UT System supports theoretical, computational neuroscience

As one of seven grantees, out of 37 proposals, the Medical School’s Graduate Program Initiative in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience has received a $500,000 grant from the UT System Board of Regents.

The funding will be used to support and attract students and create a theoretical and computational track as part of the Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences’ Neuroscience Program. The program will build on existing work at the UT Health Science Center and train students in this burgeoning research field.

“Although neuroscience is multidisciplinary, it is seldom interdisciplinary because it is difficult for individuals to integrate information across these different levels of analysis,” said Dr. Harel Shouval, assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy and primary investigator on the grant. “However, a true understanding of the brain will ultimately require such an interdisciplinary approach, and the emerging field of theoretical and computational neuroscience provides this integrated view through the application of mathematical and computational methods to the complex questions of brain science.”

A group of undergraduates who will come in late May for 10 weeks for the Research Experience for Undergraduates, a program of the Gulf Coast Consortia, will be the first funded by the new grant.

“We have funds for two to three grad students a year and about three undergrads per year,” Shouval said. “We will have additional students funded directly by the GSBS and by the graduate advisers.”

Theoretical and computational neuroscience uses “mathematical and computational tools to integrate and unify complex and multi-disciplinary experimental data” according to Dr. L. Maximilian Buja, executive vice president for academic affairs.

“Although this field is becoming more prominent, most graduate programs are not well equipped to educate students in this field, both because the faculty do not have the required qualifications, and because the appropriate types of students are not attracted to the study of biology,” Buja said. “The Neuroscience Program at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston is ahead of the curve in that we have a significant number of faculty members with these research interests and skills; we hold several federal grants in this field, and we can leverage the benefits we receive from our association with the Gulf Coast Consortium in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience.”

“The award represents a significant recognition of the strengths that the department has developed in this area,” said Dr. John Byrne, chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and co-primary investigator on the grant. “It will allow us to expand the program further and attract outstanding faculty and graduate students.”

Support from the UT System will help shape the direction of this program.

“This essential funding will kick-start the program, especially now with the funding for research down nationally,” Shouval said.

-D. Brown

Researchers: Running out of options to fight “super bugs”

"People are dying from 'super bugs' because our antibiotic arsenal has run dry, leaving the world without sufficient weapons to fight ever-changing bacteria," warn infectious disease researchers.

In a Jan. 29 perspective in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Dr. Barbara Murray and Dr. Cesar Arias evaluate the past, present, and future response to preventing and treating “super bugs.” This is the second time in the last two months that these two faculty members have been published in the NEJM.

A “super bug” is an organism that is resistant to antibiotics. It can evade antibiotics by:

• destroying the medication by producing an enzyme that devours the drug;
• creating a barrier to the drug;
• pumping out any antibiotic that reaches the bacterial cell;
• modifying the target of the antibiotic so the drug can’t bind to it.

“We are sounding the alarm, and hopefully the world will hear it.”

“Most of the public has heard of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) because it produces the most cases each year. However, they have not heard of other super bugs that can be far worse,” said Murray, co-author and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. “The Gram-negative bacteria are the most antibiotic-resistant with fewer treatment options in life-threatening diseases, such as certain forms of pneumonia, bloodstream infections, gastroenteritis, and even meningitis.” Gram-negative bacteria can release toxins created by their cell walls into the bloodstream, where it is harder to treat them.

According to a 2004 report, “Bad Bugs, No Drugs,” by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), none of the 89 new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were antibiotics. Murray and Arias say people are also taking antibiotics without prescriptions or not following the prescription as directed. It is those practices that allow the antibiotics to be exposed to a wide-range of bacteria in the body, both good and bad, which gives the bugs an opportunity to find ways to beat antibiotic weapons.

“We have run out of options. The promise of genomics has not panned out. Gene sequencing has not helped us find a better way to fight these bugs,” said Murray, holder of the J. Ralph Meadows Professorship in Internal Medicine. Genomics is the study of an organism’s genomes to chart its DNA sequencing.

According to the IDSA’s 2004 report, the research on new antibiotics is simply drying up, in part due to the expense of bringing a new drug to market. “The pharmaceutical companies, like all other publicly traded industries, must deliver to its shareholders in order to justify their continued investment. The unique nature of antibiotics makes securing investments challenging. Because antibiotics work so well and so fast, they produce a weak return on investment for manufacturers. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for seven to 14 days,” the report said.

“Academics can’t do it all. Pharmaceutical companies can’t do it all. Everyone needs to work together to address this potential worldwide public health crisis,” said Arias, co-author of the perspective and assistant professor in infectious diseases.

Delay in diagnosis is also an issue. Murray said even with advancements, it takes about 48 hours or more from the time a culture is taken to determine what a person may have contracted and to determine what antibiotics are likely to be effective. “It may not sound like a lot of time, but with some of these bugs you have to move quickly to save a patient. You don’t want the bacteria to spread. Research needs to include finding new testing methods,” Murray said.

The Division of Infectious Diseases at the Medical School is already working toward solutions. It has now established the Laboratory for Antimicrobial Research, headed by Arias, within the Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-Emerging Pathogens, headed by Murray. The laboratory, which is supported with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to investigate the clinical and molecular aspects of antibiotic resistance, attempting to understand the complex mechanisms by which bugs become resistant to antibiotics and then designing new strategies to combat them.

“We are struggling, really struggling to treat patients around the world. If something isn’t done soon, more and more bugs are going to gain the upper-hand. There are simply not enough new drugs to keep pace with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections,” Murray said. “We are sounding the alarm, and hopefully the world will hear it.”

-M. McDonald

Medical School ventures into social media

Through Facebook, Twitter, and Yammer, the Medical School has begun to dip its toes into the waters of social media.

Social media Web sites are Web-based tools to promote content and discussion. Some of the most popular social media sites are Facebook (222 million users), MySpace (140 million), and LinkedIn (35 million). Sites encourage users to create their own networks for sharing information.

Led by Eric Rasch, Web developer in the Office of Communications, the Medical School has a Facebook page, a Twitter account, the Office of Communications has a Twitter account, there is a Medical School YouTube channel, a Medical School Yammer presence, and a Vimeo account. You can also follow and subscribe to this stream of information and news at FriendFeed.

Employees, students, alumni, and others are encouraged to sign up to the Facebook site as fans, and follow the Yammer and Twitter accounts to get the latest news from the Medical School and the Office of Communications. Those who sign up to follow the YouTube and Vimeo accounts will see the latest video postings from the school.

“The content we are posting from the Medical School on these sites is reaching many more people than if we just post the news on our Web site,” Rasch said.

In fact, the office was cited on its good use of Twitter in the publication Media Health Leaders.

Guidelines on posting to such sites are in the works both at the school and Health Science Center level. Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications if you would like more information on joining any of these social networks, would like to be featured on our accounts, or for tips and best practices for utilizing these services.

-D. Brown

Presidential town hall set for Feb. 26

President Larry Kaiser will host the first in his series of Town Hall meetings noon-1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26 in MSB 3.001.

This is an opportunity to learn about the latest updates and issues and to ask questions.

K12 applications now being accepted

The Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) is now accepting applications for the K12 training program. Funding is available for fellows, instructors, and assistant professors, and applications are due no later than 5 p.m., March 3.

The purpose of the program is to support the training and career development of young medical and health professionals conducting clinical or translational research.

The program provides salary support for up to 75 percent protected time for up to three years for instructors and assistant professors and up to two years for fellows. Research funds ($15,000 for faculty and $10,000 for fellows) also will be provided. Four awards are expected to be made.

Eligible applicants include medical fellows, medical or clinical instructors or assistant professors (with M.D., D.O., D.D.S., or D.S.N.), and health professional instructors or assistant professors (with a Ph.D., D.PH. or PharmD) with a strong interest in clinical or translational research. The interval between completion of training and submission of application will be considered. All applicants must be engaged in, or preparing to conduct, clinical or translational research and be able to complete the entire funding period at UT Houston or M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Each applicant's department chair must confirm that the applicant will have up to 75 percent protected time as defined by UT Houston and the NIH, if accepted into the K12 program. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Each trainee will conduct a clinical or translational research study under the supervision of 1-2 senior faculty mentors. Trainees also will propose and complete individualized career development plans that include a statement of career goals and any additional training (beyond the core curriculum) that will be undertaken to complete them.

Potential applicants with questions may contact Dr. Jon Tyson, 713.500.5651, or Claudette Ocampo, 713.500.5637.

Events celebrate Darwin

Darwin2009 Houston honors the bicentennial anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species with a yearlong celebration of Darwin’s life and contributions to science. The goal of Darwin2009 Houston is to engage a broad audience in recognizing the importance of the science of evolution, supporting science education, and recognizing how science affects life.

Darwin2009 Houston is set for Saturday, Feb. 7 – Monday, Nov. 30 and includes various events:

• Saturday, Feb. 7 – Darwin Day at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
• Thursday, Feb. 12 – Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin 200th Birthday Celebration & ABCs of DNA Workshop
• Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Francisco Ayala, Ph.D., Lecture: “Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion”
• Thursday, Feb. 26 – David Lipman, M.D., Lecture: “The Flu Virus Believes in Evolution”

For a complete list of events and more details, visit Darwin2009 Houston.

In the name of health

Screenings, massages, and giveaways were all part of the annual wellness fair held Jan. 28 in the Medical School’s Leather Lounge.

 

 

Location & Contact

6431 Fannin Street,
Houston, Texas 77030

PO Box 20708,
Houston, Texas 77225

713.500.4472