January 25, 2000, NIH Record, Vol. LII, No. 2
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R a Still The Second Best Thing About Payday NIH Promotes disABILITY HIGHLIGHTS Awareness Vannus Counsels Successor, Eyes By Sharon Ricks Future in Final Remarks to Press Perhaps they were captivated by the chorus Part Two of By Rich McManus of flying fingers or inspired by the keynote Varmus Interview (Second of two parts) address of pediatric neurologist Jan ust before his 73-month tenure as NIH director ended last Brunstrom. Whichever the case, employees Portrait of a Lasker month, Dr. Harold Varmus spoke at length about the future of attending NIH's Award Winner J TH, gave advice to his successor, and discussed gene therapy, annual Disability campus security and other matters. Even though he takes over as Awareness Day head of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York program recently Glenn, Shuttle City on Feb. 1, don't be surprised if you bump into him on left Natcher Astronauts To Visit campus; he advised NIH'ers in an all-hands email on his last Auditorium official day at work that he is still a special volunteer at NCI and knowing one remains in charge of the Varmus Lab in Bldg. 49 until that thing: laboratory migrates to MSKCC in April. " DisAbility More Depression So the Varmus Lab is moving with you? Counts." Screening Offered The whole intention of calling my lab the Varmus Lab was Dr. Jan Brunstrom The program that... (having set it up) I would take it down when I left. Several spotlighted key Intern Program of the folks in my lab are going to be moving, and there are some disability issues in the NIH community such Welcomes new people who are already coming to the new lab. I hope by as career success strategies, accessibility Applicants April we're operational up there. I'm looking forward to it. requirements, employment data, and Is there anyone else from NIH that you're taking with you? techniques on hiring and promoting people with disabilities. According to Carlton Helicopter Flies To There are plenty of people I wish I could take with me, but SEE DISABILITY AWARENESS, PAGE 4 Bldg. 10 Roof nobody I plan to take. SEE VARMUS INTERVIEW. PAGE 6 Becomes Lab Research Director .. -'\_ ., "'~ In the Company of Excellence NHLBl's Balaban To Give Mider - ... •·.-:-. -~·-- The Making of a Lasker Award Winner 0, ·r1.-. _,~I Lecture, Feb. 2 in Masur By Christina Stile This year's G. Burroughs Mider Lecture will f you want to learn a new language, some people suggest you be given by NHLBl's Dr. Robert Balaban, a Ispend time in a country where people _ ~-- . leading researcher in heart physiology and speak only that language. For instance, energy metabolism. He pioneered the use living in Germany will help you learn of noninvasive imaging techniques to study German. But can you apply this same these processes within the cell and in heart theory to other concepts? If you surround muscle. He also helped design a super-fast yourself with scientists, for example, are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, you more likely to learn concepts of which gives real-time pictures of the U.S. Department science? moving heart. Prior MRI scanners gave of Health and You might think so if you examined the heart images too slowly to be of clinical Human Services life of NIH-supported researcher Bertil use. The super-fast scanner is being tested National Institutes Hille, who received the 1999 Albert Lasker in a joint NIH-Suburban Hospital pilot study of I lealth Award in Basic Medical Research. He has to see if it can improve emergency spent his life surrounded by a virtual Who's 1999 Lasker Award diagnosis of heart attack and stroke. January 25, 2000 Who list of scientists that put him on a winner and N IH SEE MIDER LECTURE, PAGE 2 Vol. LIi, No. 2 SEE LASKER WINNER, PAGE 10 gmntee Berti/ Hille MIDER LECTURE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Balaban has long served as chief of NHLBI's Renal Research from the American Physiological Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics and recently Society, a PHS Superior Service Award, the Society became director of the Laboratory Research Pro of Magnetic Resonance Gold Medal, and two NIH gram in NHLBI's Division of Intramural Research. Director's Awards. Last summer, the institute reorganized its intramural His professional memberships include the Ameri division into two programs. Dr. Elizabeth Nabel can Physiological Society, the American Society of directs the division's other program, called the Nephrology and the Sociery of Magnetic Resonance Clinical Research Program. in Medicine, of which he served as president. Balaban will present the Mider lecture on Wednes He has coauthored 190 peer-reviewed papers and day, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. in the Clinical Center's Masur more than 600 abstracts, and participated in and Auditorium. Acting NIH director Dr. Ruth helped