How Open Innovation Networks Can Help Solve Scientific Puzzles

SCIENCE & PRIZES How open innovation networks can help solve scientiﬁ c puzzles

Donald Pfaff Considering Leaving Introducing the on How the the Bench? Sackler Institute for Sexes Connect Read This First Nutrition Science

www.nyas.org • Winter 2011 Board of Governors

Chair Vice Chair Treasurer JOHN E. SEXTON KENNETH L. DAVIS ROBERT CATELL

President [ex ofﬁ cio] Secretary [ex ofﬁ cio] ELLIS RUBINSTEIN LARRY SMITH

Governors SETH F. BERKLEY JAY FURMAN MEHMOOD KHAN GEORGE E. THIBAULT LEN BLAVATNIK ALICE P. GAST ABRAHAM M. LACKMAN IRIS WEINSHALL NANCY CANTOR BRIAN GREENE BRUCE S. MCEWEN ANTHONY WELTERS MARTIN CHALFIE THOMAS L. HANSON RUSSELL READ FRANK WILCZEK ROBIN L. DAVISSON STEVE HOCHBERG JEFFREY D. SACHS MICHAEL ZIGMAN MIKAEL DOLSTEN TONI HOOVER DAVID J. SKORTON NANCY ZIMPHER BRIAN FERGUSON JOHN E. KELLY III

International Governors Chairman Emeritus Honorary Life Governors MANUEL CAMACHO SOLIS RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI TORSTEN N. WIESEL KAREN E. BURKE GERALD CHAN PAUL STOFFELS HERBERT J. KAYDEN JOHN F. NIBLACK President’s Council

PETER AGRE GORDON CONWAY RODERICK MACKINNON PAUL STOFFELS Nobel Laureate & Univ. Chair in International Nobel Laureate & John Company Group Prof. and Director, Johns Development, Imperial D. Rockefeller, Jr. Prof., Chairman, World Wide Hopkins Malaria Research College London The Rockefeller Univ.; Research & Development, Inst., Dept. Molecular PETER DOHERTY Investigator, HHMI Pharmaceuticals Group, Microbiology and Nobel Laureate & JOEL S. MARCUS Johnson & Johnson Immunology, Bloomberg Researcher, St. Jude CEO, Alexandria Real MARY ANN TIGHE School of Public Health Children’s Research Estate Equities, Inc. CEO, New York Tri-State On the cover: Andrew Johnson / RICHARD AXEL Hospital, Memphis, TN; GERALD J. MCDOUGALL Region, CB Richard Ellis iStockphoto.com Nobel Laureate & Univ. of Melbourne National Partner, Global SHIRLEY TILGHMAN Professor, Columbia Univ.; MIKAEL DOLSTEN Pharmaceutical & Health President, Princeton Univ. Investigator, HHMI President, Worldwide Sciences Practice, FRANK WALSH LEE BABISS Research and Development; PricewaterhouseCoopers CEO, Ossianix, Inc. Global Head, Pharma Sr. VP, Pfi zer Inc LLP GERALD WEISSMANN Research, Roche MARCELO EBRARD RICHARD MENSCHEL Prof. of Medicine, NYU Pharmaceuticals CASAUBÓN Sr. Director, Goldman Sachs School of Medicine DAVID BALTIMORE Mayor, Mexico City RONAY MENSCHEL JOHN WHITEHEAD Nobel Laureate & President EDMOND H. FISCHER Chairman of the Board, Former Chairman, Lower Emeritus, Caltech Nobel Laureate & Prof. Phipps Houses; Board of Manhattan Development ETIENNE-EMILE BAULIEU Emeritus, Dept. of Overseers, Weill Cornell Corp.; former Co-Chairman Former President, French Biochemistry, Univ. of Medical College of Goldman Sachs Executive Editor Academy of Sciences Washington FERID MURAD GEORGE WHITESIDES PAUL BERG ALAN J. FRIEDMAN Nobel Laureate & Director, Mallinckrodt Prof. of Adrienne J. Burke Nobel Laureate & Prof. Former Director, New York IMM Center for Cell Chemistry, Harvard Univ. Emeritus, Dept. of Hall of Science Signaling, The University of TORSTEN N. WIESEL Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. COLIN GODDARD Texas at Houston Nobel Laureate & Chairman Art Director LEN BLAVATNIK Former CEO, OSI JOHN F. NIBLACK Emeritus, The New York Ash Ayman Shairzay Chairman, Access Industries Pharmaceuticals Former President, Pfi zer Academy of Sciences; GÜNTER BLOBEL JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN Global Research & former Secy. General, Nobel Laureate & Director, Nobel Laureate & Chairman, Development Human Frontier Science Contributors Laboratory for Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics, Univ. PAUL NURSE Program Organization; The Rockefeller Univ. of Texas Southwestern Nobel Laureate & President, President Emeritus, The Douglas Braaten, Meghan Groome, IRINA BOKOVA Medical Center The Rockefeller Univ. Rockefeller Univ. Jamie Kass, Stephanie Kelly, Monica Director General, United S. GOPALAKRISHNAN ROBERT C. RICHARDSON FRANK WILCZEK Nations Educational, CEO, Infosys Technologies Nobel Laureate & Sr. Vice Nobel Laureate & Herman Kerr, Adam Ludwig, Donald Pfaff Scientifi c and Cultural Limited Provost for Research, Feshbach Professor of Organization (UNESCO) PAUL GREENGARD Floyd R. Newman Prof. of Physics, MIT SYDNEY BRENNER Nobel Laureate & Prof. Physics, Cornell Univ. ERNST-LUDWIG Editorial Offi ce Nobel Laureate & of Molecular & Cellular RICHARD ROBERTS WINNACKER Distinguished Prof., Salk Inst. Neuroscience, The Nobel Laureate & CSO, Secy. General, Human 7 World Trade Center MICHAEL S. BROWN Rockefeller Univ. New England Biolabs Frontier Science Program; 250 Greenwich St, 40th Fl Nobel Laureate & Prof. of GLENDA GREENWALD EDWARD F. ROVER former Secy. General, Molecular Genetics, Univ. President, Aspen Brain President, The Dana European Research Council; New York, NY 10007-2157 of Texas Southwestern Forum Foundation Foundation former President, Deutsche Phone: 212.298.8655 Medical Center PETER GRUSS F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND Forschungsgemeinschaft, LINDA BUCK President, Max Planck Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Germany Fax: 212.298.3665 Nobel Laureate & Gesellschaft, Germany Chemistry & Earth Science, ANDREW WITTY Email: [email protected] Investigator for HHMI; WILLIAM A. HASELTINE Univ. of California, Irvine CEO, GlaxoSmithKline member of the Fred President, The Haseltine BENGT SAMUELSSON ELIAS ZERHOUNI Hutchinson Cancer Foundation for Medical Nobel Laureate & Prof., Prof. of Radiology & Membership Director Research Center Sciences and the Arts; Medical & Physiological Bioengineering, Johns KAREN E. BURKE Chairman, Haseltine Global Chem., Karolinska Inst.; Hopkins University; Sr. David Smith Dermatologist & Research Health, LLC former Chairman, The Fellow, Global Health Scientist ERIC KANDEL Nobel Foundation Program, Bill & Melinda THOMAS R. CECH Nobel Laureate & Prof., IVAN SEIDENBERG Gates Foundation; Membership & Annals Orders Nobel Laureate & Physiology & Cell Biology, Chairman and CEO, Verizon President, Global Phone: 212.298.8640 Distinguished Prof., Univ. of Columbia Univ. ISMAIL SERAGELDIN Research & Development, Colorado, Boulder KIYOSHI KUROKAWA Director, Bibliotheca Sanofi -Aventis Fax: 212.298.3650 MARTIN CHALFIE Former Science Advisor to Alexandrina, The Library of AHMED ZEWAIL Nobel Laureate & William the Prime Minister of Japan; Alexandria, Egypt Nobel Laureate & Linus Email: [email protected] R. Kenan, Jr., Prof. of Prof., National Graduate PHILLIP A. SHARP Pauling Chair of Chemistry Biological Sciences; Institute for Policy Studies Nobel Laureate & Director, and Physics, Caltech Chair, Dept. of Biological (GRIPS) McGovern Inst., MIT Center GUANGZHAO ZHOU Advertising Inquiries Sciences, Columbia Univ. LEON LEDERMAN for Cancer Research Former Chairman, Chinese Phone: 212.298.8655 CECILIA CHAN Nobel Laureate & Pritzker ELLIOTT SIGAL Association of Science & Managing Director, Gold Prof. of Science, Illinois CSO, Bristol-Myers Squibb Technology Email: [email protected] Avenue Ltd. Inst. of Tech.; Resident MICHAEL SOHLMAN AARON CIECHANOVER Scholar, Illinois Math & Exec. Director, The Nobel Nobel Laureate & Science Academy Foundation Visit the Academy online Distinguished Research Prof., GREGORY LUCIER www.nyas.org Tumor and Vascular Biology Chairman and CEO, Life Research Center, Faculty of Technologies Corporation Medicine, Technion-Israel Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel WWinterinter 20112011 ccontentsontents

Columns Science Alliance

2 Letter from the President 1155 Deciding What to Be with a PhD by Monica Kerr Uniquely Qualifi ed for Leaving the bench can seem like a risky endeavor Building Multilateral Alliances

3 Member News Science Education Awards, appointments, and announcements about Academy 1166 Reaching Students through Teachers by Meghan Groome members A running start for the Academy’s new K-12 Science Education Program 6 Annals Highlights Recent and upcoming Annals Cover Story volumes 1177 Science & Prizes 9 Inside the Academy by Adrienne J. Burke How open innovation networks can solve scientifi c puzzles Reports from the directors of Academy programs and news about Academy activities Book Excerpt

1122 Academy eBrieﬁ ngs 2222 Social Behavior Networks Personalized Cancer Medicine, and the Sexes Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, by Donald Pfaff HIV/AIDS Vaccines and Alternate How men and women have evolved to bond and cooperate Strategries, H1N1 Donor Proﬁ le 2266 Calendar Academy conferences and 2288 Patrons of Global Health by Adam Ludwig meetings in February, March, A gift from the Mortimer D. Sackler Foundation will advance and April nutrition science

Clarifi cation: Steven Shapin’s article “Who’s An Authority on Nutrition Science?” (Autumn 2010) noted that “a New York death certifi cate shows that at the time of his death Robert Atkins weighed 258 pounds.” In February 2004, USA Today reported that Dr. Atkins weighed 195 on admission to the hospital and that the excess weight was due to fl uid retention from organ failure during the nine days before his death. Letter from the President Uniquely Qualiﬁ ed for Building Multilateral Alliances

n one of Malaysia’s national news- problems via incentive prizes and chal- York Academy of Sciences’ translational papers, Abdul Hamid Zakri, Science lenges, which you will read about in this medicine initiative. I Advisor to the Prime Minister, told edition’s cover story, starting on page 17. Few would doubt the effi cacy of such the public recently that Prime Minister And, this concept is increasingly un- partnerships in advancing science, prob- Najib intends to partner with the New derstood in the corporate world. Take the lem-solving, and economic development. York Academy of Sciences. Najib wants pharmaceutical industry. For decades, And extensive experience in this area puts our help in transforming Malaysia into a pharmaceutical companies have relied the Academy in the unique position to of- globally competitive “knowledge-based on bilateral partnerships with academic fer its multilateral network of experts and economy.” And he believes we can ad- laboratories and small biotech companies institutions to those hoping to reduce the vance the commitment he expressed at to expand their drug pipelines. Recently, “transaction cost” of partnering. the United Nations in September to stim- two pharma giants independently ap- Which brings me back to Malaysian ulate moderation in the Islamic world. proached the Academy hoping that we Prime Minister Najib. He learned that the I quote from Zakri’s remarkable col- would broker multilateral partnerships Academy was asked to lead a highly am- umn (see http://bit.ly/zakri_nyas): “One that would engage many, if not all, of the bitious eff ort by the heads of eight pan- area of collaboration is getting the inputs extraordinary academic research groups Islamic and global institutions to launch of the NYAS to constitute an Internation- in New York. an “Islamic World Science Technology & al Science Advisory Council to stimulate Other industries seeking to scale up Innovation Initiative.” the advancement of science, technology, their academia-industry partnerships Th e participants* recognize that only and innovation in Malaysia. Th e govern- through honest brokers like the NYAS an innovative, multilateral approach to ment-academia-corporate nexus that is include multinational energy and equip- capacity-building that includes physical the raison d’être of the NYAS makes it ment, telecommunications, and consult- and virtual events and social networks a natural choice to advise us on how to ing companies. And, recently, companies will allow the great population centers of improve our approaches in achieving the in the food, nutrition, and health-care the Islamic world to feed research facili- New Economic Model, in particular the sectors have approached us to lead an ties in the wealthy states so that synergies role of the private sector. unprecedented academia-to-industry can be achieved in science, technology, “Th e Malaysia-NYAS tie-up could also and business-to-business pre-competitive and innovation across the Islamic world. be a timely boost to the prime minister’s public/private partnership (see p.9). Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib right- initiative on the Global Movement of the Th e value of multilateralism is even ly argues that economic development Moderates as the NYAS is in the midst of becoming apparent in academia through won’t happen in the absence of scientifi c brokering an STI Initiative for the Islamic what might be termed “one-to-many” and and technological development through World involving UNESCO, ISESCO, and “many-to-many” alliances. An example of higher education reform, and that we member countries of the Organisation of the former includes the strategy that was need to encourage moderation in the Is- the Islamic Conference. Among the alli- undertaken to quickly establish a high- lamic world through economic develop- ance’s aims are to strengthen centres of ex- caliber graduate institute of technology in ment. Stay tuned to see if your Academy cellence across the Islamic world, nurtur- Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah University can play a useful role in this bold vision. ing young and promising researchers in of Science & Technology (KAUST) part- these countries, and to connect them with nered with many world-class universities leading researchers in both the Islamic that will feed undergraduates and faculty and non-Islamic regions of the world.” to the Jeddah campus in return for re- Ellis Rubinstein Prime Minister Najib’s interest in our search support. President & CEO Academy is emblematic of a yearning I And in a “many-to-many” alliance, increasingly encounter across academic, the University of Cambridge, King’s Col- * Islamic World Science Technology & industry, and government sectors to es- lege London, Th e Imperial College, the Innovation Initiative participants are: tablish multilateral partnerships to in- University of Oxford, and University UNESCO; ISESCO; Th e Organization of crease the impact of their strategic initia- College London have banded together the Islamic Conference’s Standing Com- tives. Th e challenges and opportunities of to achieve a scale of talent in the area of mittee on Scientifi c and Technological our globalized world are so complex that translational medicine that is unmatched Cooperation; the Arab Science and Tech- only multi-stakeholder eff orts are seen as anywhere in the world. Th e idea has al- nology Foundation; TWAS-Th e Academy robust enough to achieve our common ready proven attractive to industry, and of Sciences for the Developing World; the objectives. Th at is, in part, the logic be- it has enhanced the capacity of its indi- World Congress of Muslim Philanthro- hind the increasingly popular approach to vidual members to partner with other pists; the Islamic Academy of Sciences; seeking innovative solutions to scientifi c multilateral alliances, such as Th e New and Th e New York Academy of Sciences.

