CLOSING THE GAP THROUGH TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE

Elias Zerhouni on Blavatnik Awards Support The Science Behind Breaking Down Barriers Early Career Success Contagion

www.nyas.org • Autumn 2011 Board of Governors

Chair Vice Chair Treasurer NANCY ZIMPHER KENNETH L. DAVIS ROBERT CATELL

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

Governors LEN BLAVATNIK ELAINE FUCHS THOMAS CAMPBELL JOHN E. SEXTON MARY BRABECK JAY FURMAN JACKSON GEORGE E. THIBAULT NANCY CANTOR ALICE P. GAST JOHN E. KELLY III PAUL WALKER MARTIN CHALFIE BRIAN GREENE MEHMOOD KHAN IRIS WEINSHALL MILTON COFIELD THOMAS L. HARRISON JEFFREY D. SACHS ANTHONY WELTERS ROBIN L. DAVISSON STEVE HOCHBERG KATHE SACKLER FRANK WILCZEK MIKAEL DOLSTEN TONI HOOVER MORTIMER D.A. SACKLER MICHAEL ZIGMAN

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

PETER AGRE AARON CIECHANOVER LEON LEDERMAN PHILLIP A. SHARP Nobel Laureate & Univ. Nobel Laureate & Nobel Laureate & Pritzker Nobel Laureate & Director, Prof. and Director, Johns Distinguished Research Prof., Prof. of Science, Illinois McGovern Inst., MIT Center Hopkins Malaria Research Tumor and Vascular Biology Inst. of Tech.; Resident for Cancer Research Inst., Dept. Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Scholar, Illinois Math & ELLIOTT SIGAL On the cover: Bill Oxford / iStockphoto.com Microbiology and Medicine, Technion-Israel Science Academy CSO, Bristol-Myers Squibb Immunology, Bloomberg Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel GREGORY LUCIER MICHAEL SOHLMAN School of Public Health GORDON CONWAY Chairman and CEO, Life Former Exec. Director, The RICHARD AXEL Chair in International Technologies Corporation Nobel Foundation Nobel Laureate & Development, Imperial RODERICK MACKINNON PAUL STOFFELS Professor, Columbia Univ.; College London Nobel Laureate & John Company Group Investigator, HHMI PETER DOHERTY D. Rockefeller, Jr. Prof., Chairman, World Wide LEE BABISS Nobel Laureate & The Rockefeller Univ.; Research & Development, Global Head, Pharma Researcher, St. Jude Investigator, HHMI Pharmaceuticals Group, Executive Editor Research, Roche Children’s Research JOEL S. MARCUS Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Hospital, Memphis, TN; CEO, Alexandria Real MARC TESSIER-LAVIGNE Diana Friedman DAVID BALTIMORE Univ. of Melbourne Estate Equities, Inc. President, The Rockefeller Univ. Nobel Laureate & President MIKAEL DOLSTEN GERALD J. MCDOUGALL MARY ANN TIGHE Emeritus, Caltech President, Worldwide National Partner, Global CEO, New York Tri-State Art Director ETIENNE-EMILE BAULIEU Research and Development; Pharmaceutical & Health Region, CB Richard Ellis Ash Ayman Shairzay Former President, French Sr. VP, Pfi zer Inc Sciences Practice, SHIRLEY TILGHMAN Academy of Sciences MARCELO EBRARD PricewaterhouseCoopers President, Princeton Univ. PAUL BERG CASAUBÓN LLP FRANK WALSH Contributors Nobel Laureate & Prof. Mayor, Mexico City RICHARD MENSCHEL CEO, Ossianix, Inc. Emeritus, Dept. of EDMOND H. FISCHER Sr. Director, Goldman Sachs GERALD WEISSMANN Douglas Braaten, Sonya Dougal, Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. Nobel Laureate & Prof. RONAY MENSCHEL Prof. of Medicine, NYU Brooke Grindlinger, Jamie Kass, LEN BLAVATNIK Emeritus, Dept. of Chairman of the Board, School of Medicine Chairman, Access Industries Biochemistry, Univ. of Phipps Houses; Board of JOHN WHITEHEAD Stephanie Kelly, Marci A. Landsmann, GÜNTER BLOBEL Washington Overseers, Weill Cornell Former Chairman, Lower Noah Rosenberg, Sarah Webb Nobel Laureate & Director, ALAN J. FRIEDMAN Medical College Manhattan Development Laboratory for Cell Biology, Former Director, New York FERID MURAD Corp.; former Co-Chairman The Rockefeller Univ. Hall of Science Nobel Laureate & Director, of Goldman Sachs Editorial Offi ce IRINA BOKOVA JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN IMM Center for Cell GEORGE WHITESIDES Director General, United Nobel Laureate & Chairman, Signaling, The University of Mallinckrodt Prof. of 7 World Trade Center Nations Educational, Molecular Genetics, Univ. Texas at Houston Chemistry, Harvard Univ. Scientifi c and Cultural of Texas Southwestern JOHN F. NIBLACK TORSTEN N. WIESEL 250 Greenwich St, 40th Fl Organization (UNESCO) Medical Center Former President, Pfi zer Nobel Laureate & former New York, NY 10007-2157 SYDNEY BRENNER S. GOPALAKRISHNAN Global Research & Secy. General, Human Nobel Laureate & Exec. Co-Chairman of the Development Frontier Science Program Phone: 212.298.8645 Distinguished Prof., Salk Inst. Board, Infosys Technologies PAUL NURSE Organization; President Fax: 212.298.3655 MICHAEL S. BROWN Limited Nobel Laureate & President, Emeritus, The Rockefeller Nobel Laureate & Prof. of PAUL GREENGARD The Royal Society; former Univ. Email: [email protected] Molecular Genetics, Univ. Nobel Laureate & Prof. President, The Rockefeller FRANK WILCZEK of Texas Southwestern of Molecular & Cellular Univ. Nobel Laureate & Herman Medical Center Neuroscience, The ROBERT C. RICHARDSON Feshbach Professor of Membership Director LINDA BUCK Rockefeller Univ. Nobel Laureate & Sr. Vice Physics, MIT John F. Grifferty Nobel Laureate & GLENDA GREENWALD Provost for Research, ERNST-LUDWIG Investigator for HHMI; President, Aspen Brain Floyd R. Newman Prof. of WINNACKER member of the Fred Forum Foundation Physics, Cornell Univ. Secy. General, Human Membership & Annals Orders Hutchinson Cancer PETER GRUSS RICHARD ROBERTS Frontier Science Program; Research Center President, Max Planck Nobel Laureate & CSO, former Secy. General, Phone: 212.298.8640 KAREN E. BURKE Gesellschaft, Germany New England Biolabs European Research Council; Fax: 212.298.3650 Dermatologist & Research WILLIAM A. HASELTINE EDWARD F. ROVER former President, Deutsche Scientist President, The Haseltine President, The Dana Forschungsgemeinschaft, Email: [email protected] THOMAS R. CECH Foundation for Medical Foundation Germany Nobel Laureate & Sciences and the Arts; F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND ANDREW WITTY Distinguished Prof., Univ. of Chairman, Haseltine Global Nobel Laureate & Prof. of CEO, GlaxoSmithKline Advertising Inquiries Colorado, Boulder Health, LLC Chemistry & Earth Science, ELIAS ZERHOUNI MARTIN CHALFIE ERIC KANDEL Univ. of California, Irvine President, Global Phone: 212.298.8636 Nobel Laureate & William Nobel Laureate & Prof., BENGT SAMUELSSON Research & Development, Email: [email protected] R. Kenan, Jr., Prof. of Physiology & Cell Biology, Nobel Laureate & Prof., Sanofi -Aventis Biological Sciences; Columbia Univ. Medical & Physiological AHMED ZEWAIL Chair, Dept. of Biological KIYOSHI KUROKAWA Chem., Karolinska Inst.; Nobel Laureate & Linus Visit the Academy online Sciences, Columbia Univ. Former Science Advisor to former Chairman, The Pauling Chair of Chemistry CECILIA CHAN the Prime Minister of Japan; Nobel Foundation and Physics, Caltech www.nyas.org Managing Director, Gold Prof., National Graduate IVAN SEIDENBERG GUANGZHAO ZHOU Avenue Ltd. Institute for Policy Studies Chairman of the Board, Verizon Former Chairman, Chinese (GRIPS) ISMAIL SERAGELDIN Association of Science & Director, Bibliotheca Technology Alexandrina, The Library of Alexandria, Egypt AAutumnutumn 22011011 ccontentsontents

Columns Blavatnik Awards

2 Letter from the President 1100 Support System by Sarah Webb Introducing a New Editor Th e Blavatink Awards’ recognition of young scientists has proved critical to their continued success. 4 Annals Highlights Recent and upcoming Annals volumes Cover Story 7 Inside the Academy Reports from the directors of 1166 Closing the Gap through Academy programs and news Translational Science about Academy activities by Diana Friedman Moving from scientifi c discoveries to clinical therapeutics requires better 1133 Academy eBriefi ngs collaboration between scientists and clinicians. Sixth International Congress on Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, From Crumpling Geometries to Member Memoir Graphene Materials, Trash Talk: Options for Converting Our Solid 2233 Defying Defi nition by Marci A. Landsmann Waste to Energy, Innovating on a Elias Zerhouni discusses his desire to break down artifi cial barriers Shoestring: Medical Technologies in science. for the Developing World

2244 Member News Awards, appointments, and Donor Profi le announcements about Academy 2288 A Medical Education Paradigm members for the Future 2266 Calendar by Noah Rosenberg Academy conferences and George Th ibault and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation help the Academy meetings in November, December, push progress. January, and February Letter from the President

Introducing a New Editor

am donating most of this issue’s From the Editor or VEGF, in angiogenesis, which led to President’s Letter to our dynamic groundbreaking clinical trials for cancer- I new editor, Diana Friedman. She has Dear Members, ous tumors. fearlessly taken on a non-trivial challenge: I am thrilled to introduce myself as What Ferrara and other researchers to improve on the tremendous work of the new editor of Th e New York Acad- gave my father was so much more than a our former editor, Adrienne Burke, who, emy of Sciences Magazine. My goal for drug. It was several months of seemingly through sheer magic, made this magazine this publication is two-fold: 1) to meet healthy, high-quality life, in the midst of intellectually rich and stylistically and vi- your needs for timely and scientifi cal- an otherwise relentless, multi-year dis- sually compelling on a shoestring. ly relevant content and 2) to create an ease process. It was hope, in a pill. Now comes Diana, who, as you will outlet for connecting with and learn- Ferrara and countless other scientists see, has committed to enhancing the inti- ing from other Academy members— center their lives’ work around, on the sur- macy of our magazine at a time when we a member community that thrives in face, something very minute—a specifi c have fully emerged from a dark period in the pages of the magazine. protein or a gene. However, through trans- the 194 years of Academy life and are on I hope to hear from many of you in lation, their work becomes about some- the cusp of an extraordinary era, leading the coming months, via e-mail, phone, thing much larger: life and its promotion. directly into our Bicentennial Celebration or in person at Academy events, about Translational science is, therefore, in the spring of 2017. Diana’s intelligence, your own ideas for the magazine. more than a buzzword: it is a pathway to curiosity, and great personal warmth will Th e topic of this issue’s cover sto- better living. I urge all of you to read our help her in her quest to serve your career ry is translational science—through cover story (page 16) and join the con- and intellectual needs, as well as touch which basic science discoveries be- versation. I welcome your feedback and I you emotionally. But she will need your come clinical therapeutics. Transla- look forward to a fruitful relationship. help as well, through comments, ideas, tional science is both a hot topic in the critiques when needed, and the occa- science world and a fi tting fi rst topic Warmly, sional praise when deserved. I know you for me to cover. My father was recently will join me in welcoming Editor Diana a participant in a phase II BRAF gene Friedman. inhibitor trial for advanced melanoma at the NYU Cancer Institute. So, it was a great honor for me to interview Diana Friedman Academy Member Napoleone Ferrara Executive Editor (page 22), who spearheaded much of 212.298.8645 Ellis Rubinstein the primary research on the role of [email protected] President & CEO vascular endothelial growth factor,

New Technology Alert In the spirit of streamlining the exchange of information, we have introduced QR codes (the square barcodes you have likely seen in consumer magazines). These codes, also called snap tags, allow you to “snap” a photo of the barcode with your smart phone and go directly to the webpage to which it is linked. No need to tediously type URLs from the pages of the magazine to get to the information you want. To download a code reader, search for a “QR code reader” app on your phone and follow the instructions. Happy snapping!

2 www.nyas.org FULL S U B S C R I P T I O N your TO NATURE! Scientific KNOWLEDGE.

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www.nyas.org Annals Highlights 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.

and ribs. Oft en, when cancer cells invade Treating Osteoporosis and Cancer bone from another site in the body they cause bone loss through the production Metastasis to Bone of normally unharmful signaling mol- ecules such as cytokines and interleukins. Bisphosphonates counteract these eff ects by, again, slowing bone remodeling pro- cesses, thus preserving intact bone and preventing bone pain, hypercalcemia, and other skeletal disorders. While all of this indicates the clini- cal benefi ts of bisphosphonates, there have been problems associated with their use, including the development of what is referred to as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ)—severe lesions that develop in the jaw. In 2003, the fi rst cases of intraoral le- sions of exposed bone occurring in patients who were taking bisphosphonates long- term were reported. Although rare, cancer patients and, more rarely, those with osteo- porosis treated with bisphosphonates, de- veloped these ONJ lesions, especially aft er dental trauma or tooth extractions. In May 2007, the fi rst international meeting on bisphosphonate-associated ONJ was held in New York City. Th e Perhaps you have seen the advertisements treat disorders of bone metabolism, and meeting was sponsored by the New York by actor Sally Field for a drug, remark- 30 years later, the mechanism of action of Academy of Sciences in conjunction with ably taken only four times a year, to treat bisphosphonates was fi nally understood. the Columbia University College of Phy- osteoporosis—the weakening of certain Th ese compounds are potent inhibitors sicians and Surgeons and the Columbia bones that occurs especially aft er meno- of specifi c cells—called osteoclasts—that University College of Dental Medicine. pause, when natural bone loss speeds up. remove bone. Th is suppressive eff ect on Th e meeting brought together endocri- Other ads for osteoporosis medications osteoclasts leads to slowing of bone re- nologists, oncologists, bone biologists, even suggest that a single injection of a modeling and increases bone mineral oral maxillofacial surgeons, and dentists similar drug taken just once a year can density—both essential for preventing to discuss benefi ts of bisphosphonates help reverse osteoporosis. What are these bone fractures and the key reasons why and their association with ONJ. Th e An- drugs, with such potency that they need bisphosphonates are increasingly pre- nals volume stemming from that confer- be taken so rarely? And what do they do? scribed for patients with osteoporosis. ence, Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis Th e story of bisphosphonates—the According to the FDA, 10 million people of the Jaw, presents eight scholarly articles chemical name for this class of drugs— in the U.S. alone have osteoporosis. on multiple aspects of bisphosphonate begins unremarkably in the 19th century. Aside from treating weak, aging bones, use, epidemiology, and health benefi ts. It was not until the 1960s that bisphos- bisphosphonates are also used to manage Th ere is no doubt that the class of bis- phonates began to be used specifi cally to bone metastases to areas such as the pelvis phosphonate drugs has benefi ted many people by strengthening bone and pre- Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw venting other skeletal problems associated Edited by John P. Bilezikian and John T. Grbic (Columbia University College of with aging and cancer. Bisphosphonates Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw provides a York, New York) unique collection of perspectives and facts Volume 1218 // ISBN 978-1-57331-710-8 for both clinical and lay audiences. Y

4 www.nyas.org Recent Annals

Basic and Clinical Ocular Motor and Vestibular Research Edited by Janet Rucker (Mount Sinai Medical ommendations are perhaps even less ob- Center, New York, NY) and David Zee (Johns This Mortal vious, save common sense ones like “eat- Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD) ing less saturated fat and sugar reduces the Volume 1233, September 2011 Coil: Unraveling chances of heart disease and diabetes.” ISBN 978-1-57331-843-3 Th us, there remain many perplexing Longevity areas in the sciences of nutrition and of Barrett’s Esophagus: The 10th OESO physical activity, not only to average con- World Congress Proceedings sumers but to scientists as well. Th e recent Edited by Robert Giuli (Deputy Director Annals volume Nutrition and Physical of OESO, Executive Director of the OESO Activity in Aging, Obesity, and Cancer ex- Foundation, Paris, France), Reza Shaker plores some of the latest research devel- (Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, opments on the roles of these two critical WI), and Asad Umar (National Cancer lifestyle components. Stemming from the Institute, Rockville, MD) International Conference on Nutrition Volume 1232, September 2011 and Physical Activity in Aging, Obesity, ISBN 978-1-57331-829-7 and Cancer 2011, held February 16–19, 2011, in Gyeongju, South Korea, which Social Neuroscience: Gene, gathered experts from a variety of health Environment, Brain, Body science and biomedical specialties, this Edited by Bruce S. McEwen (The Rockefeller volume provides an integrative, multi- University, New York, NY), Huda Akil Th e population demographics of the disciplinary forum for exploration of less (University of Michigan), Jack D. Barchas world are changing rapidly. In the United well-known issues in the sciences of nu- (Weill Medical College of Cornell University), States alone the number of people over trition and physical activity that may have and Mary Jeanne Kreek (The Rockefeller the age of 65 increased from 3 to 33 mil- direct eff ects on health and disease states University, New York, NY) lion in less than a century—an 11-fold in- and on the underlying causes of aging, Volume 1231, August 2011 crease. It is now widely accepted that the obesity, and cancer. ISBN 978-1-57331-840-2 momentous changes in human morbidity Nutrition and Physical Activity in Ag- and life span are infl uenced by several fac- ing, Obesity, and Cancer presents review The Evolution of Infectious Agents in tors, but two in particular: nutrition and articles that span multiple biological lev- Relation to Sex physical activity. Among other things, this els, refl ecting the complexity of the mech- Edited by André Nahmias and Susa univocal focus on the benefi ts of nutrition anisms underlying good health or illness. Beckman Nahmias (Pediatric Infectious and physical activity is clear from the in- With the rising costs of health care and Diseases, Epidemiology and Immunology creasing number of TV commercials and medical interventions, there has been a Division, Department of Pediatrics and School news reports about the benefi ts of healthy growing interest in preventative medicine. of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, eating and exercise. Refl ecting this trend, the volume includes GA) and Dan Danielsson (Department of Increasingly, however, it is diffi cult recent work examining dietary regula- Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, to discern which recommendations are tion of hormone receptor signaling and University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden) the ones to follow, especially with regard hippocampal neurogenesis; the hormetic Volume 1230, August 2011 to exercise. While few would argue with range and utility of dietary phytochemi- ISBN 978-1-57331-819-8 the claim that at least some regular exer- cals and nutraceuticals in modulating in- cise leads to healthier living and—with fl ammation; metabolic stress and infl am- enough exercise—decreased disease and mation in relation to obesity and cancer; morbidity, how much exercise, and what the relationship between physical activity help identify genetic biomarkers that may type (running? swimming? walking?) is and changes in DNA; and the necessity point to clinical outcomes. best? What’s more, sound nutrition rec- of using gene-wide association studies to Collectively, Nutrition and Physical Activity in Aging, Obesity, and Cancer Nutrition and Physical Activity in Aging, Obesity, and Cancer presents a timely perspective on biomed- Edited by Young-Joon Surh, Yong Sang Song, Jae Yong Han, Tae Won Jun, and ical advances at the intersection of life- Hye-Kyung Na (Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea) style factors, health, and well-being—in Volume 1229, July 2011 // ISBN 978-1-57331-842-6 the quest to improve longevity and qual-

GRAFIKA, MIYANO TAKUYA, NORIHIRO UEHARA / GETTY IMAGES TAKUYA, GRAFIKA, MIYANO ity of life. Y

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 5 Annals Highlights

fascination with the topic. the nature of the self that are meant to Conversations Th e fi rst panel, entitled “To be or not stand with the very best scientifi c infor- to be: the self as illusion,” moderated by mation available today. on Identity and Krista Tippett, of American Public Me- Th e fourth section, entitled “A self- dia’s “On Being,” includes philosophers fulfi lling prophecy: linking belief to be- Consciousness Th omas Metzinger (University of Mainz, havior,” moderated by Esther Sternberg, Germany), Evan Th ompson (University author of Healing Spaces: Th e Science of of Toronto), and cardiologist and expert Place and Well-being, surveys how the self on near-death experiences Pim van Lom- is shaped by interactions with the envi- mel (Hospital Rijnstate, the Netherlands), ronment. Sternberg then presents a paper who examine recent developments in from the perspective of a neurobiologist- neuroscience and philosophy that shed immunologist and shows how self-fulfi ll- light on whether our conscious experi- ing prophecies might trigger behaviors ence of a unifi ed self is reality or illusion. that play a role in healing. Shaun Gallagh- A paper on near-death experiences fol- er’s paper discusses our increased under- lows, in which van Lommel discusses his standing of the neurobiological function contention that our consciousness does of the brain in relation to classical Car- not always coincide with the functioning tesian representations versus embodied of our brain. self theories. In his paper, Varadaraja V. Next, “Quid pro quo: the ecology of Raman explores historical and evolving Concepts and theories of the self have the self,” moderated by Steve Paulson, ideas of free will. been around since antiquity; these theo- producer and interviewer for public ra- In the section “Me, myself, and I: the ries have been so disparate that the term dio’s “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” rise of the modern self,” moderated by self has assumed radically diff erent mean- joined philosopher and neurobiologist Robert Hanna (University of Colorado), ings given diff erent frames of reference, Owen Flanagan (Duke University), and historians Gerald Izenberg (Washington be they from early religious doctrines of psychologists Paul Bloom (Yale Univer- University, St. Louis) and Jerrold Seigel the soul, from psychoanalysis, or from sity) and Roy Baumeister (Florida State (New York University), philosopher Ray- current research in neuroscience and University) to examine current biologi- mond Martin (University of Maryland neuroethics. Th e Annals volume entitled cal, psychological, and anthropological and Union College), and sociologist Nor- Perspectives on the Self: Conversations research on the complex interaction be- bert Wiley (University of Illinois) trace on Identity and Consciousness is the re- tween the self and others, and consider the evolution of the meaning of the self sult of a six-part panel discussion series, the roots of empathy and morality. from antiquity to the present and con- from December 2010 through May 2011, Th e panel entitled “Th e pursuit of im- sider how the self described by classical organized by the Nour Foundation and mortality: from the ego to the soul” joined philosophers matches the reality of what the New York Academy of Sciences, that Lisa Miller from Newsweek with evolu- we know about ourselves from human ex- brought together experts from science tionary biologist Kenneth Miller (Brown perience and research. Papers follow from and the humanities for an interdisciplin- University) and theologians John Haught Hanna, Izenberg, and Wiley. ary conversation on the evolving meaning (Georgetown University) and Nancey In the fi nal section, “Who am I? Be- and experience of the self. Th e volume Murphy (Fuller Th eological Seminary) to yond ‘I think, therefore I am,’ ” moderated presents edited transcripts of the lively discuss the questions, Are we immortal?, by Alex Voorhoeve (London School of panel discussions; invited papers from Do our souls exist beyond our bodies?, Economics), neuro-philosopher Elie Dur- panelists follow each discussion. Th e in- and What scientifi c evidence is there for ing (University of Paris, Ouest Nanterre), terdisciplinary nature of the discussions mystical experience? In papers that fol- cognitive scientist David Jopling (York and papers should appeal to both lay per- low, Haught and Murphy introduce dis- University, Canada), social psychologist sons and scholars, given the widespread tinctly Christian perspectives regarding Timothy Wilson (University of Virginia), and ethicist Frances Kamm (Harvard Uni- Perspectives on the Self: Conversations on Identity and Consciousness versity) examine the diffi culty of achiev- Edited by Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences staff ing genuine self-knowledge and how the Volume 1234 pursuit of self-knowledge plays a role in shaping the self. W IMAGES.COM / CORBIS

