Gene Therapy Turns 30 Years Old the Dermatology Branch At
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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH • OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR | VOLUME 27 ISSUE 3 • MAY-JUNE 2019 Gene Therapy Turns The Dermatology Branch at NIH 30 Years Old Research, Colleagues, and a Shift from NCI to NIAMS An NIH First That Almost Didn’t BY MOHOR SENGUPTA, NEI, AND LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER, OD Happen BY CHRISTOPHER WANJEK, OD When STEVEN ROSENBERG reviewed a draft email-blast message advertising his upcoming keynote address at a May 9, 2019, meeting at the University of Pennsylvania, he was struck by the final paragraph: “This symposium comes at a historic time. Thirty years ago this May, ISAAC BROWNELL AND LINGLING MIAO, NIAMS Dr. Rosenberg and colleagues shepherded in the era of gene therapy when they removed, genetically altered, and returned cells to a patient with malignant melanoma.” “This is not the kind of thing I keep track of, these historic events,” said Rosenberg, who as long-serving chief of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch was the first to insert foreign genes into a human. “I’m too busy keeping track Merkel cells (green) are clustered in touch-sensitive areas called touch domes. Shown: Neonatal mouse touch dome. of today’s events.” Nevertheless, he pulled out a set of In Spring 1975, desperate parents brought their six-year-old daughter to handwritten notes in faded pencil and the NIH Dermatology Branch to be treated for a rare, chronic skin disease—coupled with ink, circa 1990, listing the dates of the arthritis—that had plagued her for more than four years and was making her miserable. unprecedented 16 reviews needed to perform Her doctors “were at the end of the line in terms of what to do,” said Stephen Katz in the world’s first gene-therapy experiment a 2018 oral-history interview. He was a senior investigator in 1975 and had joined the on a human. Next came a copy of the Dermatology Branch, which was then part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), only 1990 paper in the New England Journal of the year before. “She had been treated with everything.” He biopsied some of the affected Medicine (N Engl J Med 323:570–578, 1990) CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 describing the 1989 experiments, along with Rosenberg’s own printed list of historic NIH CONTENTS “firsts” around this period. FEATURES • |1| Gene Therapy Turns 30 Years Old |1| Dermatology Branch at NIH |6,7| NINDS Then he rattled off names of colleagues Scientific Directors: New and Former|9| DeMystifying Medicine: From Deep Sea Vents to Our and descriptions of patient volunteers as if Own Stomachs |11| My Room, Your Room the historic events transpired yesterday. DEPARTMENTS • |2| DDIR: Equity and Diversity |3| The SIG Beat |4| Training Page: Do-It- CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Yourself Training |5| News You Can Use: Technology Transfer |7| Abbreviations |8| Research Briefs |16| Colleagues: Recently Tenured |20| Photographic Moment: Giant MRI FROM THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR INTRAMURAL RESEARCH Equity and Diversity in the NIH Intramural Research Program BY MICHAEL GOTTESMAN, DDIR, AND GISELA STORZ, CHAIR, NIH EQUITY COMMITTEE How can equity and diversity in investigator-selection process that would October 2018 the NEC submitted a the NIH intramural research program ensure diversity; equity and inclusion document to the DDIR with four main (IRP) continue to be improved? The goals; and recommendations for how the recommendations: NIH Equity Committee (NEC) was NEC and the Chief Officer for Scientific 1. Each IC must clearly define the established in November 2017 to help Workforce Diversity can help the IC duties and expectations of lab and branch address this question. Modeled on the achieve those goals. chiefs (or their equivalents). Central Tenure Committee, the NEC At the meeting with the NEC, the SD 2. The effectiveness of all lab and comprises 20 members—18 senior gives a presentation about the informa- branch chiefs (or their equivalents) must scientists and two scientific directors tion provided. Two committee members be evaluated every four years by the BSCs. (SDs)—representing almost all insti- serve as primary reviewers and prepare a (Although the BSCs now evaluate the tutes and centers (ICs). As quality of intramural research its first task, the committee at least every four years, they has been meeting with the One striking trend is the under- don’t always evaluate the lead- SDs from each IC to learn representation of certain groups in ership effectiveness of the lab about the demographics and and branch chiefs.) resource distribution in their biomedical research . in leadership 3. Lab and branch chiefs intramural programs. positions. should remain in their posi- In advance of each meeting, tions for no more than three the SD—often with the help four-year BSC review cycles of the clinical director (CD) (plus time prior to the initial report that the NEC chair presents at a