organize various professional meetings. Kirschstein will provide the introduction. For more information about Balaban's Mider The lecture was created Lecture, call Hilda Madine at 594-5595. Iii by the IH scientific directors in 1968 to commemorate Mider's distinguished career, which included a term as director of NIH laborato ries and clinics. It is awarded ro scientists who Healthy have made outstanding Women contributions to IH Sought biomedical research. Healthy post Balaban will speak menopausal h about the "Domestication of the Mitochondrion for women are Dr. Robert Balaban needed to Cellular Energy Conver- participate in a sion." Mitochondria study of normal apparently were incorporated into early cellular Dancers in authentic ceremonial dress demonstrated c1 blood. To be organisms millions of years ago through a symbiotic variety of steps during NIEHS Native American Culture eligible, you must process. Through time, the cell has developed a sophisticated cytosolic control network to regulate Day recently. The eve11t, sponsored by the EEO office, have had no also included singing, storytelling and ethnic food, fry the production of adenosine triphosphate, on abnormal bleeding bread and spiced tea, and the sharing of Native Ameri or clotting in the demand, from the mitochondrion for numerous can friendship bracelets. past. Participants cellular functions. must be willing to Using minimally invasive nuclear magnetic reso stay off any nance (NMR) and optical imaging devices, Balaban N I H R f C a R hormone treat has been studying this basic cellular signaling □ ment for 9 pathway that controls mitochondrial function. Published biweekly at Bethesda, Md., by the Editorial Operarion• months. They will T hese studies have been performed at many levels of Branch, Division of Public Information, for the information of complexity, including the in vivo heart, single employees of rhe Narional Institutes of Health, Department of also be required to Health and Human Services. The content is reprintable without give a small blood myocytes and isolated mitochondria. permission. Pictures may be available on request. Use of funds for sample (about 2 Balaban earned a B.S. in 1975 in chemistry and printing this periodical has been approved by the director of the Office of Management and Budget through Sepr. 30, 2000. tablespoons) in an biology from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in initial screening. 1979 in physiology and pharmacology from Duke NIH Record Office Phone 496-2125 The study, which University. While at D uke, he began his optical Bldg. 31, Rm. 2B03 Fax 402-1485 takes place at the studies on mitochondrial function. The next year, Web address Clinical Center, he became a NATO postdoctoral fellow at Oxford http://www.nih.gov/news/NIH-Record/archives.hrm involves no University in England, where he participated in hormones or many of the first experiments applying NMR to the Editor The NTH Record reserves medications. study of living tissues. Richard McManus the right to make In 1981, he joined NHLBI as a senior staff fellow [email protected] corrections, changes, or Compensation deletions in submitted ($50) is provided in the Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Me Assistant Editor copy in conformity with for each blood tabolism (LKEM). In 1982, he became a senior staff Carla Garnett the policies of the paper and HHS. draw. For more fellow and then in 1984 a research physiologist, [email protected] information, call both in LKEM. ~ The Record is recyclable as office white paper. 496-5150. His honors include an Award for Excellence in S C I E THE NEWS Gene Mutation Results in Missing Teeth NIEHS Centers To Breed Genetically Variant Mice Approximately 20 percent of the population are born unable to develop a full set of teeth. Although To help learn more about how human bodies repair the underlying causes are mostly unknown, members their environment-damaged DNA and control their of a Houston family who lack mainly their first and cells' life cycles, NIEHS will fund up to five research second molars were found to have a mutation in a centers to develop and breed mice with genetic gene called PAX9. This is the first report of a variations that are more like humans' in these human disorder linked to PAX9, one of a family of regards. The centers will provide the special mutant Dr. Laurence "master" genes that help determine body shape and mice for scientists throughout NIH and to other Wolfe has been organ formation during embryological development. research programs as well. named NIATD's This discovery is an important contribution to Many cases of human disease are caused or chief information understanding the genetics of human tooth develop triggered by a natural or man-made substance in the officer and ment and brings scientists a step closer to someday environment, often when an environmental sub director of the institute's Office replicating the process.