6 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.

Alaei talked about his time in prison from 2008 to 2010. Learn- Human Rights Committee ing that he and his brother had won the Heinz R. Pagels award gave them renewed strength and hope. “I didn’t know I had such a Presents Award, big family, but now I am part of it,” said Alaei. “Th rough the Acad- emy, I am now a citizen of the world, not just where I was born.” Welcomes Surprise Guest Th e recipients’ speeches struck a chord with many in atten- dance. “Th e idea of scientists being involved in human rights is very important because there’s a tendency to think of scien- tists as aloof and not interested in getting involved in the po- litical ramifi cations of human rights. But of course they do get involved, and they should get involved,” said Academy member Victor Sendax. Y Scientists Without Borders Named Katerva Award Finalist

Ellis Rubinstein, Jack Minker, Henry Greenberg, Mary Ganguli, and Kamiar Scientists Without Borders, the Academy’s web-based community Alaei at the Heinz R. Pagels Awards at the Academy, September 22, 2011 that enables scientists to collaborate on science- and technology- based solutions to solve the world’s most pressing global develop- Th e Academy Human Rights of Scientists Committee presented ment challenges, has been named a Katerva Award 2011 Finalist. American computer scientist Jack Minker and Indian pediatri- Katerva selects fi ve fi nalists in each of 10 categories of sus- cian Binayak Sen with the 2011 Heinz R. Pagels Award on Sep- tainability, choosing “game-changing” programs that enable the tember 22 for their tireless work in promoting human rights. global community to live sustainably on the planet. Scientists Minker, an authority on artifi cial intelligence, led the fi ght for Without Borders, a public/private partnership led by the Acad- the release of many computer scientists who were imprisoned emy, was named a fi nalist in the category of behavioral change, for their work during his time as vice-chairman of the Commit- a category that recognizes initiatives that educate, raise aware- tee of Concerned Scientists. ness, and provide a forum for global change. Aft er all, “the best “It is a distinct privilege to know that the fi rst Pagels Award technologies can do little to save the planet if individuals do not was bestowed upon the great physicist, human rights advocate, decide to use them,” according to a Katerva statement. and Nobel laureate, Andre Sakharov, whom I have admired since Shaifali Puri, executive director of Scientists Without Bor- the 1970s,” said Minker during his acceptance speech. ders, notes that it was an honor to be named a fi nalist, given “Physicians in other countries are born into or gain access to the caliber of the other co-fi nalists. “Our co-fi nalists are some the upper stratum of society, but their work oft en takes them to of the most innovative and the other side,” said Henry Greenberg, chair of the Academy Hu- viable programs and projects man Rights of Scientists Committee, in his introductory remarks eff ecting real global change,” about Sen, a pediatrician and community health specialist who says Puri. “We are honored to has devoted his life to working with the poor. Sen’s human rights be included among them, and activism on behalf of impoverished indigenous tribal people has to have been selected pursu- resulted in his persecution by Indian authorities. Sen is currentlyy ant to such a rigorous review on bail in India. Mary Ganguli, a friend and colleague from the process.” University of Pittsburgh, accepted the award on his behalf, read- More than 500 people play ing a statement written by Sen. a role in six fi ltering phases A surprise guest, the 2009 Heinz R. Pagels Award co-re- and 12 stages of focused re- cipient, Kamiar Alaei, also addressed the Academy. Alaei, who view that lead to the selection shared the award with his brother, Arash Alaei, was recognized of Katerva fi nalists and the se- for his work in bringing attention to the issue of HIV/AIDS in lection of the winner in each Iran, as well as leading eff orts for prevention and treatment. category. Th e grand prize

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 7 Inside the Academy

winner will be selected by a panel of global leaders and will be In 2010, NYAS Aft erschool Program mentors provided more announced in December. than 3,120 hours of high-quality, hands-on science activities, However, Puri states that the real excitement is not the honor inspiring New York City’s most underserved children and in- itself, but the possibilities it presents. “We are thrilled that due stilling them with confi dence about their talents in science and to the Katerva Award process, a wider community can be made math. Based on these achievements, the Academy believes that, aware of the work we and others do, and hopefully through with the support of Citizen Schools, it can scale awareness be inspired to lend their expertise and resources to this model to signifi cantly impact science edu- our shared global challenges.” cation in New Jersey. Recently, Scientists Without Borders designed and launched To learn more about the Aft erschool Pro- a global Maternal Health and Nutrition Challenge, which sought gram, ‘snap’ the QR code—or go to www.nyas. to combat birth defects and infant mortality by off ering a $10,000 org and click on the Science Education tab. Y prize to fi nd innovative methods to enable women in the devel- oping world to fortify staple foods with folic acid at the home and community level. In 30 days, more than 60 solutions were off ered from 21 diff erent countries. Neuroeducation Prizes For more information and to join the Scientists Without Borders community, visit www.scientistswith- Presented at Aspen outborders.org. To listen to a podcast about Scientists With- Brain Forum out Borders’ recent Maternal Health and Nu- trition Challenge, ‘snap’ the QR code—or go to www.nyas.org/whatwedo/scpodcasts.aspx. Y Science Education Program Expands into Newark Schools

Kimberley Lakes, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, UC Irvine; and Usha Goswami, professor, cognitive developmental neuroscience, Universtity of Cambridge

Th e Academy and the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation awarded two prizes of $7,500 each in unrestricted funds—one to a senior scientist and one to a junior investigator—for innovation and excellence in the fi eld of neuroeducation at the Second Annual Aspen Brain Forum conference, “Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning: Implications for Education,” in Aspen, CO, September 22 to 24. Last year, the NYAS Education Program scored a major victory President of the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation and Acad- by bringing its K-12 Science Education Initiative to schools in emy President’s Council Member Glenda Greenwald announced underserved areas of New York City. Th e program addresses lag- the winners: young investigator Kimberly Lakes and senior sci- ging achievement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, entist Usha Goswami. Both winners were chosen for their ability and math) disciplines in schools by targeting both K-12 students to translate discoveries from cognitive neuroscience into inno- and educators through the Aft erschool STEM Mentoring Pro- vative curricula and tools that enhance learning inside or out- gram and the Science Teacher Program, respectively. side of the classroom. Th is September, the initiative expanded to schools in New Kimberley Lakes, assistant professor in the Department of Jersey. In partnership with Citizen Schools, a national non-profi t Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, is currently organization that runs middle school aft erschool programs, the studying approaches to physical education that could optimize education initiative will focus on schools in the urban Newark eff ects on brain development. area of New Jersey. Usha Goswami, professor of cognitive developmental neuro- Th e Aft erschool Program places graduate students in aft er- science at the University of Cambridge, examines relations be- school programs, in underserved, oft en minority-heavy areas, tween phonology and reading, with special reference to the neu- allowing students to learn directly from young, energetic scien- ral underpinnings of rhyme and rhythm in children’s reading. A

tists with diverse backgrounds. major focus of her research is the brain basis of dyslexia. Y CHRISTOPHER FUTCHER / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM (STUDENTS)

8 www.nyas.org Institutes and University Centers of Excellence, as well as national Academy Studying policies governing these programs. Y Innovation System in Malaysia Academy Poised for Organizational Growth Th e Academy was asked by the Malaysian National Science and Research Council (NSRC) to undertake a comprehensive evalu- At the Academy’s 193rd Annual Meeting on September 22, Pres- ation of Malaysia’s Public Research Institutes (national labs) and ident and CEO Ellis Rubinstein delivered good news to those in University Centers of Excellence. Th e evaluation will assess the per- attendance: the Academy is poised for rapid growth as it prepares formance of the institutes and centers to date, to better understand to enter its third century in existence. Th is growth is a result of opportunities to improve Malaysian research capacity, strengthen pioneering Academy programs that serve to not only bring to- ties to industry and communities, and accelerate innovation. gether scientifi c stakeholders, but to catalyze action around a Th e study, which began in October 2011 and will continue until variety of science-related initiatives. April 2012, is being performed by the Academy under the auspices In his presentation to the membership, COO Richard Baum of the Global Science and Innovation Council, with research being explored the Academy’s place at the center of an innovation jointly conducted by Malaysians and Academy team members. system—the intersection of assets, networks, and demographic Data will be collected through both qualitative and quantitative culture. Th e Academy takes scientifi c assets, brings them into its methods, including surveys and interviews with top policymakers, demographic culture, and connects them through its worldwide heads of labs, researchers, and external stakeholders. network, explained Baum. At the conclusion of the study, the Academy will present the “We don’t just wait for someone to come up with an amazing fi ndings, which will also be published in a report, to NSRC and idea and then use our network to help implement it; the Acad- advisory committee members. Findings from the study will in- emy is now coming up with the ideas and then galvanizing action form ongoing eff orts to evaluate and restructure Public Research through our networks,” said Rubinstein. W

Why I Support the Academy

“I have long been a member of the Academy and served on the Board for five years. I am a strong supporter of the Academy because it provides scientists across all fields a forum for discussing findings, debating open questions, and bringing diverse perspectives to bear on critical issues.” – Brian Greene Professor of Mathematics and Physics, Columbia University

Support the Academy today at www.nyas.org/support or contact Kiryn Haslinger Hoffman at 212.298.8673 or email [email protected]

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 9 Blavatnik Awards Support System The Blavatink Awards’ recognition of young scientists has proved critical to their continued success.

Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists winners Yaron Lipman, Michal Lipson, and Daniela Schiller are congratulated by Len Blavatnik (second from right) at the Academy’s 2010 event. bylineby Sarah rule Webb

n November 14, the New York Academy of Sciences Th e strong competition for grant funding presents an in- marked a milestone for the Blavatnik Awards for Young creasing challenge for scientifi c researchers. Th ose who receive O Scientists. Now fi nishing its fi ft h year of competitions, fi nancial support are in a better position to bolster their early the Academy—through the support of the Blavatnik Family research eff orts and, in turn, their scientifi c careers. “Th is award Foundation—has recognized the achievements of 67 early-stage program aff ords the Academy the opportunity to embrace re- scientists in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. searchers at a critical time in their careers and recognize their “Young scientists represent the future of scientifi c thought. talent early on,” says Beatrice Renault, senior science advisor at By honoring these young individuals and their achievements we the Academy. are helping to promote the breakthroughs in science and tech- Finalists and winners of the Blavatnik Awards are selected nology that will defi ne how our world will look in 20, 50, 100 from a group of approximately 150 candidates nominated each years,” says Len Blavatnik, founder and chairman of Access In- year. Candidates must be 42 years old or younger and have made dustries and head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. signifi cant contributions to an interdisciplinary fi eld in the life

10 www.nyas.org Congratulations to the 2011 Blavatnik Award Winners or physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Awards are given in two categories: faculty and postdoctoral. Faculty win- The Academy and the Blavatnik Family Foundation are pleased to ners receive $25,000, faculty fi nalists receive $10,000, postdoc- congratulate this year’s Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists win- toral winners receive $15,000, and postdoctoral fi nalists receive ners. The winners, chosen for their outstanding contributions to life $5,000; all prizes are awarded in unrestricted funds. sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering, are:

A Vital Stepping Stone Johannes Gehrke In the fi ve years since the founding of the awards, many scien- Professor, Department of Computer Science tists recognized by this program have already achieved signifi - Cornell University cant milestones in their careers. “Each year, fi nalists go on to become department chairs, win highly prestigious awards and Szabolcs Márka grants, and accept faculty positions at top research institutions Associate Professor, Department of Physics across the globe,” Renault says. “Th ey each exemplify the kind of Columbia University curiosity, inspiration, and dedication necessary to attend to the most pressing problems of society,” she adds. Franck Oury Th is early career recognition has been particularly valuable Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Genetics & Development to Daniela Schiller, a postdoctoral winner in 2010 who is now Columbia University an assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “When you start [a faculty po- Valentino Tosatti sition], the counter turns back to zero,” she says. “You have to J.F. Ritt Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics prove yourself again. Coming in with this recognition is incred- Columbia University ibly supportive. It gives you a head start.” Her laboratory now includes fi ve postdoctoral researchers and studies the neurosci- ence behind emotional control. Steven Gubser, professor of physics at Princeton Universi- Upward and Onward: ty, was a 2008 faculty winner. He was subsequently awarded a Achievements of Past Guggenheim Fellowship in 2009. Gubser appreciates the ability of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists to bring attention Blavatnik Awardees not just to the award winner, but to the entire group of scientists who perform research together. “Science gets done by many good Here, the Academy presents a sampling of the many noteworthy people, not by a few heroes,” says Gubser. accomplishments of past Blavatnik Awards fi nalists and winners.

Community Outreach » Ruslan Medzhitov (2007 faculty winner) of Yale University was In addition to being thankful for the attention that her 2009 win elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2010. brought to her department and her research, Carmala Garzione, » Valerie Horsley (2008 postdoctoral fi nalist), previously a now chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sci- postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University, is now an ences at the University of Rochester, has taken the opportunity assistant professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology to build bridges between her work and the non-scientifi c com- at Yale University. In 2010, she won a Pew Scholar Award. munity. As a result of the award, she has interacted more with » Tamas Horvath (2009 faculty fi nalist) of Yale University won the the general public as a source for articles in the local media and NIH Director’s Pioneer Award in 2010. as an invited speaker at outreach events. » Yaron Lipman (2010 postdoctoral winner), previously a “Science is at risk because of the economy,” Garzione says. postdoctoral student at Princeton University, is now a tenure- “Scientists need to be communicating what they do, why it’s of track assistant professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science’s value, and how confi dent we are about conclusions.” Similarly, Department of Computer Science & Applied Mathematics. the award has provided a focal point for Schiller to talk with lay » Michal Lipson (2010 faculty winner) of Cornell University people about her research and to focus on the interface between received a MacArthur fellowship in 2010. her work and society at large. “Th rough NYAS I’ve gotten all » Agnel Sfeir (2010 postdoctoral fi nalist), previously a sorts of requests to participate in events, and I’m very happy to postdoctoral student at The Rockefeller University, is now an do it,” she says. assistant professor at New York University School of Medicine’s Gubser has used the award’s visibility to translate science Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine. to broader audiences in the form of a popular book, Th e Little » Mary Kay Lobo (2011 postdoctoral fi nalist), previously a Book of String Th eory, published by Princeton University press in postdoctoral student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 2010. He credits the award with boosting his optimism that this is now an assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s project would be successful. “I’m happy with how the book has Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. been received,” he says. “I think it’s a win-win; I feel like I serve the fi eld, and dissemination is one of our goals as scientists.”

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 11 Blavatnik Awards

Just Getting Started With all of this success over the fi rst fi ve years, Renault is excited for the future of the awards. “We look forward to reviewing ap- Featuring plications of this high caliber for many years to come,” she says. articles by the “Science is crucial to the development of the world and so- ciety, but scientists need a lot of support and encouragement,” 2011 Blavatnik Blavatnik says. And he hopes that the program’s reputation will only increase in prominence in the years to come. “Th is is only award fi nalists the fi ft h year of our award; in time, I hope that it will evolve into what I would call a ‘Nobel Prize for young scientists’ with worldwide recognition and worldwide interest from young sci- entists to participate. In this way, I think we will make a real impact on the development of science and the impact of science faculty finalists postdoc finalists Robert Anderson Roberto Bonasio on our society.” Johannes Gerhrke Mary Kay Lobo Th e call for nominations for the upcoming 2012 Blavatnik Charalampos Kalodimos Shaun Olsen Awards for Young Scientists opens on December 1, 2011, and Jun Korenaga Franck Oury closes on January 31, 2012. For more information regarding the Szabolcs Marka Tosatti Valentino awards program, including information on how to nominate Olga Troyanskaya Ruth Van de Water and a list of 2011 judges, please visit the awards website at www. Gerard Wysocki nyas.org/blavatnikawards.

Publication in early 2012 Sarah Webb is a New York City-based journalist and PhD-pre- www.nyas.org/annals pared chemist who covers science, health, technology, and policy.

Needed: Crisis Information System For Distressed Areas

Refugee camps, disaster areas, and war zones lack a communication infrastructure to conduct a census, monitor health and living conditions, or to track births, deaths, and disease outbreaks.