2 www.nyas.org Member News Share professional news with your colleagues. Submit announcements to [email protected].

K.C. Nicolaou, Ingrid Daubechies, Dean Kamen

K. C. Nicolaou, Ingrid Daubechies, awarded the Medal in Mechanical Engi- were each awarded $100,000 grants from and Dean Kamen neering for his resourcefulness and imag- the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Th ree of seven scientists to be awarded ination in creating mechanical devices Grand Challenges Explorations initiative the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Medals by that broadly benefi t society and enable to encourage bold and unconventional the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia are people with disabilities to improve their ideas for global health. Th e grants will pro- members of the New York Academy of quality of life and health. All laureates will vide continued support to the researchers’ Sciences. Th e institute announced that the be honored in Philadelphia April 25-28, promising and innovative global health 2011 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chem- 2011, with a series of events to celebrate research projects. Nathan’s project, “Se- istry will be presented to K. C. Nicolaou, their accomplishments with area students nescent and Rejuvenated Mtb Subsets on chairman of the Department of Chemistry and the community. Exit From Latency,” and Rhee’s “Metabo- at the Scripps Research Institute, for his losomes: Th e Organizing Principle of TB achievements in synthetic organic chem- Latency,” are two of nine grants to receive istry, particularly for the development of new funding from the foundation. In methods for preparing complex substanc- 2008 and 2009, respectively, Nathan and es found in nature, which have potential Rhee received initial $100,000 grants. Th e applications in the fi eld of medicine. Th e new awards represent “next stage” fund- Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering ing for Grand Challenges Explorations will be presented to Ingrid Daubechies, grants that have shown progress in their professor of mathematics at Princeton initial grant period and that align with the University, for fundamental discoveries Gates Foundation’s strategic priorities. in the fi eld of compact representations of Nathan and his lab will study the ge- data, leading to effi cient image compres- netic mechanism by which tuberculosis sion as used in digital photography. And Carl Nathan and Kyu Rhee emerges from its latent state into an in- Dean Kamen, founder of DEKA Research Academy members Nathan and Rhee, fectious and symptomatic disease. Spe- and Development Corporation, will be both at Weill Cornell Medical College, cifi cally, they are testing the idea that

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 3 Member News

tuberculosis exits dormancy by dividing the Bower Award for Achievement in Sci- agnosing cancer. Zerhouni is the author asymmetrically, so that one progeny cell ence, which will be made in April 2011, of more than 210 publications and holds inherits most of the oxidatively damaged carries a cash prize of $250,000. eight patents. proteins and the other is spared. Blocking this process could aid treatment. Elias Zerhouni Nina V. Fedoroff Rhee and colleagues are testing the Academy Presi- Academy member theory that Mycobacterium tuberculosis dent’s Council Fedoroff , a pio- (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculo- member Elias Zer- neering researcher sis, utilizes specifi c protein-based struc- houni, was named in the fi elds of tures called metabolosomes to enter into, President, Global plant genetics, maintain, and exit from latency. Research & Devel- plant responses opment, Sanofi - to environmen- Ismail Serageldin aventis on January tal stress, and ge- Serageldin, a mem- 1. A leading medi- netically modifi ed ber of the Acad- cal researcher who directed the NIH from crops, begins a term as president of the emy’s President’s 2002 - 2008, Zerhouni has been a scientif- American Association for the Advance- Council and Direc- ic advisor to Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbach- ment of Science in 2011. Th e Willaman tor of the Library er since February 2009. Th e company said Professor of the Life Sciences and Evan of Alexandria, he has been instrumental in redesigning Pugh Professor at Penn State University, Egypt, received the its R&D model and boosting innovation Federoff has been serving since August Millennium Excel- there. Zerhouni has been involved in 2010 as Distinguished Visiting Professor lence Award for founding fi ve medical startup companies, at King Abdullah University of Science Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize 2010 has been a consultant to the World Health and Technology (KAUST). From August for his scientifi c research in Africa. Orgaization and to the Reagan White 2007 - July 2010 she was Science and Th e prize was awarded in a ceremony on House, served as Executive Vice Dean of Technology Adviser to the Secretary of December 4 at the State House, Accra, Gha- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and State and to the Administrator of USAID na, by Ghana’s Excellence Awards Founda- has served on the boards of the Lasker at the U. S. Department of State. tion. Th e private institution presents the Foundation, Research!America, the Mayo Millennium Excellence Award every fi ve Clinic, and King Abdullah University of Jeffrey Sachs years to honor outstanding achievement by Science and Technology. A book slated for individuals who have selfl essly served the A radiologist by training, Zerhouni publication in continent of Africa and contributed to its conducted imaging research early in June by Academy socio-economic development. his career that led to major advances in Governor and Co- CAT scanning and MRI. He is credited lumbia University George Church with developing novel quantitative imag- economist Jeff rey Academy member ing methods used for diagnosing cancer, Sachs is listed George Church, cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. by the Guardian a professor of ge- As one of the world’s premier experts in among the top nomics at Harvard computed tomography and magnetic res- tomes to look out for in 2011. Sachs’ new Medical School onance imaging, Zerhouni extended the book, “Th e Value of Everything: Capi- and Director of role of CT and MRI from taking snap- talism and Prosperity aft er the Fall,” is PersonalGenomes. shots of gross anatomy to visualizing how described as “a guide to action” with a org, will be award- the body works at the physiologic and “chilling message” that explains “why ris- ed the 2011 Bower molecular levels. He pioneered magnetic ing oil and food prices are not temporary Award and Prize for Achievement in Sci- tagging, a non-invasive method using cyclical problems, but the leading edge ence for innovative and creative contribu- MRI to track the motions and accurately of coming ecological crises.” Sachs, who tions to genomic science, including the measure the function of a heart in three directs Columbia’s Earth Institute and is development of DNA sequencing tech- dimensions. He is also known for refi n- Special Advisor to United Nations Secre- nologies, as well as for his subsequent ing an imaging technique called quan- tary-General Ban Ki-moon, argues that eff orts to promote personal genomics titative computed tomographic densi- the world needs a new set of economic and synthetic biology. Begun in 1990 by tometry that helps discriminate between rules that address climate change and the Franklin Institute, the Bower Awards non-cancerous and cancerous nodules global developments as well as local and were made possible by a $7.5 million be- in the lung. It is also used for develop- national interests. His previous books quest from the noted Philadelphia chemi- ing and applying the method of high include the New York Times bestsellers cal engineer Henry Bower. One of the resolution CT for the study of heart and Common Wealth (2008) and Th e End of most robust science prizes in the country, lung structure and function, and for di- Poverty (2005).

4 www.nyas.org serving science And SCIENTISTS.

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22452-09 NYAS ad 1.indd 1 19/11/10 14:17:14 Annals Highlights Th e Annals is the premier publication of the Academy, off ering review articles in topical areas and proceedings of conferences. Learn more and order copies at www.nyas.org/annals.

War’s Brain and Mental Traumas

cognitive dysfunction associated with TBI can exacerbate and prevent symptom improvement in PTSD. Psychiatric and Neurologic Aspects of War presents papers stemming from the 89th annual conference of the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease entitled “Psychi- atric and Neurologic Aspects of War,” held December 9, 2009, at Rockefeller University in New York City. Th e papers focus on the fact that the psychiatric and neurologic consequences of war are wide-ranging and aff ect many levels of human organization. Authors address the nature of modern warfare and social inter- While substantial strides have been made in characterizing neu- ventions from a number of perspectives, in particular the eff ects rologic and psychiatric consequences of war such as traumatic of war on the individual. Clinical and research scientists discuss brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cutting-edge research, treatment approaches, and public policy signifi cant gaps remain in our understanding of how to treat or issues with the goal of creating an agenda for further inquiry and prevent these outcomes. PTSD is a signifi cant, chronic stress dis- action into consequences of war. order caused by either physical or emotional trauma that, with increasing frequency due to greater awareness and expertise in 1. Tanielian, T. & L.H. Jaycox, Eds. 2008. Invisible Wounds of War: identifying it, is diagnosed in individuals who encounter trau- Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and matic, violent experience, especially that of war. Ironically, TBI Services to Assist Recovery. RAND. Santa Monica , CA. is on the rise due to improvements in body armor and battlefi eld medical care that now save the lives of soldiers who would otherwise not have survived traumatic blast injuries. Psychiatric and Neurologic Aspects of War 1 A recent RAND report estimated that 19% of veterans from Edited by Jack D. Barchas and JoAnn Difede (Weil Medical the Iraq and Afghanistan confl icts experienced mild TBI and College of Cornell University, New York, NY) over a third also reported PTSD or depression. Tragically, these Volume 1208, October 2010 // ISBN 978-1-57331-804-4 comorbidities can negatively infl uence each other, for example,

The Epidemics of Diabetes and Obesity

problems (infertility, erectile dysfunction, intra-uterine death), bone and joint problems (arthritics, back pain, gout), and endo- crine problems (type 2 diabetes). Of these, the World Health Organization predicts increased risk of type 2 diabetes will increase by more than 50% in the next ten years. It is not over-stating the problem to say that obesity and its consequences, in particular the risk of type 2 diabetes, have reached epidemic—and tragic—proportions. Th e Year in Diabetes and Obesity series confronts the biomedical and basic scientifi c issues in diabetes and obesity and Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that now aff ects over one bil- their associations. Experts provide in-depth overviews of topics lion people, and estimates predict that within ten years this such as early life nutrition and metabolic programming; neu- number will double. Numerous health problems are associated roendocrine responses to hypoglycemia; cardiovascular out- with obesity, such as increased incidence of certain cancers (co- comes in type 2 diabetes; gastrointestinal hormones and their lon, breast), cardiovascular disease (stroke, high blood pressure, eff ects on the pancreas—where insulin is produced; the critical heart disease), psychiatric problems (depression), reproductive role of the hormone leptin—the body’s key regulator of energy

6 www.nyas.org What’s in a name?

More often than not I hear people refer to volumes of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences as “books.” This is unfortunate because Annals is a journal series. It always has Top: Prevalence of diabetes been and likely always will be a journal series. “So,” you may worldwide in 2000 (per 1000 be asking, “what does it matter if one calls Annals a book or a inhabitants). World average journal series?” was 28.23‰. Bottom: Energy consumption (kcal/person/day) Annals is unique among most other scientifi c journals be- per country in 2001-2003. World cause of its format: each of its 32 annual issues is thematically average was 2800 kcal/person/day. developed, containing either proceedings of conferences or review manuscripts in specifi c areas of biological and non- needs and appetite; the genetics biological sciences. Because each volume is titled accord- of type 2 diabetes; management ing to the theme covered by the papers inside, this gives the of hyperglycemia in hospital- appearance of Annals as a book series. Indeed, one can fi nd ized patients; circadian control individual Annals volumes for sale on Amazon and through An- of metabolism; metabolic sur- nals publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. gery for type 2 diabetes; and the But the essence of Annals as a scholarly scientifi c journal biology of adipokines—peptides secreted by fat tissue that func- can be seen not in how individual volumes are marketed and tion in cell-to-cell communication. sold but in how its individual articles are processed, handled, and evaluated by the scientifi c community. Like all journals, Annals articles are provided—in the vernacular they are The Year in Diabetes and Obesity “indexed”—to the scientifi c community on key web portals Edited by Alvin C. Powers (Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, Nash- such as Pubmed and Google Scholar where they are available ville, TN) and Rexford S. Ahima (University of Pennsylvania, as reference material for writing and developing future scientifi c Philadelphia, PA) papers. In short, Annals’ articles enter into the scientifi c record Volume 1212, November 2010 // ISBN 978-1-57331-756-6 of the day with other science journals’ articles. More than anything else, this key role of its articles defi nes Annals as a scientifi c journal. Throughout its 132 year history, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences has been the Academy’s premier scientifi c publication—presenting conference proceedings, The Science behind research papers, and review articles from scientists all over the world. As a Effective Antibiotics journal, the Annals long ago became part of the organic, scientifi c discourse and discovery that, through cycles of experiment and publication, support or refute scientifi c ideas and theories.

Douglas Braaten, PhD Director and Executive Editor

Th e use of antibiotics is so common today that it is hard to imag- According to the Centers for Disease Control antibiotic re- ine a time when a simple bacterial infection could lead to limb sistance by microbes, especially with regard to many bacterial amputation or even death. Th e origin of modern antimicrobial infections, is one of the world’s most pressing public heath prob- drug discovery is frequently attributed to Alexander Fleming’s lems. Once easily treatable infections are increasingly becoming recognition, in 1928, of an antibacterial activity in the mold serious medical problems in which unhindered microbes cause Penicillium notatum. Th e use of penicillin as a therapeutic agent infections that cannot be contained, leading to disfi gurement in the clinic, however, did not occur until the 1940s. Since then, and even death. overuse of antibiotics has led to wide-spread microbe resis- A new Annals series, Antimicrobial Th erapeutics Reviews will tance—the ability of bacteria and other microbes to withstand be published in the fall annually. Th is series will present authori- the activity of antibiotics. tative reviews of developing research topics in antimicrobial ther-

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 7 Annals Highlights

A plate of bacteria with ﬁ ve In January of 1946, a conference on antibiotics was held by antibiotic disks (black dots) the Biology Section of the New York Academy of Sciences in showing clear areas of lysis of the bacteria around the disks. which the discovery and clinical utility of antimicrobial agents were discussed. Th is conference focused in particular on the apeutics. Th e inaugural vol- properties and isolation of penicillin and streptomycin (fi rst iso- ume reviews important areas lated in 1943), two of the fi rst generation antibiotics. Th e pro- of antibiotic research: emer- ceedings of this conference were published in Annals volume 48 gence of bacterial resistance, in September 1946. To highlight the important discussions of including past and future the conference on antibiotics in 1946, Antimicrobial Th erapeutics medical need for and public Reviews contains reprints of this historical Annals content. perception of antibiotics; drug discovery successes and failures; broad-spectrum antibiotic inhibitors; emergence of Clostridium diffi cile as a major infection in hospital and healthcare settings; Antimicrobial Therapeutics Reviews rapid diagnostics to direct more targeted antiobiotic therapies; Edited by Karen Bush (Indiana University Bloomington, regulatory hurdles for new antibiotics; the important but rela- Bloomington, Indiana) tively obscure interface between veterinary and human antibi- Volume 1213, December 2010 // ISBN 978-1-57331-788-7 otic use; and structure-based design of antibacterials.

The Genetics of Human Diseases

are expected to be associated with common diseases. Instead, investigators have begun to ask the same basic questions about diseases and gene associations but from a classical perspective of Mendelian genetics, which states that single mutations are re- sponsible for disease and are inherited according to Mendelian frequencies. In short, from a Mendelian genetics perspective, individual infrequent genome variations collectively explain some of the genetic risk for a disease such as obesity—this perspective is sometimes referred to as the “rare variant–common disease” model of complex disease. A central tenet of the majority of contemporary studies of ge- Th is edition of Th e Year in Human and Medical Genetics netics and disease has been that for many diseases there exist is subtitled “New Trends in Mendelian Genetics” because the genetic components—specifi c mutations in specifi c genes—that, current trend in human genetics is not on Mendelian genetics, in combination, lead to a given case of disease in the population. which is oft en seen as an outdated discipline. Th e aim of the vol- For example, obesity has been studied at the genomic level in ume is to remind the scientifi c community of the many ground- humans by comparing variation in the frequency of mutations in breaking discoveries made in Mendelian genetics in the last de- individuals’ genomes. In such studies referred to as genome-wide cade. Single-gene defects of known Mendelian phenotypes have association studies (or GWAS), two populations are compared: been deciphered, and novel diagnostic and therapeutic means individuals with and without a disease. In the case of obesity, the have been devised, thanks to these studies. Moreover, pheno- genomes of obese and non-obese individuals are compared for types have been explored from a Mendelian perspective, includ- patterns of the normal variation that exists in genomes. Th e aim ing common phenotypes. Some of the most important topics is to fi nd a region of DNA in the genome of obese people that in Mendelian genetics are covered in 17 thought-provoking have a unique pattern of mutations, a so-called “obesity-associ- reviews that highlight the importance of classical Mendelian ated pattern” of mutations (oft en referred to as “single nucleotide genetics and challenge the common disease–common variant polymorphisms” or SNPs). Identifying such patterns of SNPs is trend so prevalent today. thought to be an essential fi rst step in identifying specifi c gene mutations that cause disease—this perspective is sometimes referred to as the “common variant–common disease” model of The Year in Human and Medical Genetics: complex disease. New Trends in Mendelian Genetics While GWAS have been performed extensively and for many Edited by Jean-Laurent Casanova (Laboratory of Human Ge- years now—to some extent they have monopolized both research netics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller University, New York, dollars and expertise—the ultimate payoff of assigning specifi c NY), Laurent Abel (University of Paris René Descartes, Necker diseases with unique patterns of genome-wide mutations of Medical School, Paris, France), and Stanislas Lyonnet (Hôpital signifi cant, clinical predictive power has not been easily (or fre- Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France) quently) obtained. Indeed, some researchers have questioned Volume 1214, December 2010 // ISBN 978-1-57331-789-4 the value of GWAS, where common variations in the genome

8 www.nyas.org Inside the Academy Reports from the directors of Academy programs and news about Academy activities. Read more online at www.nyas.org/academynews.

Awardees and Finalists of the 2010 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists with Len Blavatnik and Ellis Rubinstein

Sackler Gift Creates an Institute munity to contribute to the further de- Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Pfi zer Inc. Academ- For Nutrition Science at NYAS velopment and implementation of the ic participants include Columbia Univer- In November, the Academy established agenda; and 3) via these eff orts, to build sity, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins Th e Sackler Institute for Nutrition Sci- capacity and improve poor nutrition in Bloomberg School of Public Health, Tuft s ence via a founding gift from Th e Mor- vulnerable communities. University Friedman School of Nutrition timer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc. Th e “Prioritizing multilateral eff orts, link- Science and Policy, and Wageningen Uni- budget for the fi rst three years will be at ing global experts, and translating re- versity and Research Centre. least $7.5 million, supported by generous search into action will be at the heart of Governmental participants include funding from Th e Mortimer D. Sackler Th e Sackler Institute for Nutrition Sci- Th e White House Offi ce of Science and Foundation, Inc., and other private and ence,” says Academy President Ellis Ru- Technology Policy and the Government public funders. binstein. “Th ose benefi ting from the In- of Mexico City. Additionally, the Institute Th e Sackler founding gift is the largest stitute’s work will include scientists and will partner with Scientists Without Bor- ever made to the Academy in its 193-year practitioners implementing evidence- ders, an initiative also housed within the history and establishes Th e Sackler Insti- based interventions to fi ght malnutrition, Academy, which provides a web-based tute for Nutrition Science as a permanent ranging from micronutrient defi ciencies platform to pose open-innovation chal- institute within the Academy (for more to obesity, worldwide.” lenges responding to developing world about the Sacklers, see p. 28).Working Rubinstein says the Institute’s mission problems. Scientists Without Borders will with the World Health Organization and will be underpinned by its working rela- generate and scale innovative solutions to other leading organizations across sec- tionship with the WHO, and, separately, by critical nutrition challenges. tors, the Sackler Institute will galvanize a robust public-private partnership of non- Th e Academy anticipates that many action on a strategic nutrition science re- profi t organizations, corporations, academ- more partnerships will be developed be- search agenda and implement outcomes ic institutions and government bodies. tween the Sackler Institute and organiza- in the fi eld. Additional nonprofi t supporters of the tions in the academic, industry, govern- Th e Institute’s goals are threefold: 1) to World Health Organization partnership ment, and non-government sectors. “Th e formulate a prioritized nutrition science include the IDP Foundation, Inc., and the New York Academy of Sciences has a research agenda that is linked directly Mathile Institute for the Advancement of nearly 200-year history of convening ex- with the needs of three billion people Human Nutrition. Corporate supporters perts from across sectors and disciplines aff ected by malnutrition; 2) to rally the include Abbott Nutrition, the Coca-Cola in order to build communities and spur

MICHAEL IAN international health and nutrition com- Company, DSM, Johnson & Johnson, progress. Th e work of Th e Sackler Insti-

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 9 Inside the Academy

tute for Nutrition Science, which will entire membership to seek fi nancing with and Song-Hai Shi (Memorial Sloan- bring multi-sectoral nutrition experts clearly defi ned milestones and timelines. Kettering Cancer Center). Postdoctoral together into an energized and focused Founding sponsors of the Life Science awardees, who each received an award of community, is very much a part of that Angel Network are Ascent Biomedical $15,000 in unrestricted funds, are Yaron tradition,” says Rubinstein. Ventures, CBIZ MHM, LLC, Meditech Lipman (Princeton University), Haitao Strategic Consultants, and Wilson Sonsini Liu (Columbia University), and Daniela Life Science Goodrich & Rosati. Partners include the Schiller (New York University). Angel Network New York City Economic Development In addition, fi ve fi nalists were named. Will Support Corporation, the Downtown Alliance, Th ree faculty fi nalists receiving $10,000 in NYC-Region NYU Ventures, Columbia Technology unrestricted funds are David Evans (Yale Entrepreneurs Ventures, Cornell Center for Technology, University), Elza Erkip (NYU Poly), and In November the Enterprise and Commercialization, NYC Neal Weiner (New York University). Two Academy launched Investment Fund, Offi ce of Technology postdoctoral fi nalists receiving $5,000 New York City’s and Business Development at Mount Si- in unrestricted funds are Nicolas Reyes fi rst early-stage nai Medical Center, Offi ce of Industrial (Weill Cornell Medical College) and Ag- life science angel Liaison at Sloan Kettering, and Hospital nel Sfeir (Th e Rockefeller University). investment network. Th e Life Science for Special Surgery. Len Blavatnik of the Blavatnik Family Angel Network will promote innovation For more information about the Life Foundation, who presented the awards, and match healthcare startups with early- Science Angel Network, please see www. says, “Now in its fourth year, the ‘Young stage funding. nyas.org/LSAN. Scientists’ awards program was estab- Milena Adamian, director of the new lished to encourage scientifi c talent by Academy initiative, says its mission is to Awardees of the 2010 Blavatnik supporting promising scientists early in “provide young life sciences companies Awards for Young Scientists Named their careers when they are most in need with fi nancial and operational support, of funding and recognition. Th e develop- sector-specifi c mentorship, and access ment and support for the next generation to a broad network of investors and en- of leading scientists in the United States trepreneurs for subsequent institutional and their scientifi c research is an issue of fi nancing.” Th e network is designed spe- great national importance and one about cifi cally to connect scientists and entre- which I care deeply. Th e Blavatnik Fam- preneurs with funding to support innova- ily Foundation is proud to support and tions in biotechnology, medical devices, honor these wonderfully creative and in- and healthcare IT. telligent fi nalists.” Th e Academy’s partners in the program include many of the city’s leading Second PepsiCo Company Day academic institutions and the New York Shows Career Paths to New Scientists City Economic Development Corpora- Following on the success of a similar tion. Adamian says that as the fi rst an- event last year, PepsiCo hosted 50 young gel group in New York City focused on During its Seventh Annual Science & scientists for a Company Day at the healthcare and life sciences, the network the City Gala in November, the New Academy in December. Th e company in- will fi ll the gap between New York and York Academy of Sciences named the vited scientifi c masters degree and PhD tri-state area technology transfer offi ces, awardees of the 2010 Blavatnik Awards candidates and post-doctoral fellows to entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists by for Young Scientists. spend the day engaging in discussions, providing capital primarily through indi- Since being established at the Acad- round-tables, and one-on-one conversa- vidual member contributions and spon- emy by the Blavatnik Family Foundation tions with several leaders from PepsiCo’s sorships from organizations involved in 2007, the Blavatnik Awards have rec- global R&D team in order to learn about in supporting innovation and building ognized 54 young scientists for highly in- research opportunities and PepsiCo’s ef- companies. And, she adds, the program novative, impactful, and interdisciplinary forts to develop products using science- will leverage the Academy’s wide-ranging accomplishments in science. Th is year, based nutrition. network in the life sciences industry to 12 researchers were recognized for their Monica Kerr, director of the Academy’s uncover, fund, and mentor a wide variety seminal achievements in areas ranging Science Alliance program who helped of emerging life sciences companies. from earth science to engineering. coordinate the event, says attendees rep- Business plans submitted to the LSAN Th e faculty awardees of the 2010 Blav- resented 18 institutions from New York, will be screened by a multi-disciplinary atnik Awards, who each received $25,000 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, expert panel of clinicians, scientists, en- in unrestricted funds, are Zoltan Haiman Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Kerr says trepreneurs and investment profession- (Columbia University), Michal Lipson that last year’s Company Day resulted in als. Selected candidates will present to the (Cornell University), Evgeny Nudler internship off ers to several students, some

(New York University Medical Center), of whom went on to full-time employ- MICHAEL IAN (MEDALS)

10 www.nyas.org PepsiCo Senior Manager, Global R&D Strategy, Norberto Chaclin speaks to young scientists at PepsiCo’s Company Day at the Academy in December

ment with PepsiCo aft er graduation. Th is for addressing challenges in our industry scientists will support PepsiCo’s R&D year, Kerr says, “the event again achieved and the fi rst step is putting the right team goals and our industry in the future.” its goals of describing PepsiCo’s various in place. As a young scientist starting out According to Bradley’s blog, select R&D functions and opportunities for in my career I remember the experiences students will be invited to spend the sum- young scientists in an exciting way while that helped me identify what I was most mer or a semester in an internship at Pep- providing access to the best and brightest interested in and helped guide my career. siCo working on product development, in our pipeline of talent.” I know the same is true for many of my nutrition, ingredient application, sensory, In a post at PepsiCo’s R&D blog, Food colleagues. Th is is why days like yesterday commercialization engineering, food Frontiers, the company’s Vice President are so important—it’s our chance to sup- safety, health policy, and beverage appli- of Global Design and Development, port the next generation of scientists. In cations. A few, she wrote, will even have Dondeena Bradley, wrote, “PepsiCo is turn, we hope that some of these young the opportunity to work with the PepsiCo

SPOT CREATIVE committed to building world class R&D R&D team in China.

AsA a board member, I take pride in the AAcademy’s steadfast commitment to championing advances in science that will ultimately improve the health and well-being of people around the world. PepsiCo and the Academy, through our support of Th e Sackler Institute for Nutrition Sciences and Scientists Without Borders, see the power of pushing the boundaries of innovation in health and nutrition to support solutions to our society’s greatest needs.”

– Dr. Mehmood Khan — Indra Nooyi, Mehmood Khan, CEO, Global Nutrition Group and Chief Scientifi c Offi cer, PepsiCo, Inc. and John Sexton —

SupportSupport tthehe AcAcademyademy totodayday at www.nyas.org/supportwww.nyas.org/suppo or contact The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 11 Kiryn Haslinger Hoff man at 212.298.8673 or khoff [email protected]. Academy eBriefi ngs eBriefi ngs are online multimedia reports documenting recent Academy events. Find new and noteworthy ones previewed here and more at www.nyas.org/ebriefi ngs. Compiled by Jamie Kass and Stephanie Kelly

Towards Personalized Cancer Medicine

ersonalized medicine, the treatment of patients based upon their individual genetic, epigenetic, and phenotyp- P ic makeup, is the ultimate goal of many researchers and clinicians trying to fi nd less toxic and more eff ective therapies for cancer. While cancer as a whole is characterized by uncon- trollably proliferating cells, the disease is being subdivided into increasingly smaller units, from organ-specifi c to gene-specifi c categories. An understanding of the molecular basis of some cancers and an increasing knowledge of how those cancers dif- fer from those in other organs and in other individuals have led to the development of drugs enormously successful at treating the cells’ ability to stimulate angiogenesis, and the way they pro- those types of cancer. Yet many other candidate drugs based on mote their own survival by interacting with noncancerous cells the same kind of analysis fail in the clinic, leaving cytotoxic che- to acquire nutrients, suppress immune response, and meet other motherapy still the standard treatment for many patients. important needs. Th e most cutting-edge research in all of these From May 19-21 2010, academic and industry researchers, areas was discussed by leading researchers in the fi eld. technology developers, and clinicians from around the world Moving toward clinical medicine, researchers discussed how gathered in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the progress and the oncogenomics and tumor profi ling can reveal the signaling path- challenges in the fi eld of personalized cancer medicine. A special ways mutated in a particular tumor type as well as the variability technology workshop highlighted the important role of techno- among tumors within that type. Breast cancer researchers are logical advances in driving the eff orts toward personalized medi- at the forefront of eff orts to use gene expression signatures and cine. Conference participants also discussed their concerns about other molecular data to guide treatment, predict risk, and un- the fi eld, in particular the failure of the U.S. clinical trial system derstand epidemiological phenomena. Th ere are several clinical to keep up with the changes demanded by the new approach. trials underway to test some of these new tools, some of which Researchers have made great progress in discovering the cel- were presented in talks about eff orts to identify biomarkers for lular processes that have become pathological in cancer. For ex- prognosis and treatment response. ample, it is clear that genetic and epigenetic changes that aff ect Th e conference also delved into a variety of approaches to de- cell proliferation, DNA repair, programmed cell death, stem cell veloping targeted therapies for cancer. Some of these eff orts take maturation or self-renewal, and other fundamental cellular and advantage of technologies that allow high-throughput analyses of molecular activities can lead to cancer formation. New informa- genomic information and drug responses in cell culture. Others tion is also coming to light about more systemic problems, such use preclinical mouse models to evaluate candidate target thera- as the survival of cancer cells in diff erent microenvironments, pies or to counteract the drug resistance that oft en thwarts cancer treatment. Next-generation sequencing and microarray technol- On the Web ogy have also played an important part in the advance toward per- Full eBriefi ng by Jamie Kass at www.nyas.org/personalmed-eB sonalized cancer medicine, as a technology workshop highlighted.

12 www.nyas.org Recent & Upcoming eBrieﬁ ngs

1 4 6 8

1. Get Past the Past: Climate Change In & Around NYC Fourth Annual Symposium on Nephrogenic www.nyas.org/climatenyc-eB Systemic Fibrosis and Gadolinium-Based 2. Targeted Molecular Therapy for Preventing Contrast Agents Heart Failure and Sudden Cardiac Death www.nyas.org/heartfailure-eB 3. Neuroscience and Immunology: Intersection Yields Clues for the Etiology of Psychiatric and Neurodegenerative Diseases www.nyas.org/NeuroImmunology-eB 4. Teaching the Cutting Edge: Martin Chalﬁ e www.nyas.org/chalﬁ e-eB 5. Building Better Brains: Neural Prosthetics and Beyond www.nyas.org/betterbrains-eB 6. From the PhD to Industry: Careers for Scientists in Biotech and Pharma www.nyas.org/industrycareers-eB To get the best possible images in magnetic resonance imaging 7. Behavioral Epigenetics (MRI), radiologists rely on compounds known as contrast agents, www.nyas.org/behavioralepi-eB which enhance the signal and provide clearer, more detailed pic- 8. Cooking for Geeks: Chemistry from the Kitchen tures. Many of these contrast agents contain metals that have been www.nyas.org/cookingforgeeks-eB chosen for their paramagnetic properties, including manganese, 9. Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property iron, or, most commonly, the rare earth metal gadolinium. www.nyas.org/iplaw-eB Th ese compounds have been carefully engineered for safety 10. Guarding the Germ-line Stem Cell Genome: and have exemplary safety records; however, they are not com- Biogenesis and Function of Piwi-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs) pletely without risk. On May 14–15, 2010, a symposium at the www.nyas.org/piRNA-eB New York Academy of Sciences brought together researchers 11. The Systems Biology of Bugs studying a very rare syndrome that appears to be caused by the www.nyas.org/bugs-eB use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in individuals with severely impaired kidney function, a disorder known as nephrogenic systemic fi brosis (NSF). Clinicians who played seminal roles in the identifi cation and characterization of the disease and representatives from the FDA discussed the emergence of the disease and the regulatory response. NSF is an idiopathic fi brosing disorder in which the skin In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a hardens, sometimes to a density resembling wood, due to the public health advisory on the use of GBCAs, and mandated la- uncontrolled production of connective tissue. Th is extreme bel changes contraindicating their use in patients with acute or hardening leads to characteristic skin lesions, pain, and joint chronic severe renal insuffi ciency. Since that time, the incidence contractures that can signifi cantly impair mobility. NSF also of new NSF cases has declined considerably, as patients get rec- aff ects the underlying muscle, and can cause damage to organs ommended prescreening for decreased kidney function when the such as the esophagus, lungs, and heart, and can eventually lead use of these agents is under consideration. Yet there are a num- to death in some cases. Th e exact pathogenic mechanism of NSF ber of important questions that remain to be answered about the is unknown, and eff ective treatments are lacking. condition. Researchers at the conference discussed their experiences developing animal models and testing potential theories On the Web of etiology, gave a clinical perspective on the disease and use of Full eBriefi ng by Megan Stephan at www.nyas.org/NSF-eB. GBCAs, and described eff orts to treat patients with NSF.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 13 Academy eBriefi ngs

HIV/AIDS: Vaccines and Alternate Strategies for Treatment and Prevention H1N1 Swine Flu: The 2010 Perspective

Th e pandemic HIV-1 virus is a challenge to modern science. Its When the pandemic H1N1 strain hit, scientists and health of- genetic variation across geographic regions, and even from one fi cials reacted extremely quickly, grounding their reactions in patient to another, makes it a diffi cult target for any attempted experience of past pandemics and preparations for the future universal vaccine, incapable of antigen-specifi c adjustments. ones. But now, with the pandemic peak over, they have the op- Despite the global importance of the disease—an estimated 2.4 portunity to refl ect on how this novel infl uenza virus did and to 3 million people were newly infected in 2008—researchers did not conform to their expectations. A symposium at the New are encountering structural and fi nancial obstacles to vaccine York Academy of Sciences in May 2010, convened researchers, development, in addition to scientifi c hindrances. In May 2010, government health offi cials, and industry experts to discuss the researchers met at the New York Academy of Sciences to discuss 2009 H1N1 virus’s pathology, transmission, and pathogenicity as progress and setbacks in the fi eld. well as strategies against future outbreaks. Clinical trials, though few in number, have shown that viral Confi rming epidemiologic data about the pandemic H1N1’s vectors expressing HIV genes to be promising vaccine candi- eff ect on human populations, studies in animal models showed dates. Th e RV144 trial of a canarypox vector “prime” and a het- eff ective “aerosol” transmission between individuals and a tem- erologous “boost” decreased infection rates by about one third, perature and humidity dependence of transmission like that of but, like most current candidate HIV vaccines, did nothing to seasonal fl u strains. Th ough the pandemic’s peak came unusual- reduce post infection viral loads. Another clinical trial, called ly early, in October not February, researchers indicated this was the Step trial, highlighted the importance of fi nding broad, neu- a result of a low level of pre-existing immunity to H1N1 rather tralizing antibodies to account for viral diversity by targeting than of any intrinsic properties of the strain. One researcher also conserved features of HIV virus variants. found that prior seasonal fl u exposure conferred some protec- Pre-clinical trials in non-human primates have also proved tion against aerosol acquisition of the pandemic strain. fruitful, yielding important clues to mechanisms of protection. Appearance of the virus in the gastrointestinal tracts of autop- Both clinically and pre-clinically, a homologous modifi ed vac- sied victims represented another break with seasonal virus behav- cinia Ankara virus prime/ boost pair signifi cantly increased a ior, but virus pathology did closely mimic that of the 1918 pan- cytotoxic T-cell response without increasing the population of demic virus. One remarkable diff erence between the pandemic the virus’s target helper T cells, and “signifi cantly protected” ma- and seasonal strains was their most aff ected populations. Only one caques against viral challenges. Other studies revealed promis- New York City victim of the pandemic was over age 65, whereas ing results for computationally-derived “mosaic” antigens that most seasonal fl u fatalities occur in that age group. Th e most at are derived from many antigen sequences, and also for live, at- risk subpopulation is just one of many unpredictable factors – it tenuated viruses, which, though not good vaccine candidates changes, as one presenter put it, “with each viral emergence.” themselves, do provide insight into the subset of induced im- Despite the quick response from researchers and govern- mune responses that confer protection against infection. ment agencies, accelerated vaccine development, and success- Researchers, enthused by clinical and pre-clinical results, ful release of information to the public, preparedness could still agreed that a successful vaccine will likely need to combine the be increased. But, since no one can predict the whole trajectory approaches’ eff ective elements by incorporating central and ef- of a pandemic, attendees highlighted the importance of general fector memory cell stimulation, cellular and antibody targets, preparation strategies such as increasing virus surveillance, im- and aspects of mosaic antigen design. HIV’s taxonomy reveals proving lab and diagnostic capacity, and incorporating severity the virus’s many leaps between primates and humans and be- markers into “pandemic” phase designations. Th ese measures tween human populations, but few leaps were successful without could allow better use of resources and prompt adaptation to ideal transmission conditions. By impeding transmission, vac- changes when pandemics diverge from predictions. cines show real promise against the survival of the whole pan- —Stephanie Kelly demic strain. —Stephanie Kelly

On the Web On the Web Full eBriefi ng by Don Monroe at www.nyas.org/AIDS-eB. Full eBriefi ng by Jennifer Henry at www.nyas.org/swinefl u2-eB.

