor and Vice Chair
of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
has been named a 2004 Gold Medal recipient by The American Society for Therapeutic
Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). Dr. Glatstein, who also serves as a member
of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is being
honored for his more than 35 years of dedicated service in the field of
radiation oncology at the Society’s annual national meeting to be
held in Atlanta on October 4, 2004.
» read
more
October 1, 2004
Penn Awarded Major Grant for Collaborative Initiative
to Help Understand
Genes' Effects on Medications New Interdisciplinary Field of Human Pharmacogenomic Epidemiology to be Established
(Philadelphia, PA) - The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has
been awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to
bring together researchers from different disciplines to study gene-drug interactions.
The three-year, $595,000 award is one of 21 in the country that will
support planning activities for groups of researchers to develop interdisciplinary
strategies to solve significant biomedical or behavioral research
problems.
» read more
© 2004 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania