The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elected 191 new fellows and 22 new foreign honorary members this year. The 213 scholars, scientists, artists, and civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders come from 20 states and 15 countries. The 2008 fellows also represent more than 50 universities and more than a dozen corporations, as well as museums, national laboratories, private research institutes, media outlets and foundations.

Eight Chicago scholars have been elected as fellows in this year’s class of American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Alexander Beilinson, the David & Mary Winton Green University Professor in Mathematics; Graeme Bell, the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine; Sir Peter Crane, the John and Marion Sullivan University Professor in Geophysical Sciences; Vladimir Drinfeld, the Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor in Mathematics; Michael Geyer, the Samuel N. Harper Professor in History; William Landes, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics in the Law School; Glenn Most, Professor in Social Thought; and Anne Robertson, the Claire Dux Swift Distinguished Service Professor in Music.

Graeme Bell is a leading authority on the genetics of diabetes.

In 1990, Bell’s team mapped the first gene responsible for an inherited form of diabetes called maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) to a region on chromosome 20. In 1992, they found that mutations in the enzyme glucokinase caused a different form of MODY. In 1996, Bell and colleagues found that another form of MODY resulted from mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1 alpha. This finding led to the rapid discovery of other MODY genes.

In 2000, he identified a susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes in Mexican Americans—the first time a genome-wide approach had successfully led to identifying a susceptibility gene for a common, genetically complex disorder. In 2001, he showed that complete deficiency of glucokinase was a cause of neonatal diabetes, and in 2007, he showed that mutations in insulin were another cause of this form of diabetes. These discoveries have led to a better understanding of the causes of diabetes, as well as improved diagnosis and treatment.

A prolific researcher, Bell has published more than 380 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 70 book chapters and review articles, and he holds 14 patents. The American Diabetes Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Swedish Medical Society and the British Diabetic Association have all honored Bell for his research, and in 1998, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

University researchers have discovered that many of the genetic variations that have enabled human populations to tolerate colder climates may also affect their susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of related abnormalities such as obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease and diabetes.

“Our earliest human ancestors lived in a hot, humid climate that placed a premium on dispersing heat,” said Anna Di Rienzo, Professor in Human Genetics. “As some populations migrated out of Africa to much cooler climates, there would have been pressure to adapt to their new settings by boosting the processes that produce and retain heat.

“Thousands of years later,” she said, “in an era that combines widespread central heating with an overabundant food supply, those genetic alterations have taken on a different sort of significance. They alter our susceptibility to a whole new set of diseases, such as obesity, coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.”

The authors suggest that the search for genes that vary according to climate could provide additional clues about the onset of metabolism-related diseases. (Chronicle, February 21, 2008)

Andrew Sprau has been accepted into the AAAS/Science program for Excellence in Science. This program rewards deserving graduate students, medical students, and postdocs working in the life sciences. Benefits include a subscription to Science Magazine and membership in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Lauren is a second year student in the Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition. Her advisor is David Boone.

Robert Rosenfield, Professor in Medicine and pediatrics and Section Head Emeritus of Pediatric Enocrinology, has been elected president of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society.  Rosenfield, Director of the Pediatric Endocrinology Training Program, is a project leader of a polycystic ovary syndrome research initiative in a Specialized Cooperative Center Program in reproductive research. The lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society promotes "the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge of endocrine and metabolic disorders from conception through adolescence."