14 www.nyas.org Science Alliance

Deciding What to Be With a PhD Leaving the bench can seem like a risky endeavor.

bylineby Monica rule Kerr

iven the large number of science following the default path without con- can better advise their trainees, or even PhDs who end up working out- sidering the alternatives. Others put off integrating programs within the curricu- G side academia, the decision to making a decision until the dissertation is lum to make them more visible. What’s leave the bench must be easy, right? Well, turned in or funding runs out. Both lead more, we need to combat the “hidden not exactly. Despite the fact that nonaca- to missed opportunities for engaging in curriculum” persisting in many institu- demic positions are no longer the “alter- activities that could reduce the apparent tions that a PhD in science is only valu- native,” opting for one can appear to be a risk involved in making a career change. able when applied to research. Until other risky endeavor. What’s a PhD (or PhD candidate) to options are acknowledged and embraced Why? It requires deviating from the do? To reduce the uncertainty, it’s impor- as legitimate trajectories for our gradu- straightforward grad school-to-postdoc- tant to dedicate time to self-assessment, ates, leaving the bench will remain a risky to-professor course. Researching non- career exploration and, frankly, getting proposition for many. faculty positions—identifying what they outside the lab. Making any major life decision is hard are, what they entail, and how to get them— Taking the time to identify your skills, and deciding what to be with a PhD is no can be overwhelming, especially without interests, and values is important. Once exception. It is a risk to leave academia, but any guidance or support. Although infor- you have a fi rm grasp on the kind of posi- it can be an informed and calculated risk mation and resources for scientifi c job- tion that will bring the greatest satisfaction, with exceptional payoff . In fact, for some, seekers are increasingly available, students pursuing that path will seem worthwhile the greater risk might be in staying. and postdocs oft en don’t know they exist despite risks involved. Talking to indi- If you need help getting started with or where to begin. And faculty mentors viduals who have made the leap, watch- career exploration, please visit Science tend to be ill-equipped to advise on the ing the interviews on the Science Alliance Alliance online at www.nyas.org/sci- topic. As a result, the path away from aca- Director’s Journal, and attending career encealliance. demia tends to remain quite murky. panels can provide additional insight to It can also be fraught with emotional demystify the options. Finally, participat- Monica Kerr, PhD, confl ict. Aft er dedicating so many years ing in non-lab activities will help you to is director of the to working in the lab, it can seem strange develop skills that can be useful for mak- Academy’s Science or counterintuitive to do anything else. ing a career transition. Attending courses Alliance program. Th ere are misconceptions that skills and workshops off ered by your institution Aft er completing learned during graduate and postdoc- and Science Alliance will provide benefi - a PhD in cell biol- toral training are not transferable to other cial education and training, as well. ogy and training fi elds or that there are not rewarding ways Institutions can also do their part as a Curriculum to advance science outside research. Some to ease the transitions of their graduate Fellow at Harvard young postdocs fear “wasting” their de- students and postdocs by making career Medical School, gree or being perceived as a failure if they options transparent and helping them to she left the bench to run the Academy’s aren’t running experiments and writing develop basic job skills. Career and pro- Science Alliance program, which is dedi- papers. Regrettably, these fears can be fessional development programs need to cated to advancing the careers of students reinforced by naysayers who believe that be implemented and trainees need to be and postdocs in science, technology, en- research is the only valid career path for encouraged to avail themselves of these gineering, and mathematics through ca- a science PhD. resources, which I have observed go un- reer education, development and train- All things considered, deciding what derutilized if awareness and support are ing programs for science PhDs provided to be with a PhD can be a source of great lacking. Th is may require informing fac- through seminars, courses, webinars, and

ZMEEL PHOTOGRAPHY / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM (LAB); MICHAEL IAN (KERR) stress and even panic. Some respond by ulty about available resources so that they a dedicated website.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 15 Science Education

Reaching Students Through Teachers The Academy’s K-12 Science Education Program gives educators ﬁ eld trips, lectures, and networking events. bylineby Meghan rule Groome

ew York City is home to 9 ma- and networking opportunities. Teaching jor science research institutions, the Cutting Edge is a series that provides N 25 National Medal of Science scientifi c talks aimed at teachers. In ad- recipients, and more than 475,000 work- dition to excellent content, our speakers, Meghan Groome, PhD, Director of the K-12 ing scientists. Yet with the city’s abundant such as Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfi e, Science Education Initiatives at the Academy scientifi c resources, its public school chil- off er compelling narratives to help stu- dren still struggle in the sciences, lagging dents understand the Nature of Science. In addition to our stellar teacher by most measures of scientifi c literacy. Upcoming speakers include Mariette events, Academy membership connects Th e 2005 Trial Urban District Assessment DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scien- teachers to the Academy’s scientifi c off er- from the National Assessment of Educa- tifi c American, and Ben Oppenheimer, a ings including discussion groups, Science tional Progress showed that the city’s 4th- comparative exoplanetary scientist at the & the City talks, conferences, and almost and 8th-grade students fell 20 or more American Museum of Natural History 150 years of the Annals of the New York percentage points below the national av- and past awardee in the Blavatnik Awards Academy of Sciences. erage in scientifi c achievement. for Young Scientists. Our content talks Our goal is to help link teachers to the Additionally, according to the NYC are available as multimedia presentations amazing resources that New York has to Department of Education, black and called eBriefi ngs and can be shared with off er. Th is is possible thanks to the gener- Hispanic students—two minority groups students and colleagues. ous backing of our donors and partners, comprising the majority of the student Our second series, Discovering the and the hard work of our steering com- body—continually perform lower than Urban Environment, allows teachers to mittee, headed by Professor Fernand white and Asian/Pacifi c Islander students try out scientifi c fi eld trips that are eas- Brunschwig and composed of leaders in on New York State assessments at the ily accessible on public transportation science education High School level, with a 22 point gap and low cost or free. On our fi rst trip, 60 How Academy members can get in- identifi ed between white and black stu- teachers explored the wetlands of Ran- volved: dents in 2009. dall’s Island. On others, teachers will tour » Help us build our professional de- Given the startling disconnect between the World Trade Center Path Station, the velopment calendar for teachers by New York as a science city and New York Second Avenue subway line, and the Har- emailing opportunities to scieed@ as a science education city, the Academy lem DNA Lab. nyas.org. is well poised to knit those two commu- Finally, we off er a series of Outreach » Suggest a fi eld trip, great speaker, nities together and fi nd ways to link and Rountables to help teachers connect to each or resource for our upcoming pro- leverage opportunities with resources. other and the informal science education gramming. Th e Academy recently began off ering community—two groups with the shared » Come to one of our education events, programming aimed at teachers with the mission to increase student access to great especially the Outreach roundtables. mission to connect teachers to profes- science. While we do off er a range of pro- Th ey’re great for meeting teachers sional development opportunities, stu- fessional development options, all of them and sharing ideas of how to work dent programs, and great science content. have the express goal of building a commu- together! We do that by off ering our own program- nity of science teachers in New York. » Let us know what great education ming, but also by providing a calendar of All of our events are free to Academy outreach you and your organization upcoming professional development. members and are available for profession- are doing. Teachers have a lot of great options for al development hours. We also strongly » And send your ideas for how we can professional development in New York, encourage participants to bring students meet our goals to me at mgroome@ so we’ve focused on three main types of and colleagues to our events. nyas.org. programming: content talks, fi eld trips,

16 www.nyas.org Cover Story

Science & Prizes How open innovation networks can help solve scientiﬁ c puzzles.

bylineby Adrienne rule J. Burke

n a day and age when “thinking outside the box” is univer- sally touted as the fastest path to scientifi c and technological I innovation, incentive prize contests have come to be seen as one of the most creative ways to generate groundbreaking ideas. Here’s how it works: Broadcast a challenge with specifi c parameters and reward whoever solves it fi rst. Th is simple but increasingly popular approach to tackling scientifi c problems goes so far outside the box, in fact, that winning solutions frequently come from completely unexpected or even unknown entities. Consider the solvers in some recent contests: It was a concrete industry chemist in Illinois who fi gured out how to separate fro- zen oil from water in an Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup challenge. A human resources professional posed a winning research question in a Harvard diabetes challenge. A Columbia University experimental astrophysicist won a Bill and Melinda Gates Foun- dation challenge for suggesting a new approach to controlling malaria. And a team of West Philadelphia high-school kids built a super-effi cient car that was a strong contender for an X Prize. Even one of the most celebrated incentive contests in history is legendary for its surprising winner: a self-educated English watchmaker won Parliament’s £23,000 Longitude Prize for in- venting the marine chronometer in the 18th century. Extracting ideas from untapped sources is largely the point of incentive contests. Proponents of the approach, which is sometimes called crowdsourcing or open innovation, frequently quote the wisdom of Sun Microsystems founder Bill Joy: “No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.” When a problem has stumped your fi eld’s experts, they say, casting the net to a broader, more diverse, and multidisciplinary population can yield amazing solutions. In fact, studies by Harvard Business School professor and innovation researcher Karim Lakhani have shown that winning solutions in challenge contests are most likely to come from solvers whose area of expertise is six disciplines removed from the problem. ANDREW JOHNSON / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 17 Cover Story

At Scientists Without Borders, a program conceived by the that, to be suitable, a problem must be able to be very well de- New York Academy of Sciences in conjunction with the United fi ned, and the parameters for winning very clear. Nations’ Millennium Project, Executive Director Shaifali Puri “An explicitly identifi ed goal is essential to focusing the says a web-enabled platform for seeking and suggesting solutions world’s attention on a challenge,” Serazin says, “and the achieve- to science and technology challenges in the developing world is ment of the goal must be measurable.” He points to contests such yielding input from a global and multidisciplinary set of innova- as the Ansari X Prize, which promised $10 million to the team tors. Th e same is true at the Gates Foundation, where Program that could build and launch a spacecraft capable of carrying three Offi cer Andrew Serazin says the fi ve-year, $100 million Grand people to 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface twice within Challenges Explorations initiative to promote innovation in glob- two weeks. Contestants’ performance could be measured so that al health has successfully harvested ideas from a highly diverse set it would be clear who the winner was. “In health and biomedi- of people. “We’ve gotten some promising projects out of it, and cine, getting that kind of specifi city is not easy,” he warns. we’ve gotten as much value out of reading applications,” he says. Nor should incentive contests be seen as a cheap way to Th e startup costs for getting into the challenge-posing game outsource R&D. Forming and managing a challenge requires can be surprisingly low. Platforms such as Scientists Without substantial internal knowledge and resources. Th e genome re- Borders and businesses like InnoCentive, IdeaConnection, searcher Craig Venter hosted a DNA sequencing challenge for NineSigma, and OmniCompete that facilitate contests for so- several years before turning it over to the X Prize Foundation called “seekers,” make it easy for anyone to post a problem on- to administer. With the level of expertise and management the line and fi eld solutions from around the world. You don’t need to contest demands, he says, “it costs several million dollars to run off er a huge monetary reward to sponsor a successful incentive a contest to give away $10 million.” As Chesbrough notes, prize contest, either. Serazin contends that as little as a few thousand competitions aren’t going to render the internal R&D depart- dollars can draw contestants, and plenty of seekers on Puri’s site ment obsolete, but they can complement, extend, and inform it. get input without off ering any reward at all. A small but growing segment of the business world agrees Even if your organization isn’t ready to post its challenges with him. According to a widely cited study by the consulting to the outside world, simply employing the philosophies and fi rm McKinsey, almost $250 million was awarded to prize- practices of incentive contests can spur innovation within your winning problem solvers between 2000 and 2007. Large corpo- own workplace. InnoCentive CEO Dwayne Spradlin notes, “Th e rations, small businesses, philanthropies, universities, govern- challenge-based approach is a fun way to get people inside an ment agencies, and nonprofi ts—from GE to the Gates Founda- organization involved in solving a problem.” tion, from NASA to Scientists Without Borders (see “Th e Solver Henry Chesbrough, the executive director of the Center for Community Responds,” p. 19)—are among the organizations Open Innovation at University of California, Berkeley, Haas now off ering cash to outsiders who can meet their challenges. School of Business says, “Any organization has biases, myopia, InnoCentive, one of the best known companies serving the in- previous experiences that advantage certain approaches and dis- centive contest market, has hosted more than 1,000 challenges courage or discount others. A contest can transcend these cogni- since 2001 and boasts a solver community of more than 200,000 tive barriers.” individuals in 200 countries. Robynn Sturm, advisor for open innovation at the White House Offi ce of Science and Technology Contest limits and benefi ts Policy, says challenges should be a part of any innovation portfo- While useful, contests also have their limits. And not every sci- lio. Today, analysts estimate the incentive-based prize market at entifi c puzzle lends itself to the challenge format. Experts agree $2 billion and growing. President Obama is accountable for some of that projected growth. He recently called on fed- eral agencies to increase their use of prizes and challenges to spur innovation. “Prizes and challenges are not the right tool for every problem, but right now they’re being so underutilized that it’s safe for us to call on all agencies to increase their use,” says Sturm. Already, the White House- sponsored Challenge.gov website features nearly 60 government challenges, and a banner there encourages government agency leaders to “challenge the world.” Government-sponsored contests are inspiring citizens of all stripes to off er up novel solutions to national problems such as childhood obesity, energy storage, and keeping astronauts’ food fresh in outer space. OSTP Deputy Director for Policy, Tom Kalil, says that, in addition to increasing the number and diversity of minds tackling a problem, contests off er several advantages over traditional

grantmaking, including freeing the government ANDREW JOHNSON / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

18 www.nyas.org to pay only for results, not for unfruitful research. Th e approach, scientifi c and technological breakthroughs in global develop- he says, also “allows us to establish a bold and important goal ment. She says, “Scientists Without Borders enables members of without having to choose the path or the team that is most likely our community to work together and combine their resources to succeed.” and expertise to take action and accelerate progress.” Puri says Adds Sturm, “Prizes and challenges allow you to see a num- she believes the challenge approach will “move the needle by ber of diff erent approaches all at once. With a grant or contract, generating, refi ning, or unearthing eff ective solutions and then you have to pick your course and cross your fi ngers. With a prize, getting them deployed as widely as possible.” you can say, ‘Th is is our goal, and we’re happy to pay anyone who Craig Venter notes one more benefi t of incentive contests: hits it, however they do it.’” they can serve as truth serum against exaggerated claims and Scientists Without Borders’ Puri uses challenges as one part marketing spiel. When Venter joined forces with the X Prize of an open innovation platform designed specifi cally to generate Foundation to establish the $10 million Archon Genomics X

