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The Nobel Prize in Physiology Or Medicine 2006 The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006 Craig C. Mello, PhD The Magazine of The University of Massachusetts Medical School fall/winter 2006, Vol. 29 No. 1 L., the plural of life The name of this magazine encompasses the lives of those who make up the University of Massachusetts Medical School community, for which it is published. They are students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, benefactors and others who aspire to help this campus achieve national distinction in education, research and public service. As you read about this dynamic community, you’ll frequently come across references to partners and programs of UMass Medical School (UMMS), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ only public medical school, educating physicians, scientists and advanced practice nurses to heal, discover, teach and care, compassionately. Commonwealth Medicine UMass Medical School’s innovative public service initiative that assists state agencies to enhance the value and quality of expenditures and improve access and delivery of care for at-risk and uninsured populations. The Research Enterprise UMass Medical School’s world-class investigators, who make discoveries in basic science and clinical research and attract over $175 million in funding annually. UMass Memorial Foundation The charitable entity that supports the academic and research enterprises of UMass Medical School and the clinical initiatives of UMass Memorial Health Care by forming vital partnerships between contributors and health care professionals, educators and researchers. www.umassmed.edu/foundation UMass Memorial Health Care The clinical partner of UMass Medical School and the Central New England region’s top health care provider and employer. www.umassmemorial.org Contents News and Notes 4 Features 7 Grants and Research 21 Alumni Report 23 The Last Word 28 The Nobel Prize Comes to UMass Medical School 2 Professor Craig Mello, PhD, and his collaborator Andrew Fire, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, are co-recipients of the 2006 award in medicine. Professors of Life 11 During UMass Medical School’s Human Genetics course, students discover more than they ever imagined from teachers who are patients. A Healthy Start 14 UMass Medical School nursing and medical students join forces with local advocates in the battle against confounding cases of infant mortality. Lab Enthusiast 19 Teacher, mentor, world-renowned researcher, Leslie Berg inspires students and colleagues through her excellence. Plus, Anguishing Anniversary, 7 The Nobel Prize Comes to UMass Medical School Professor Craig Mello, PhD, and his collaborator Andrew Fire, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, are co-recipients of the 2006 award in medicine. 2 On October 2, 2006, The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2006 “jointly to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for their discovery of RNA interference—gene silencing by double-stranded RNA.” The UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial community celebrated with Dr. Mello, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine, who has brought an achievement to the institution that is unsurpassed in its magnitude and meaning. ® The Nobel Foundation The announcement came as Vitae was going to press, so of course we had to stop and celebrate Dr. Mello. He’ll receive his Nobel Prize with Dr. Fire at a December ceremony in Sweden and after that, Vitae will again cover Mello’s achievement by exploring in-depth the significance of his and Fire’s work and its worldwide impact. This fall, however, the world’s eyes were on Worcester as Mello was applauded at the Lazare Research Building (with UMass President Jack Wilson, above); supported by his students and post-docs, and benefactors Jack and Shelley Blais (with Chancellor/Dean Aaron Lazare and UMass Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Tocco, left); congratulated by Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology and Gretchen Stone Cook Chair Phillip Zamore, PhD, a fellow international leader in RNAi (right); and personally praised by wife, Edit, and daughter, Victoria, at a UMass President’s Office press conference. 3 News and Notes UMMS Physician-Scientist Awarded Howard Hughes Medical Institute Honor inaugural awardees. The program will the quality and quantity of formal provide $150,000 over three years to research training, the commitment of Dr. Tseng, who is a surgeon at UMass the applicant’s research institution, the Memorial Medical Center, with the quality of the research environment, stipulation that the funds be used for the applicant’s commitment to pursuing direct research expenses. UMass Medical a biomedical research career and the “This funding will greatly School is also committed to supporting quality of the proposed research plan. Tseng’s efforts to spend at least 70 percent According to UMMS Vice Chancellor for of her professional time doing research. benefit my research into the Research John L. Sullivan, MD, professor “We feel that the Early Career Award of pediatrics and molecular medicine treatment of pancreatic cancer program is one of the best investments we and interim chair of the new Department could make in the future of biomedical of Clinical and Translational Science, —one of the deadliest cancers research,” said William Galey, director Tseng’s achievement is particularly of HHMI’s graduate science education exciting given that UMMS has initiated and also one of the least well- and medical research training programs. a major commitment to growing clinical “There is a pressing need to recruit and translational, “bench-to-bedside” funded in terms of research.” talented physicians to careers in medical research at the Medical School. “HHMI’s research, to help translate basic science programs are designed to enhance the – Jennifer Tseng, MD discoveries into new medical therapies academic development and career for patients.” progression of young and promising physician-scientists and are a unique “I am humbled and honored to receive mechanism to expand the population of The first few years as a junior faculty this support from the Howard Hughes physicians dedicated to clinical research. member at an academic medical center Medical Institute and to be included We look forward to supporting Dr. Tseng’s such as the University of Massachusetts with such a fine group of scientists,” work in pancreatic cancer.” Medical School are critical for physicians said Tseng, who joined UMMS and who want to pursue a career in biomedical the Division of Surgical Oncology and In addition to the recognition from research. In fact, new faculty physicians Endocrine Surgery at UMass Memorial HHMI, Tseng was recently named the often abandon plans for research careers in 2005 from the M.D. Anderson Cancer first Pancreatic Cancer Alliance Scholar, due to the lack of both flexible funding Center in Houston. “This funding will a position created by UMass Memorial to accommodate needs of new labs and greatly benefit my research into the through funding from the Pancreatic time to actually conduct research. treatment of pancreatic cancer—one of Cancer Alliance. The Alliance supports the deadliest cancers and also one of the the efforts of medical and research In response to these challenges, the least well-funded in terms of research.” communities to seek treatment methods, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and ultimately, a cure, for pancreatic (HHMI) created the Physician-Scientist A panel of leading physician-scientists cancer and has raised more than $225,000 Early Career Award program to cultivate reviewed the applications for the HHMI for basic and translational research at the talented investigators; UMMS Assistant award, evaluating the applicant’s ability UMass Cancer Center. Professor of Surgery Jennifer F. Tseng, and promise for a research career as a MD, was recently named one of the 13 physician-scientist. They considered 4 News and Notes Researcher Explores the ‘Driving Dilemma’ for Elderly America’s population is aging at an Elizabeth Dugan, PhD, assistant professor unprecedented rate. Between now of medicine at UMass Medical School and 2030, the number of Americans and faculty affiliate of the Meyers age 55 and older will nearly double. Primary Care Institute. Published by This demographic shift will have an Harper Collins, The Driving Dilemma immediate impact on the nation’s translates research related to geriatric roadways as the number of drivers over medicine, physical and cognitive the age of 65 increases. While experts function, and rehabilitation to provide stress that age alone is not an accurate the first comprehensive resource for indicator of driving fitness, many age- older drivers and their families, offering associated health conditions can affect clear, useful information about the a person’s ability to safely operate a effects of age, medical conditions and vehicle. Families report that one of the medications on driving. In addition toughest questions to face is whether an to a state-by-state listing of available older driver is still fit to drive—and if resources, Dr. Dugan also provides not, what to do about it. research-based guidelines to help families develop an action plan and These issues and more are addressed talk about all the issues. in the new book, The Driving Dilemma, the Complete Resource Guide for Older Drivers and Their Families, written by Beth Dugan, PhD (inset); the cover of her new book Teen Wins Science Fair Through Partnership with UMMS Researchers
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