Produced by the Office of Communications // September 23, 2010
UTHealth, Memorial Hermann among March for Babies’ top corporate teams
Thousands begin a five-mile-walk during the March of Dimes annual March for Babies.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and hospital partner Memorial Hermann Healthcare System were among the top corporate teams at the 2010 Houston March for Babies, the March of Dimes announced last week.
Under UTHealth President Dr. Larry Kaiser’s leadership as chairman of the 2010 Houston March for Babies, more than 40,000 participated in the event and helped to meet the March of Dimes’ overall revenue goal of $3 million.
More than 1,000 walkers from UTHealth and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the presenting sponsor, participated. Memorial Hermann raised almost $195,000, and UTHealth raised almost $69,000—more than doubling last year’s total.
In addition to UTHealth and Memorial Hermann, Wells Fargo, Macy’s, Bank of America, KBR, CenterPoint Energy, Continental Airlines, H-E-B, and Air Liquide were among the top 10 corporate teams.
The March of Dimes is advertising the success of the event and thanking its top corporate teams and individuals in the Houston Business Journal and the Houston Chronicle.
For information on the 2011 March for Babies, call 713.623.2020 or visit the website.
— Meredith Raine, Office of Institutional Advancement, Media Relations
Soto receives grant for Alzheimer’s study
Dr. Claudio Soto
The Alzheimer’s Association has awarded a three-year, $200,000 grant to Dr. Claudio Soto, professor of neurology, to pursue a procedure that could detect pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.
“The main goal of this project is to develop an efficient and early biochemical diagnosis such as a blood test that can tell people they are in the process to develop Alzheimer’s disease perhaps years before any brain damage or disease symptoms appear,” said Soto, director of the George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders. “This would allow treatment to begin much earlier with the ultimate goal that disease symptoms would not occur in their lifetime.”
Soto and his research team will be testing their own innovative process to amplify biomarkers of protein misfolding and aggregation. This process has been successful in pre-clinical studies. The team will try to repeat that discovery in human biological fluids including cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Protein misfolding and aggregation have been linked to the brain damage experienced by Alzheimer’s patients.
There is currently no test to detect Alzheimer’s disease before the appearance of symptoms, which include memory changes, problem solving difficulties, trouble completing routine tasks, and confusion with space or time. The disease eventually leads to death as symptoms increase.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.3 million Americans suffer from the disease and it is the seventh leading cause of death. From 2000 to 2006, Alzheimer’s deaths increased 46 percent while deaths from heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, and prostate cancer decreased.
— Deborah Mann Lake, Office of Institutional Advancement, Media Relations
Graduate student wins microbiology research fellowship
Jennifer Abrams, left, and Dr. Kevin Morano
Jennifer Abrams, a graduate student in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, has been awarded a three-year, $33,000 fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to support her innovative research into the molecular causes of protein misfolding diseases like Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, and Parkinson’s.
“I’ve always been interested in exploring the unknown,” said Abrams, who is a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and conducting research in the laboratory of Dr. Kevin Morano, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. “There is much to learn about neurodegenerative diseases.””
Morano’s laboratory is using a yeast model to learn more about the cellular biology linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
“We are studying the molecular details of protein folding in cells. This is important because protein misfolding can cause neurodegenerative disease. Information from our experiments will help us understand how our body deals with the early stages of these diseases. We can hopefully use this information to develop interventions,” Morano said.
Abrams was one of seven students to receive a 2010–2013 ASM Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship. The title of her research is “Determining functional specificity of cytosolic Hsp70 nucleotide exchange factors.”
The Watkins fellowship seeks to increase the number of graduate students from underrepresented groups completing doctoral degrees in the microbiological sciences. The program is aimed at highly competitive students who are enrolled in a Ph.D. program and have completed their graduate coursework in the microbiological sciences.
Abrams has a bachelor of science degree in natural sciences from the University of Houston-Downtown and graduated from the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ASM is the oldest and largest single biological membership organization, with over 40,000 members worldwide.
— Robert Cahill, Office of Institutional Advancement, Media Relations
Faculty Development Leave proposals due Nov. 1
Proposals for Faculty Development Leave are due Nov. 1 in the Office of Faculty Affairs, MSB G.300.
Proposals can be submitted twice a year: November and April. Review the online guidelines. For questions, call Faye Viola, 713.500.5101.
A precious gift
Medical School student Jonathan Willis catches up on his text messages while donating plasma during the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center drive in the Leather Lounge Sept. 10.
— Chris Matula, Office of Communications, Medical School
September 23
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Seminar Series: Dr. Sruti Debroy (postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) presents, “Multiple posttranscriptional mechanisms control ethanolamine utilization in Enterococcus faecalis.”
4 p.m., MSB 2.103.
September 24
24th William A. Spencer, M.D., Memorial Lectureship: Dr. W. Zev Rymer (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) presents, “Rehabilitation Robotics—the Sorcerer's Apprentice?”
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., MSB 3.001.
September 25
Faculty Wives and Women Faculty Annual Fall Coffee.
10 a.m.–noon, 2921 Robinhood.
For details, call 713.432.7598.
September 27
Second Annual Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Symposium.
7:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m., UT Annex Auditorium, LBJ General Hospital.
For more information, call 713.873.4686. CNE and CME credit available.
Monday Meditations: Recharge your batteries with Dr. Alejandro Chaoul and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics.
Noon–1 p.m., JJL 410.
No RSVP is required. Floor pillows and chairs will be provided for participants. For more information, please contact Dr. Chaoul.
September 29
UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Genetic Basis for Brain Diseases seminar: Dr. Ignatia Van den Veyver (Baylor) presents, “Phenotype and Search for the Genetic Basis of Aicardi Syndrome.”
Noon–1 p.m., MSB 7.037.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds: Dr. Rohan Ganguli (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto) presents, “Treating and Preventing Metabolic Problems in Persons with Schizophrenia.”
Noon–1 p.m., Harris County Psychiatric Center Auditorium.
For details, contact Elizabeth Vinson at 713.486.2672.
Family & Community Medicine Grand Rounds: Dr. Maureen Mayes, professor of rheumatology, presents, “Evaluation of New-Onset Reynaud’s Phenomenon.”
1–2 p.m., MSB 2.135.
Panel Discussion: Eugenics and Medical Ethics.
Rabbi Samuel Karff, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, and Dr. Sheldon Rubenfeld will participate in a panel discussion with moderator Dr. Thomas Cole. This event is co-sponsored by the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics.
3–5 p.m., MSB 3.001.
Refreshments will be served.
September 30
Department of Surgery Grand Rounds: Dr. Donald Lesslie, III, assistant professor of surgery, presents, “Targeted Therapy for Advanced Colorectal Cancer.”
7 a.m., MSB 3.001.
CME credit is available.
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Seminar Series: Dr. Daniel Haeusser (postdoctoral fellow, laboratory of Dr. William Margolin) presents, “Inhibition of B. subtilis cell division by gp56 of the SPO1 bacteriophage.”
4 p.m., MSB 2.103.
October 4
Monday Meditations: Recharge your batteries with Dr. Alejandro Chaoul and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics.
Noon–1 p.m., JJL 410.
No RSVP is required. Floor pillows and chairs will be provided for participants. For more information, please contact Dr. Chaoul.
“How Healing Becomes Killing” lecture series: Dr. Tomoko Steen (Johns Hopkins University) presents “Clinical, Ethical, and Genetic Implications of Two Atomic Bombs and Beyond.”
Sponsored by the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics.
Noon–1 p.m., TMC Library, first floor.
Refreshments will be served.
Integrative Biology and Pharmacology Seminar: Dr. Randy Hall (Emory University) presents, “Signaling by the Adhesion Receptor GPR56: Importance for Neural Stem Cell Function & Human Disease.”
4 p.m., MSB 2.135.
October 6
Clinical Research Education: An Introductory Course for Safe and Ethical Research Practice.
An introductory course for anyone involved in clinical research offering practical training in study initiation, implementation and management under GCP guidelines.
8 a.m.–4 p.m., 6410 Fannin, UT Professional Building, Suite 1100.
Registration is required.
UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Genetic Basis for Brain Diseases seminar: Dr. Sheng Zhang, IMM, presents, “In the Pursuit of the Pathogenic Mechanisms Underlying Brain Degenerative Disorders: Lessons from Huntington’s Disease.”
Noon–1 p.m., MSB 7.037.
October 7
Second annual Cockrell Foundation Award in Clinical or Translational Research Seminar: Dr. C. Ronald Kahn (Harvard University) presents, “An Integrative Approach to Finding Molecular Links between Obesity and Diabetes.”
11 a.m., Methodist Hospital Research Institute Building, second floor auditorium, 6670 Bertner Ave.
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Seminar Series: Dr. Jessica Tyler, Ph.D. (MD Anderson Cancer Center) presents, “Epigenetic regulation of gene expression, DNA repair, cancer and aging.”
4 p.m., MSB 2.103.
National Depression Screening Day. Free screenings for adults by faculty and residents.
4–6 p.m., Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building, second floor.
October 11
Monday Meditations: Recharge your batteries with Dr. Alejandro Chaoul and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics.
Noon–1 p.m., JJL 410.
No RSVP is required. Floor pillows and chairs will be provided for participants. For more information, please contact Dr. Chaoul.
October 13
Clinical Research Education: An Introductory Course for Safe and Ethical Research Practice.
An introductory course for anyone involved in clinical research offering practical training in study initiation, implementation and management under GCP guidelines.
8 a.m.–4 p.m., 6410 Fannin, UT Professional Building, Suite 1100.
Registration is required.
UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Genetic Basis for Brain Diseases seminar: Dr. Jack Waymire, professor of neurobiology and anatomy, presents, “Introduction to Alzheimer’s Disease and Research.”
Noon–1 p.m., MSB 7.037.
UTMost
Effective Sept. 1, Cheryl Chinen, the DMO of the Department of Neurology, has been appointed the interim associate dean for management at the School of Biomedical Informatics. Jacqueline (Jackie) Garcia, the DMO for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has agreed to serve as the interim DMO for Neurology while a search is conducted.
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