The Solver Community Responds Scientists Without Borders Enables an Open Innovation Challenge

Scientists Without Borders issued its fi rst challenge and prize in of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University; and Ricardo Uauy, November 2010. To combat developing-world birth defects and a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine infant mortality stemming from maternal malnourishment, the chal- and former president of the International Union of Nutritional Sci- lenge called for methods to eradicate folic acid defi ciencies. The ences were vested with the independent authority to identify the winning solution would be low-cost, easy-to-implement, and scal- appropriate parameters, specifi c focus area, and criteria for the able. And it would enable women to readily and easily fortify staple challenge, and they were enlisted to ensure the scientifi c rigor and foods with folic acid at home or in their community. A $10,000 independence of the contest. The three are also assisting Scien- prize for the winning solution was sponsored by Scientists Without tists Without Borders in selecting the prize-winning solution. Borders’ partner, PepsiCo. To reach the widest array of solvers, Scientists Without Borders The challenge was disseminated to hundreds of thousands of also partnered with InnoCentive, a company that Puri says shares people through a variety of channels, including the broad solver her view of the importance and utility of prizes for global develop- network of Scientists Without Borders’ partner InnoCentive, and ment challenges. Scientists Without Borders will publish the winning within a month nearly 350 individuals had registered to participate. solution online, work with the solver, if possible, to translate the idea By the December 13 deadline, 64 had submitted proposed solu- to a viable intervention, and rally resources to scale the solution. tions, and 51 were accepted for review by an expert committee. The value of the Scientists Without Borders model is acknowl- More than four dozen ideas for combating a critical cause edged by partners including PepsiCo. “The work that Scientists of infant mortality and birth defects proposed by a diverse and Without Borders is doing is critically important,” says Mehmood global group of solvers in the space of one month. It’s a powerful Khan, Chief Executive Offi cer, Global Nutrition Group/Chief Scien- example of the way networks can be engaged to tackle the world’s tifi c Offi cer, PepsiCo. “Combating global undernutrition is some- most critical challenges. It’s also early validation of Scientists With- thing PepsiCo is equally committed to, and achieving success will out Borders’ unique new approach to tackling those challenges. require collaborative efforts across multiple sectors.” Scientists Without Borders was conceived of by the New York Puri notes that, while Scientists Without Borders will offer in- Academy of Sciences in conjunction with the United Nations Mil- centive prizes for partnered challenges such as the folic acid chal- lennium Project. The Academy—with its world-class network of lenge, those will appear side-by-side with grassroots challenges scientists and partners in 140 countries—is Scientists Without posted by users in the fi eld or at work. Borders’ lead partner in applying science and technology to global At present, a user from Kenya seeks “ideas for developing a development challenges. The original Scientists Without Borders global, coordinated clinical and research effort to improve care web platform, launched in 2008, established a database of scientists and survival rates” for the childhood eye cancer retinoblastoma. and resources and a large expert network. More recently, Executive Another from Cameroon seeks a model to achieve the manpower, Director Shaifali Puri unveiled a platform- and strategy-redesign to parts, and service capacity to build a successful pharmaceutical better engage the community’s 5,000 users and leverage the pro- production sector there. And a third seeks methods for purifying grams’ partners and experts. Having integrated these vast networks water for domestic use along a four kilometer channel that passes and resources, Puri says Scientists Without Borders is uniquely through a Ugandan slum. positioned to tackle global development with innovative solutions. In some cases, the solution for a challenge will be readily She says the folic acid challenge “exemplifi es the unique as- known. As Puri points out, geographic and disciplinary silos have sets and resources Scientists Without Borders brings to global long stood in the way of communicating or applying existing sci- development.” To develop and frame the specifi c challenge, an ence and technology to the problems of the developing world. advisory panel of three of the world’s leading nutrition science and Though most user-generated Scientists Without Borders challenges policy experts stepped in. Maternal, newborn, and child health won’t come with a cash incentive, Puri says, “Surfacing these com- expert Zulfi qar Bhutta of Aga Khan University in Pakistan; Eileen mon and shared problems will excite the inherent interest, altruism, Kennedy, Dean of the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School and expertise of solvers who can generate or refi ne solutions.” –AJB

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 19 Cover Story

Seeking a challenge? Prize the idea was to incite progress in genomic sequencing technologies and to get beyond what he considers to be industry Or a solution? spin about the state of the art. Th e winner will be, specifi cally, the fi rst team to build a device and use it to sequence 100 human Incentive contests for a plethora of scientifi c genomes within 10 days or less, with an accuracy of no more problems, in fi elds from artifi cial intelligence to than one error in every 100,000 bases sequenced, with sequences digital forensics, can be found on the following websites. Barriers to entry are usually low, accurately covering at least 98 percent of the genome, and at a and prizes can be large. If you’re considering recurring cost of no more than $10,000 per genome. “You can’t issuing your own challenges, these websites fake it,” Venter says. “Th ere will be clear winners for a set of stan- can also be useful. Some are incentive con- dards.” If prizes and contests can incentivize people and provide test administrators. a reality check of all the claims that are out there, he says, “then they can really help science move ahead.” Challenge.gov // challenge.gov An online challenge platform administered by Incentivized in academia the U.S. General Services Administration in What does a scientist, lab head, or manager need to know to partnership with ChallengePost that empow- enter the challenge arena? Tom Kalil points to the Harvard ers the U.S. Government and the public to bring the best ideas and Catalyst/InnoCentive Type 1 Diabetes Ideation Challenge as an top talent to bear on our nation’s most pressing challenges. This platform is the latest milestone in the Administration’s commitment example of how the scientifi c community can use challenges— to use prizes and challenges to promote innovation. both within an organization and more broadly—to generate not just technological solutions, but new research ideas. Grand Challenges in Global Health // www.grandchallenges.org With funding from the National Center for Research Re- Fosters scientifi c and technological innovation to solve key health sources, the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Cen- problems in the developing world. The initiative includes the Grand ter off ered a cash reward for winning answers to the question, Challenges in Global Health grant program and the newer Grand “What do we not know to cure type 1 diabetes?” Contestants Challenges Explorations grant program. were asked to formulate well-defi ned problems aimed at advancing knowledge about, and ultimately eradicating, the disease. IdeaConnection // www.ideaconnection.com Th e challenge was open to the entire Harvard community Formed in 2007, IdeaConnection takes on Challenges from companies large and small. With diverse teams, world-class facilitators, as well as InnoCentive’s 200,000 solvers. Ultimately, nearly 800 and a high ‘solve’ rate, users solve problems ranging from nano- respondents expressed interest in the contest, 150 submissions technology, virtual reality, biochemistry, to marketing and sociology. were evaluated, and 12 winners were each awarded a $2,500 prize. Th e winners included a patient, an undergraduate student, InnoCentive // www2.innocentive.com an MD/PhD student, a human resources representative, and re- A company designed to help expand customers’ innovation capa- searchers from unrelated scientifi c fi elds. bilities by building a more collaborative approach to problem solv- Eva Guinan, director of the Harvard Catalyst Linkages pro- ing, and providing the means to tap into the best minds within a gram and associate director of Clinical/Translational Research company as well as creative problem solvers throughout the world. at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says the contest itself was an experiment to see how the model could work in an academic NineSigma // www.ninesigma.com biomedical environment, given that researchers are traditionally Engaging companies across all industry sectors with the global innovation community, and enabling organizations to leverage an dis-incentivized from collaborating. She says top-down manage- open innovation network of external resources to solve immediate ment support was one key to securing widespread participation. challenges, fi ll product pipelines, and integrate new knowledge and In an email to the tens of thousands members of the Harvard capabilities into their organizations. community, from deans to janitors, President Drew Faust en- dorsed every employee’s participation in the challenge, suggest- OmniCompete // www.omnicompete.com ing that it would “help stimulate innovative thinking and poten- A central hub for security innovators, start-ups, and investors. tial new understandings and therapies.” Hosts competitions and events around the globe. “Companies need to open up and break down boundaries between departments,” Spradlin says. He points to a recent In- Scientists Without Borders // www.scientistswithoutborders.org noCentive client—a large engineering organization that hosted Scientists Without Borders is a web-based collaborative community dedicated to generating, sharing, and advancing innovative an incentive contest internally, but opened the competition only science and technology-based solutions to the world’s most press- to staff ers with information technology backgrounds. “We told ing global development challenges. them to run the contest all over the company. Th e solution came from someone in the fi nance department.” The X Prize Foundation // www.xprize.org An educational nonprofi t organization whose mission is to create Be a seeker and a solver radical breakthroughs for the benefi t of humanity, thereby inspir- Harvard’s Karim Lakhani suggests scientists can spur innovation ing the formation of new industries, jobs, and the revitalization of in their own labs just by participating in contests, either as solv- markets that are currently stuck. ers or seekers. “Oft en scientists and PIs get narrowly focused in one area, but we know that being exposed to new questions and

expanding your horizons can yield creativity,” he says. “Th ere ANDREW JOHNSON / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

20 www.nyas.org might be a very interesting problem out there that lets you di- “We know that the people within a community are the best rectly export and apply knowledge from your fi eld to a diff erent source of intelligence about the problems they face, and that the fi eld. Th at creative expression is worthwhile in itself, and work- challenges of one country, sector, or discipline might have been ing on another problem may unlock a problem in your fi eld.” solved already in another,” Puri explains. “By linking multi-sector, For would-be seekers, he suggests a strategic approach: Th ere cross-disciplinary actors, we enable relevant information and ideas might be problems you are stuck on, or a set of problems that to fl ow in both directions and we empower people in their own aren’t high priority for your lab but need to be knocked off your communities to more effi ciently advance their own solutions.” list, he says. Th ose would be worth broadcasting to see if out- But as Puri and others employing the challenge approach siders come up with interesting solutions. “Take a portfolio ap- to scientifi c problem solving note, eliciting solutions is just the proach to your lab,” he says. “Decompose your problems and starting point. “Platforms like the one we have built can bring express them in modules. Th en be strategic about them and say, the community together to generate and share ideas and transfer ‘I think we’d benefi t from outside perspectives here.’ It’s a very resources, but it will take more than individuals to turn solutions diff erent way to do science.” into scale and impact,” Puri says. Edward Jung, founder and CTO of Intellectual Ventures Whether in the global development niche that Scientists in Seattle, says that crucial to results is the problem statement. Without Borders fi lls or in a scientifi c laboratory looking to ig- “If you’re trying to invent the Boeing 787, you don’t put out a nite its members’ creativity, open innovation tools like incentive request to invent an airplane,” he says. “You divide it up into contests and challenges can be powerful and inspiring ways to smaller, tractable pieces such as, ‘design a more effi cient way of tap human ingenuity. modulating turbine blades.’” And Harvard’s Eva Guinan adds a word of caution: Before launching a challenge, “you really have to be convinced that it’s Learn who won the Scientists Without Borders Nutrition Challenge! what your organization wants to do. Th ere are a lot of people who aren’t believers.” With internal challenges, beware of managers Scientists Without Borders off ered $10,000 in prizes for the most who don’t buy in. “Th ere can be complaints such as, ‘Th is person innovative ideas that off er low-cost, easy-to-implement, scalable is working for me, and I don’t appreciate that they’re sitting on methods that enable women, at home or in their community, to their computer working for someone else,’” Guinan says. Others fortify or supplement staple foods with folic acid. Read about the can be so hung up on the belief that the PhD is the smartest per- winning solutions at www.scientistswithoutborders.org. son in the room, that they’re not willing to consider input from anyone without an academic pedigree. “You have to be willing to push this as an issue of social and cultural change,” Guinan says. Karim Lakhani points to one more secret of incentive contests: Participants oft en aren’t motivated by the money. “Most ScienceAlliance people know they’re going to lose, but they participate anyway,” he says. Instead, participants are drawn by the opportunities to be part of a group eff ort, work on an interesting problem, learn something new, achieve a clear goal, and get feedback on their work. “Th is is at the heart of why people do science,” he says. What’s next in incentivizing science? At the forefront of new models for hosting challenges is the grassroots, collaborative approach to problem solving that Scien- tists Without Borders enables. While the platform is also host to competitive incentive-prize contests, such as a current PepsiCo- sponsored challenge that seeks ideas for curbing folic acid defi ciency, it also enables users to seek input from the broad and THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011 global Scientists Without Borders community—engendering a Bargaining for Success: Mastering the Science of Negotiation teamwork approach to solving the challenges of the developing Join us as Mike Blank, member of the law faculty at world. Explains Executive Director Puri, “We don’t just want Georgetown University Law center, introduces a systematic people to fi nd each other—we want them to work together and framework for negotiating that will help you achieve better combine their resources and expertise to take action and accel- outcomes in personal and professional dealings. erate progress.” Unique among organizations that facilitate challenges, Sci- www.nyas.org/ScienceofNegotiation entists Without Borders provides user-friendly online modules that allow anyone to frame and post a challenge, off ers an expert advisory panel for guidance, and enables users to help each other solve problems regardless of where the challenges exist or users reside. Puri calls it a “bottom-up, user-generated challenge model that will surface barriers on the ground, in the fi eld, or at the bench that might otherwise be overlooked.”