for that IC—provides de-identified review and up to two years after the joint meeting of the SDs and CDs. The information about the IC’s tenure-track third cycle of positive reviews), except in reports are constructed to share each IC’s scientists, tenured scientists, senior extraordinary circumstances. This recom- best practices as well as identify areas that scientists, and senior clinicians. The SD mendation assumes that the BSC reviews need attention. To date, the NEC has also provides an organizational chart are positive; if any of the reviews are nega- evaluated the intramural programs of 12 showing the demographics of the IRP tive, it’s anticipated that the turnover of ICs. The SDs have indicated that review- leadership and a written summary that lab and branch chiefs would happen more ing these data and getting feedback from comments on the data and addresses the quickly. the NEC has been a valuable experience. hiring procedures, review practices, and 4. Leadership appointments must The presentations have been high- selection process for ad hoc Board of occur through open and transparent lighting trends across the IRP. One strik- Scientific Counselors (BSC) members. processes. ing trend is the under-representation of [The Deputy Director for Intramural certain groups in biomedical research— Research (DDIR) and NIH Committee The NEC’s recommendations— women, Asian Americans, and others—in Management approve the members of the with input from the SDs, CDs, and leadership positions. The presentations main BSC and ensure diversity; the ad NIH senior leadership—have now been also highlight extremely long tenures hoc members are chosen by the ICs]. The converted into policy. Discussions are for some lab and branch chiefs (or their summary also specifies how discretionary still ongoing about how this policy will equivalents). funding is awarded to investigators and be implemented. For example, one new Given that a dynamic organization includes proposed corrections to the policy will be that current lab and branch thrives on diversity and new ideas, in 2 THE NIH CATALYST MAY-JUNE 2019 THE SIG BEAT NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUPS is to generate innovative approaches in the field of digital pathology through artificial- intelligence tools. For more information HOUSSEIN A. SATER, NCI about the MxIF SIG and instructions for how to join the LISTSERV mailing list, contact the group chair and advisor: Houssein A. Sater (houssein.abdulsater@ chiefs whose service exceeds the three nih.gov). cycles of BSC review will be expected to step down within two years after the A multiplex spectrally unmixed immunofluorescence image of a lung-cancer tissue stained with seven biomarkers. New SIG: Epilepsy next BSC review of their lab or branch. Each IC is expected to have a completed The Epilepsy Scientific Interest plan by January 2020. Each SD will pres- New SIG: Multiplex Immuno- Group (SIG) brings together investigators, ent their implementation plans to both fluorescence clinicians, and researchers who are inter- the DDIR and NEC in the coming year. ested in epilepsy and in understanding its Intramural and extramural scien- Other trends are also being noted pathophysiology and the effects of treat- tists who are using multiplex immuno- by the NEC. As a result of the frequent ment on neural function and connectivity. histochemistry and immunofluorescence comment that many potential tenure-track Epilepsy studies at NIH take place in sev- technologies to study complex tissue struc- candidates are not even aware of the tre- eral institutes including NINDS, NIMH, tures (such as tumor microenvironments) mendous benefits of working in the IRP, and NICHD. NIH intramural researchers can share their knowledge via the Multi- the NEC recommended that a “Rising are using structural and functional imag- plex Immunofluorescence (MxIF) SIG. Stars” seminar program be developed: ing before and after surgical resection; These technologies are used to identify the Extramural junior scientists who are doing investigating how surgical resection on presence of multiple biological markers in exciting research will be invited to give regions of the human cortex affect neural a single tissue sample or different samples. seminars at NIH. This recognition will plasticity and cognitive function; explor- The methodology can be an invaluable tool allow IC investigators to become familiar ing intraoperative and long-term record- for tumor-tissue immune-profiling and as a with the work of the Rising Stars, who will ings of neural activity that are routinely way to identify multiple treatment targets in turn learn about the IRP. The NEC was acquired in the course of treatment; and in the same tissue section. This approach encouraged by the very large response to evaluating human brain tissue samples to requires critical thinking and bioinformatic the first call for nominations. Look for understand the physiology and molecular tools for effective segmentation, algorithm “Rising Star” talks in the coming months. and genetic pathways in both normal and building, and advanced spatial analysis.