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Committee on Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular
Medicine - News
Spring 2008
University Medical Center funds South
Side Clinic Expansion
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James Madara, C.E.O. of the
University of Chicago
Medical Center, Dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the
Pritzker School of Medicine, and Vice President for Medical Affairs,
was interviewed for a story published Monday, March 31 in Crain’s
Chicago Business.
The article reported the University Medical Center is funding the
expansion of Access Community Health Center, a South Side clinic, to
help treat a rising number of poor patients in need of routine health
care. “We were just passively taking care of whatever showed up at our
door when they were things that could be handled by community
hospitals. We were eroding their base business while also making it
more difficult on ourselves to serve our unique function,” said Madara.
(Chronicle,
April 17, 2008)
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Asthma Risk Linked to Gene Variant
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Genetic research conducted
at the University—in which a gene variant
was found to be responsible for an increased risk for asthma, bronchial
hyper-responsiveness and a decline in lung function—was published in
the Thaindian News, a publication in Bangkok, Thailand.
Carole Ober, Professor in Human Genetics and the College, and lead
author of the study, which was published in the New England
Journal of Medicine,
said the discovery of the variant is exciting because it connects
asthma susceptibility to a new pathway at the protein and genetic
levels. “This is also the most significant genetic discovery based on
our years of gathering data on asthma in the Hutterites. This is a
group with enormous potential to advance our understanding of the
genetic underpinnings of disease. We now have a remarkable collection
of data, which we expect will lead us to many more insights.” The
Associated Press also carried an article about the genetic discovery on
its newswire Friday, April 11. (Chronicle,
April 17, 2008)
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Winter 2008
Vallen Graham awarded the Caroline tum
Suden/Francis A. Hellbrandt Professional Oppotunity Award
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The award will be presented in April at the
Experimental Biology conference in San Diego. Aty the conference,
Vallen will present a talk titled "Novel small molecules reverse myosin
light chain kinase (MLCK) isoform 1 translocation and barrier
dysfunction induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)." The award is
distributed by the American Physiological Society.
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Dr. Christopher Gomez named the Albina
Y. Surbis Professor in Neurology
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A leading authority on the molecular and cellular
mechanisms of
neurodegenerative disease, Christopher Gomez, Chairman of Neurology,
has been named the Albina Y. Surbis Professor in Neurology.
Gomez is widely recognized for his clinical expertise in the
diagnosis and treatment of spinocerebellar ataxias and his research on
the molecular and genetic causes of these disorders. At the University
of Minnesota, he established the Ataxia Clinic, a nationally recognized
specialty clinic for patients with these rare degenerative diseases. He
also is a founding member of the Cooperative Ataxia Group, a national
consortium of ataxia specialists.
In his laboratory, Gomez studies how mutations in ion channels or
other essential proteins lead to neurodegeneration using cellular and
mouse models. A better understanding of these mutations may help to
identify new therapies for patients with neurodegenerative disorders. (Chronicle,
January 24, 2008)
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Not Enough Sleep May Mean Higher Risk
of Diabetes
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Eve Van
Cauter, Professor in Medicine, and Esra Tasali, Assistant Professor in
Medicine,
were interviewed for articles about their study on a new risk factor
for diabetes. While previous research has shown that quantity of sleep
affects health, the current study shows that quality of sleep affects
blood-sugar levels that can put people at a higher risk for diabetes.
Van Cauter and Tasali found that disrupting the study volunteers’
deepest sleep periods rapidly resulted in a reduction in their ability
to regulate blood-sugar levels. “This decrease in slow-wave sleep
resembles the changes in sleep patterns caused by 40 years of aging,”
said Tasali in an Associated Press
story. Van Cauter
said: “Since reduced amounts of deep sleep are typical of aging and of
common obesity-related sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep
apnea, these results suggest that strategies to improve sleep quality,
as well as quantity, may help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2
diabetes in populations at risk.” (Chronicle,
January 2008)
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Summer 2007
Dr. Terry Vanden Hoek Quoted in Newsweek
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Terry Vanden Hoek, Director of the Emergency
Resuscitation Center at the University of Chicago, was quoted in the
July 23rd, 2007 issue of Newsweek article on cardiac resuscitation "Back From
the Dead".
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Committee on Molecular
Pathogenesis and Molecular Medicine
News Archive
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