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 21 Book Excerpt

SSocialocial BBehaviorehavior NNetworksetworks TThehe SSexesexes IInn a nnewew bbook,ook, AAcademycademy mmemberember aandnd RRockefelleroc&kefeller UUniversityniversity PProfessorrofessor DDonaldonald PPfafffaff explainsexplains ddifferencesifferences bbetweenetween hhowow mmenen aandnd wwomenomen hhaveave eevolvedvolved ttoo bbondond aandnd ccooperate.ooperate.

euroscientists are very interested in discovering mecha- Women during pregnancy, and carrying small infants, could nisms in the brain that lead to our social behaviors. As hardly do the running, hunting, and gathering as well as the N we study social behaviors in laboratory animals, certain male could. So, a mutually cooperative relation between male sex diff erences become obvious. Let’s start with the fi rst step, so- and female became essential. Monogamy, loyalty, and friendship cial recognition. all encourage our positive, helpful and, in a word, altruistic re- In the movie, Th e Changeling, the mother Christine (Ange- sponses toward each other. As I said in my book, Th e Neurosci- lina Jolie) knows without any doubt that the child returned to ence of Fair Play, friendly, cooperative behaviors require brain her by the Los Angeles police is not her lost son. Mothers know. mechanisms—hormonal, genetic, neural—that subsequently be- Same for animals. Th e Harvard anthropologist Lucien Barbash- come available to support a wide variety of friendly, supportive Taylor has fi lmed examples of female sheep, mothers who are be- behaviors that have nothing directly to do with sex or maternal ing asked, in the name of farming effi ciency, to take care of newly behaviors. In evolutionary terms, that is, once the mechanisms born lambs that are not their own. But do they recognize this? required for male/female courtship and sexual behaviors are in Th ey can be fooled. If, and only if, within 24 hours of their giving place, they are at the service of more complex social relations of birth, the foster lambs are covered with the foster mother’s own a positive, cooperative sort. And all of those friendly behaviors amniotic fl uid, the farmer has a win. Th at ewe will “recognize require social recognition. the kid as her own” and will take care of the foster lamb. Th is Since identifi cation of another as distinct from, or similar to maternal behavior gives us an example of social recognition, and oneself plays a major role in the chapter, I must ask: How exactly social recognition lies at the basis of all loving care. In fact, as do we recognize others for who they are, as distinct from our- I’ll describe in this chapter, social recognition lies beneath all selves? We are beginning to piece together the molecular basis of friendly behaviors. To befriend someone we must fi rst recognize social recognition through brain research on laboratory animals. him and know that he will not harm us. As distinct from humans, whose visual and auditory capacities are Th e people we grow up recognizing, and usually have a good, so rich and strong, these laboratory animals tend to rely on smell. warm feeling about, and from whom we certainly should not ex- Because virtually all pheromones and other odors signal through pect harm, are those in our own family. Historically, we had the basal forebrain pathways that lead to the amygdala, this collec- concept of an economic unit in which the mother, father, and tion of neurons once again comes into play. Pheromonal signals children work eff ectively together; for example, on a family farm. from the accessory olfactory bulb impact the medial nucleus of Th e physical anthropologist Helen Fisher tells us in her book the amygdale, while volatile olfactory signals from the main ol- Why We Love that this kind of bonding became especially im- factory bulb converge on the other amygdaloid cell groups. portant for women aft er humans developed a striding walk. Th at Biologist Elena Choleris investigated these mechanisms is to say, this kind of pair bonding must have evolved by at least when she was in my lab at Rockefeller University. Choleris, born three million years ago, thus reinforcing the notion that these so- in Italy and raised in Greece, now works in Canada, but has a cial behavior tendencies are basic and profound in our natures. Broadway-bound sense of humor. One day in my lab, she point-

22 www.nyas.org Man & Woman

AN INSIDE STORY ed at a drawing of the very small Y chromosome and wrote on it: “So small and yet so dangerous!” Elena studied female mice because among lower mammalian species, such as the rodent species, females form social bonds much more readily than males. Th ese laboratory rodents, having poor vision and being noctur- Donald W. Pfaff, PhD nal in their habits, depend largely on olfaction and on pheromones for their social recognition capacities. Choleris analyzed the abilities of female mice to recognize other females using pre- cise assays that told us not only how the test females got used to females they recognized—and knew that those intruder females did not represent any threat—but also told us how the test females would reawaken their investigative responses when a new, strange female was introduced. We studied genetically normal mice, and then compared their social recognition performance to that of their littermates in which the oxytocin gene had been “knocked out,” or either of two sex hormone receptor genes had been knocked out—estrogen receptor-alpha, or estrogen recep- gens, having circulated in the blood, also are retained by neurons tor-beta. We manipulated these sex hormone receptor genes be- in the amygdala, where they turn on the gene for the oxytocin cause in lower mammals, many aspects of social behavior occur receptor (OTR). Th us, elevated levels of OTR are there, ready to in hormonally-dependent settings connected with reproduction. receive and react to the OT transported from the hypothalamus. Choleris found that “knocking out” any one of those three genes Choleris emphasized that concurrent expression of these vari- would signifi cantly reduce all aspects of social recognition. ous genes in their respective diff erent locations in the forebrain Choleris put those results together with a long and strong would be crucial for social recognition to work correctly. literature on the molecular actions of estrogens in the brain, and Th e fact that these molecular events take place in the amygda- her understanding of how mice use olfaction and pheromones la is important for two reasons. First, it is to the amygdala that to recognize each other. She came up with a coherent story that olfactory and pheromonal signals signal, providing the basis for links social behaviors to reproduction. Th e female mouse’s ova- social recognition. Second, it is precisely in the amygdala where ries secrete estrogens as the animal is getting ready to ovulate. OT, working through OTR, fosters increased social recognition. Circulating in the blood, these estrogens are retained by neurons Jennifer Ferguson, a graduate student working with Th omas In- in the hypothalamus, and in those neurons the estrogens turn sel when he was at Emory University, found that microinjections on the gene that codes for oxytocin (OT). Th e elevated levels of of OT to the amygdala improved social recognition. Conversely, OT are transported to the amygdala. At the same time, the estro- Choleris and I used a special molecular trick called antisense

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 23 Book Excerpt

DNA to block gene expression for OTR in the amygdale, and that is ratifi ed by a mathematical approach reported in Nature in decreased social recognition. As a result, from molecular chemi- 2009 by mathematicians Vincent Jansen and Minus van Baalen, cal details, through neuroanatomy, through animal behavior, we at the University of London. By simulating what would happen understand quite comprehensively how OT and OTR operating in social confl ict, setting cooperative instincts against selfi sh in- in the amygdala foster social recognition in mice. Additionally, stincts, and by assuming that social recognition and altruism are we see that it operates in the context of reproductive hormones. always inherited together, Jansen and van Baalen mathematically I have argued in my MIT book, Drive, that these primitive tested the implications of the simplest idea: that social recogni- molecular and neuroanatomical relations have been retained tion and altruism both depended exclusively on the same gene. in the human brain, and operate in much the same way. But, of Th eir calculations revealed that that coinheritance would lead to course, our social relationships depend on myriad cultural habits great instability. and customs overlaying the primitive, sexy drives, and depend- Social cooperation would bounce from absent to present, ing on our newly evolved cerebral cortex, even as, neuroanatom- depending on whether or not that single gene existed in an in- ically, the human cerebral cortex overlays the human amygdala. dividual, in a manner that would not be suffi cient to support a I note that Elena Choleris’ model of social recognition, even normal society, animal or human. If, instead, they assumed that in these laboratory mice, does not invoke a simple-minded state- social recognition and altruism were caused by “loosely coupled ment that claims “one gene/one behavior”—i.e., turn on gene A separate genes,” then the potential would increase for the devel- and behavior B pops out. Newspaper reporters sometimes talk opment of a variety of recognizable features across the popula- that way, because classically in genetics, decades ago, George tion that would greatly foster altruistic behavior. Jansen and van Beadle and Edward Tatum, studying the fungus Neurospora, Baalen’s conclusion is important because it provides a genetic won the Nobel Prize for their “one gene/one enzyme” concept. mechanism by which people could recognize each other as al- But modern neuroscientists have moved beyond that. In my lab, truistic and behave appropriately even if they are not in the same to explain mechanisms for behaviors that are diff erent between family or otherwise related to each other. males and females, we have shown that patterns of genes govern Biologists have long ago grasped how social behavior net- patterns of behaviors. works have evolved among all animals with backbones, verte- Nor does Choleris try to wrap up the explanation of social brates, encompassing a range of animals from fi sh through the recognition and altruism in a single gene. Her reluctance to do types of laboratory mammals whose maternal behavior I described previously. Even in fi sh, neurobiologist James Goodson and his colleagues at the University of California at San Diego Green Science & can discern hypothalamic/amygdala relations of the sort that Sustainability Program Elena Choleris identifi ed. Goodson also sees that in fi sh, social behaviors in the form of vocalizations are linked to their requirements for reproduction. Birdsong provides us with an- Th e program focuses on strategies to abate the environmen- other obvious example. In many bird species, males sing much tal impact of urban regions. We seek to build community, more than females and use their songs to control their territories develop a deeper understanding of the fi eld, and disseminate and attract females. But for the main arguments of this book, the knowledge generated by leveraging the Academy’s extensive network. Participate in our upcoming discussions: extending the story to higher mammals such as nonhuman primates and thence to humans is most important. In the words of Robert Axelrod, computer scientist at the University of Michi- gan, once the genes for cooperative behavior have evolved, natural selection of optimal social behaviors will operate and will produce “strategies that base cooperative behavior on cues from MARCH 2, 2011 Facing the Elements: Transportation System the environment.” Resilience in an Era of Extreme Weather and Climate Change Reprinted with permission from Man & Woman by Donald Pfaff www.nyas.org/TransportationSystem published by Oxford University Press, Inc. © 2010 Oxford Uni- versity Press.

Donald W. Pfaff , PhD, professor and head of the Laboratory of MARCH 24, 2011 Neurobiology and Behavior at Th e Rockefeller University, is a brain Achieving Urban Infrastructure scientist who uses neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neuro- Efﬁ ciencies through Building Networks physiological methods to study the cellular mechanisms by which www.nyas.org/BuildingNetworks the brain controls behavior. He is the author of several books, and he will speak at the Academy about Man and Woman: An Inside Story on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 PM. For more information and registration details please see www.nyas.org/manandwoman.

24 www.nyas.org THIS WEEK NEWS IN FOCUS Opinionated editorials, Analysis of international hard hitting views, science policy, business and a succinct round and community news up of global science important to you and in your ﬁ eld. written by award- winningwinnin journalists.

COMMENTT CAREERS Leading commentariesmentaries InformationIn on written by worldrld grants,gran programs authorities and and industry trends continuing debate coupled with advice on the issues that to point you toward matter to you. career success.

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22452-97 NYAS ad 2.indd 1 19/11/10 14:18:49 Academy Calendar For further details on meetings and conferences, visit our calendar at www.nyas.org/events.

Wed, Feb 23 • 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Sat, Mar 5 • 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM February Quid Pro Quo: The Ecology of The Self TEDxNYED Philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flana- An all-day conference focusing on empower- Th u, Feb 17 • 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM gan and psychologists Paul Bloom and Roy ing innovation in education. Wonders of Nature and Miracles of Baumeister will examine current biological, Medicine: Popularizing Science in psychological, and anthropological research Mon, Mar 7 • 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM LIFE Magazine on the complex interaction between the Self The Systems Biology of Aging and Bert Hansen of Baruch College speaks at this and others and will consider the roots of Neurodegenerative Diseases event hosted by the Lyceum Society, which empathy and morality. Systems and computational biologists is comprised of the Academy’s retired and Domenico Accili (Columbia University), semi-retired members. All Academy mem- Th u, Feb 24 • 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM David Galas (Institute for Systems Biology, bers are welcome. Thinking about Teaching: Myths and Seattle, WA) and David T. Burke (Institute of Realities of Becoming an Educator Gerontology, University of Michigan) com- Th u, Feb 17 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Th inking about teaching? Th is panel discus- bine methodologies to examine aging and Historic Tales of the Periodic Table: sion includes scientists who have changed neurodegenerative diseases, covering genetics An Evening with Sam Kean their focus from research and industry to and the development and application of new From the Big Bang through the end of time, education. Moderated by Hilleary Osheroff of technologies, to increase our understanding join Science & the City for an evening of tales the American Museum of Natural History. of these complex biological networks. from the Periodic Table with author and science journalist Sam Kean. Mon, Feb 28 • 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Tue, Mar 8 • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Why Your Fat Is Good For You NYC Science Outreach Roundtable: Tue, Feb 22 • 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Adipose tissue contains adipokines, hormone Professional Development Educators’ Tour of the WTC Transit Hub receptors, growth factors and complex func- Join your fellow teachers and representatives Teachers have the opportunity to tour the tions that aff ect reproduction, energy balance from online, summer, and graduate programs World Trade Center Transit Hub with SKAN- and the pathology of chronic diseases. Ex- to discuss upcoming professional develop- SKA. Th e tour will provide an overview and perts examine a dominant factor in chronic ment opportunities around the world. history of the site and discuss the large-scale overnutrition: adiposity. challenges that the engineers face. Mar 9 - 11 Advancing Drug Discovery for Tue, Feb 22 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Schizophrenia Sirtuins, Longevity and Adaptations March Th is conference will facilitate the translation to Nutrient Availability of discoveries in basic neuroscience into the Sirtuins are implicated in aging and adapta- Tue, Mar 1 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM development of innovative pharmacological tions to food intake, thus play an important Man and Woman: An Inside Story of agents for the treatment of schizophrenia by role in low-calorie diets. Th e symposium Neurobiology and Sex Differences convening and encouraging dialogue among reveals discoveries in how sirtuins regulate Acclaimed behavioral neurobiologist Donald clinical, translational and basic neuroscientists. biological processes, and modulation of their Pfaff explains the latest research on diff erenc- biochemical properties. es between male and female brain function. Tue, Mar 22 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Are Neurodegenerative Diseases Wed, Feb 23 • 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Wed, Mar 2 • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Spreading? Disease Propagation in Teachers Tour of the Facing the Elements: Transportation Protein Misfolding Disorders 2nd Ave Subway Line System Resilience in an Era of Protein misfolding causes many neurode- Th e Second Avenue Subway is just one of the Extreme Weather and Climate Change generative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, major infrastructure projects overseen by Panelists Kenneth E. Kunkel (NOAA National Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. Th is sympo- the construction fi rm SKANSKA. Educators Climate Data Center), Th omas Abdallah sium reviews breakthroughs in characteristic can get an inside tour (literally) of the site (Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New non-autonomous disease propagation, and and learn about how engineers plan such York City Transit), Adam Freed (Mayor’s reviews the development of novel therapies. complex projects. Offi ce of Long-Term Planning and Sustain- ability), Angela Licata (New York City De- Tue, Mar 22 • 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Wed, Feb 23 • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM partment of Environmental Protection), and Educators’ Tour of Brain: The Evolution of Andy Wiley-Schwartz (NYC Department of The Inside Story Nuclear Fear, 1900-2010 Transportation) address how New York City Join an Educators’ Tour of AMNH’s Brain: Spencer Weart of the American Institute of is building resilience into its transportation Th e Inside Story which brings the latest neu- Technology speaks at this event hosted by infrastructure in order to mitigate the poten- roscience, interactive exhibitions, and vivid the Academy’s History and Philosophy of tial impact of extreme weather events. imagery to highlight the evolutionary history Science Section. of the brain, diseases, chemistry and function.

26 www.nyas.org Meetings Policy

» DATES, TIMES, AND TOPICS OF EVENTS LISTED HERE ARE SUBJECT Wed, Mar 23 • 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM TO CHANGE. For up-to-date The Pursuit of Immortality: April information, including ticket prices, From the Ego to the Soul please visit our online calendar at Are we immortal? Do our souls exist beyond Apr 1 - Apr 3 www.nyas.org/events. our bodies? What scientifi c evidence is there Sixth International Conference for mystical experience? Th ese questions on Ethical Issues in Biomedical and others will be addressed from a cultural, Engineering » Registration is required for most and historical, and scientifi c perspective by evolu- Th is 3-day conference will explore ethi- strongly encouraged for all events. To tionary biologist Kenneth Miller and theolo- cal issues associated with the controversial register to attend an event, please use gians John Haught and Nancey Murphy. nature of some of the new developments in biomedical engineering, and discuss possible the Academy events calendar online at Fri, Mar 25 • 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM guidelines to be followed. www.nyas.org/events or contact the Music, Science & Medicine: meetings department at 212.298.3725 or Frontiers in Biomedical Research Mon, Apr 4 • 2:00 PM – 5:15 PM [email protected]. and Clinical Applications Genome Integrity Discussion Group Meeting Th is conference will foster dialogue be- » Unless noted otherwise, tween music therapists and basic researchers Th e Genome Integrity Discussion Group studying a variety of physiological functions provides a forum for interactions between Academy events are held at: (neurocognitive mechanisms, hormonal and basic and clinical research groups working on The New York Academy of Sciences metabolic responses, pain control, motor chromosome biology and function, and at the 7 World Trade Center functions), and address therapeutic areas interface between chromosome integrity and 250 Greenwich St at Barclay, 40th Fl where music and physiology can synergize. onset and progression of malignancy. New York, NY 10007

Mon, Mar 28 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Mon, Apr 11 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Vaccines Under the Gun: Politics, RNAi-based Genetic Screening: » Photo ID is required for entry. Science, Media and the Law Past, Present & Future Recent outbreaks show that as more children Th is 1-day symposium will explore lessons, go unvaccinated, community immunity challenges, new discoveries and future direc- erodes. Recent legal cases highlight individual tions in the development of RNAi screening rights vs the good of society. Th is symposium technologies and delivery processes. Success- examines historical approaches, legal mea- ful biomedical applications in various human sures and safety considerations. diseases will be presented. Mon, Mar 28 • 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Tue, Apr 12 • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Bringing top science authors A Radical Humanist. Franz Boas at the NYC Science Outreach Roundtable Centennial of The Mind of Primitive Man Join us to discuss issues of scale, faculty to the Academy in 2011 James Boon (Princeton University), Regna and staff certifi cation, and preparation of Darnell (University of Western Ontario) and all students to be successful in early college Special guest speakers in 2011 will Adriana Garriga-Lopez (Kalamazoo College) high schools. include V.S. Ramachandran, Donald speak at this event of the Academy’s Anthro- Pfaff, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Amir pology Section, the crossroads for four-fi eld Tue, Apr 12 • 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Levine, Rachel Heller, Sam Kean, anthropology in the greater New York area. Teaching the Cutting Edge and Peter Kareiva. Ben Oppenheimer of the American Museum Tue, Mar 29 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM of Natural History speaks. Engineer, astro- These authors will be speaking on Pathogens in the Blood Supply physicist, and comparative exoplanetologist topics ranging from the inner workings Routine blood screening protocols test for are all titles that Ben Oppenheimer could wear. of the brain, the neurobiological several common pathogens, but miss others Join us as Dr. Oppenheimer explores how we differences between the sexes, the such as XMRV. Th is symposium will discuss look for life on other planets and why he may effects of love on the brain, the history recent advances in the testing and screening soon add biologist to his list of expertise. of cancer, and much more. of the blood supply as well as suggestions for future directions. Th u, Apr 14 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM A Biography of Cancer: An Evening Get your tickets now at Mar 30 - Apr 1 with Siddharta Mukherjee Critical Contributions of the Th e author of the New York Times top-10 www.nyas.org/scevents Orbitofrontal Cortex to Behavior book of 2010, Th e Emperor of All Maladies, Th is conference will highlight the most recent presents a history of, as well as a glimpse into All these events will take place at the New York advances in understanding the critical contri- the future of, cancer at this Science & the Academy of Sciences, 250 Greenwich St, 40th bution of orbitofrontal cortex to supporting City event. Fl, New York, NY 10007. For additional info, email human behavior across multiple neural circuits. [email protected] or call 212.298.3725.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2011 27 Donor Profi le Patrons of Global Health A gift from The Mortimer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc., will enable the Academy to pursue advances in the crucial area of nutrition science. bylineby Adam rule Ludwig

iblings Mortimer D.A. Sackler and Academy presented a nutrition initiative, Kathe A. Sackler, MD spoke with and we developed their concept into the S magazine contributor Adam Ludwig program for the Sackler Institute. When I about the founding gift made by Th e Mor- presented the idea to the family, it quickly timer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc., to estab- won broad approval, and Kathe and our sis- lish Th e Sackler Institute for Nutrition Sci- ter Ilene Sackler Lefcourt became involved ence at the New York Academy of Sciences. in defi ning the creation of the Sackler In- How did you fi rst become interested stitute and its founding gift agreement. in issues surrounding nutrition? How do you think the Sackler Institute Mortimer D. Sackler, MD Kathe: As a physician, I have always been will make an impact in fi nding solutions convinced that millions of infants, chil- to health issues related to nutrition? more and more of it? Th eir bodies aren’t dren, and adults in the world suff er and Mortimer: By bringing together some of getting the nutrients needed to satiate die from diseases that can be prevented the brightest people in the fi eld of nutri- them. Th e worst thing we could do for by access to proper nutrition, clean water, tion science and having them defi ne the developing countries is to provide them and hygiene. My passion about this prob- fi ve or six most important questions in with the misguided nutrition policies, lem grows out of my fundamental belief the fi eld, and then having them tackle food guidelines, and products that have that there are adequate resources for ev- each question and put out challenge led to obesity here. ery human being in the world to have ba- grants, fund research, write papers, and What is your hope for the impact of the sic nutrition, water, and shelter if we take ultimately drive change in public policy, Sackler Institute in the next ten years? this on as a critical global priority. the Sackler Institute can make an impact Kathe: Th e Institute will generate new Mortimer: Aft er turning 30, I noticed that will improve people’s health as it re- discoveries about the nutritional and met- it became harder and harder to stay in lates to nutrition and diet. abolic aspects of particular diseases and shape. I sought the advice of a nutritionist, Kathe: Th e recipe here is to cross- encourage self-sustaining farming, sup- who made me focus on the sources and motivate experts in diff ering fi elds, all of ported by clean water, in areas with food quality of the food I was eating. Th rough which speak to issues of nutrition science, shortages and few resources. It will also that process I began focusing on the food and to challenge and support these groups spur better general education for children other people were eating, and how poorly to fi gure out the critical achievable goals about healthy dietary choices, along with

regulated food in this country is. I know that will make a positive diff erence. Ex- improved nutrition science curricula in INC. D. SACKLER FOUNDATION, OF THE MORTIMER PHOTO COURTESY how risk-averse the FDA is in regulating perts across science, social policy, politi- postgraduate healthcare training. drugs, but why is it seemingly so lax about cal action, health care, communications, What has been your greatest source our country’s food supply and what it al- and media will integrate new experiential of inspiration in becoming involved lows to be packaged and sold to the popu- knowledge into their work to bring about with eff orts to improve diet and nutri- lation? Th is question led me to realize that positive change. tion on a global scale? governments have always had a single- What are your thoughts about the iro- Mortimer: My children. By far having purpose mission when it comes to food nies of confronting scarcity in developing kids, as cliché as it sounds, changed my policy and regulation: How to make more countries while addressing problems such life and my view on the world. It is be- and cheaper food? We have been very as obesity in industrialized countries? cause of them that I hope that the Sackler successful in producing much more food Mortimer: Th e biggest irony is that it isn’t Institute will make a diff erence. from the same amount of land, but did we “overabundance” that is causing the obe- actually make food cheaper, or simply shift sity epidemic, but rather a form of scar- Adam Ludwig is a writer in New York City. the cost to a diff erent area: healthcare? city. Both under-nutrition and obesity are How were you involved in partner- caused by people not getting enough of Invest in Nutrition Science ing with NYAS to develop the Sackler the right nutrients in their diets. Th e food Institute? we have created, subsidized, and sold Contribute to Th e Sackler Institute for Mortimer: In early 2009, my father re- to the U.S. consumer may be cheap and Nutrition Science by contacting Kiryn ceived a call from NYAS to meet and plentiful, but it is also extremely nutrient- Hoff man, Director, Development at discuss a joint initiative. Th e team at the light. Is it any surprise that consumers eat 212.298.8673 or khoff [email protected].

28 www.nyas.org 2011 The New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnikfor Awards Young Scientists 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich St, 40th Fl THE NEW YORK New York, NY 10007-2157

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RReegigiststeerr by ReRegigisstterer by JJaan 2211, 20201111 andnd SSAAVEVE! JaJan 114, 20201111 andnd SASAVEVE! MARCH 9 - 11, 2011 APRIL 1 - 3, 2011 Advancing Drug Discovery for Schizophrenia Sixth International Conference on Th is conference will facilitate the translation of discoveries in basic Ethical Issues in Biomedical Engineering neuroscience into the development of innovative pharmacological Th is conference will examine the ethical issues associated with the agents for the treatment of schizophrenia by convening and encouraging development of new implants, devices, and treatments to improve dialogue among clinical, translational and basic neuroscientists. the quality of life of patients with devastating diseases and to discuss www.nyas.org/Schizophrenia2011 future guidelines. www.nyas.org/BioMed

Poosst terer Absb tracact SuSubmbmisi sionn DeDeadadlilinne: Jaan 2288,0, 220111 Register by Mar 23, 2011 and SAVE! MARCH 25, 2011 Music, Science & Medicine: Frontiers in MAY 4, 2011 Biomedical Research & Clinical Applications Collaborative Health Care for Diabetes: Th is conference will foster dialogue between music therapists and A Symposium for Creating a Dialogue Among basic researchers studying a variety of physiological functions (neu- Medical and Dental Care Professionals rocognitive mechanisms, hormonal and metabolic responses, pain Medical, dental, and other health care professionals as well as basic control, motor functions), and address therapeutic areas where music researchers will convene to examine the bidirectional relationship and physiology can synergize. between oral disease and diabetes and the need for interprofessional www.nyas.org/MusicScience health care for this population. www.nyas.org/DentalDiabetes

RReegigiststerer by Poster Abstract Submission JaJan 28, 20201111 andnd SASAVEVE! Deadline: Apr 15, 2011 MARCH 30 - APRIL 1, 2011 Critical Contributions of the JUNE 28 - 30, 2011 Orbitofrontal Cortex to Behavior Sixth International Congress on Featuring keynote speaker Daniel Gilbert from Harvard University, Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome this conference will highlight the most recent advances in understand- Explore the clinical features, current management, and treatment of ing the critical contribution of the orbitofrontal cortex to supporting Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome – a genetic disorder involving mul- human behavior across multiple neural circuits. tiple organ systems and aff ecting hematopoiesis, leukemogenesis, and www.nyas.org/OFC organogenesis in children and young adults. www.nyas.org/SDS

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