Do YOU have a solution? Visit Scientists Without Borders’ online platform today and offer your expertise and resources to this challenge and others. Join the worldwide effort to solve our planet’s most pressing challenges through scientific innovation. www.scientistswithoutborders.org

12 www.nyas.org 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

Sixth International Congress on Shwachman- Diamond Syndrome

hwachman-Diamond Syndrome is a rare autosomal re- shop provided an overview of several international patient reg- cessive genetic disorder. About 90% of patients with SDS istries that are collecting data on aff ected individuals. Clinicians Scarry mutations in both copies of a gene called SBDS. Th e also discussed the challenges of treating these patients, who need SBDS gene encodes a highly conserved protein required for ribo- to see numerous physicians and who may also have behavioral somes to mature. Patients with SDS usually produce insuffi cient disorders that make it diffi cult for them to function in daily life. amounts of pancreatic enzymes, leading to digestive problems, Rare diseases can off er insights into cellular and systemic and develop specifi c immunological problems such as a shortage processes that are pertinent to much more common disorders. of neutrophils and an elevated rate of certain leukemias. Th ey Such is the case with SDS, where patients can present with he- also tend to have short stature and cognitive problems. matopoietic dysfunction and developmental defects in the brain, At the Sixth International Congress on Shwachman-Diamond pancreas, and bone. Yigal Dror of the Hospital for Sick Children Syndrome, held at the New York Academy of Sciences on June 28 at the University of Toronto and Sabrina Desbordes from the to 30, 2011, researchers met to discuss the latest work on this con- Center for Genomic Regulation found evidence that SDBS- dition. Among other things, researchers are trying to determine defi cient blood cell progenitor cultures and human embryonic how a mutation that aff ects ribosomal maturation gives rise to the stem cell cultures, respectively, experience increases in apop- multiple, yet specifi c, disorders associated with the syndrome. tosis. Outi Mäkitie from the Hospital for Children and Adoles- One hypothesis, put forth by Steven Ellis of the University of cents at the University of Helsinki and her colleagues analyzed Louisville, is that the SBDS protein has other functions in addi- bone biopsies from several SDS patients and found signifi cant tion to its role in translation. Nevertheless it is important to un- low-turnover osteoporosis. In this condition, bone deteriorates derstand the protein’s ribosomal function, and several research- through inadequate bone formation rather than through overac- ers discussed such eff orts in model systems, including mouse, tive breakdown by osteoclasts. zebrafi sh, yeast, and fruit fl ies, as well as in cell culture. Th ey have Researchers are taking a number of approaches to develop determined that the major job of SBDS is to facilitate removal of therapeutics for Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. One such ap- the eIF6 protein from the maturing 60S ribosomal subunit so the proach was discussed by Paul de Figueiredo from Texas A&M subunit can assemble into a complete ribosome. University. Figueiredo is using the yeast Saccharomyces cer- Because patients with SDS are rare and tend to be scattered evisiae to look for drugs that reverse the defects in cell growth widely, registries are essential for collecting and centralizing ob- caused by mutations in the yeast SBDS homolog. Alan J. War- servational data about the disease. A panel discussion and work- ren of the University of Cambridge is taking a diff erent tack by searching for drugs that bypass SBDS and directly modulate the On the Web eIF6 interaction with the 60S ribosomal subunit. Together these Full eBriefi ng by Alan Dove, PhD: eff orts hold promise for an eventual treatment of Shwachman- www.nyas.org/SDS-eB Diamond Syndrome. Y —Jamie Kass, PhD

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

From Crumpling stretchable sheets that are constrained. “waste to energy” (WTE) technologies, Putting Anderson’s model for innovative the Academy’s Green Science & Envi- Geometries physics into practice, Witten verifi ed all ronmental Policy Discussion Group con- of these theoretical results with “exten- vened “Trash Talk: Options for Convert- to Graphene sive numerical experiments,” and revisit- ing Our Solid Waste to Energy” on April ed his initial assumptions to justify them 7, 2011. Talking not of “garbage” but of Materials with evidence. “biomass,” the event’s speakers reviewed Th e subject of Paul McEuen’s keynote the status quo of WTE technology as well was a diff erent kind of “thin sheet”— as the future of this exciting fi eld. single atom-thick sheets of carbon called Nickolas Th emelis of Columbia Uni- graphene. Graphene, McEuen explained, versity’s Earth Engineering Center be- has remarkable physical, optical, and elec- gan the symposium by explaining that tronic properties, all of which make it an this was not the fi rst time that WTE had extremely promising material for a wide appeared on New York City’s radar as a variety of applications. McEuen’s group at way to deal with post-recycling material Cornell University tackles both the mate- (what remains when sorting for normal rials science side and the physics side of recycling is over). In fact, 20 years ago a understanding graphene as they fi nd new WTE scheme was all but implemented in ways to probe its special properties, in New York City. this case by building “tunable resonators,” In the meantime, some states have or drums, from graphene. pushed forward with WTE facilities, Nobel Prize–winning physicist Philip An- April’s meeting also featured excit- which use post-recycling material to cre- derson initiated his keynote lecture at this ing talks from graduate students in con- ate energy (via combustion) and to re- April’s Gotham-Metro Condensed Matter densed matter physics who presented on duce the amount of waste that makes it meeting with an unusual premise: that everything from the behavior of solid to a landfi ll. Not unexpectedly, the states Francis Crick, best known for his contri- Helium-4 and cubic colloids to the prop- that have increased their use of WTE butions to biology, is “in fact a great theo- erties of quantum spin systems and the technologies have also been among the retical physicist.” From this starting point topology of bubbles. Y most advanced in their implementation Anderson began his insightful refl ection —Stephanie Kelly of recycling programs. New York has yet on what makes a good physical theory to harness the full power of WTE process- (and what doesn’t). Th e problem for up- ing, but these programs are increasingly and-coming physicists, he explained, is Trash Talk: Options on policy-makers’ agendas. that many very diff erent theories go some David Demme of SAIC Energy, LLC, way to explaining the facts. For this rea- for Converting delved into the specifi cs of a diff erent kind son, a theoretical physicist needs much of WTE technology—anaerobic digestion more than “a rough acquaintance” with Our Solid Waste (AD) facilities, which deal not with post- the experimental evidence to parse the recycling synthetics, but with organic good theories from the bad. If Anderson’s to Energy food waste. Hunts Point Food Distribu- lecture was a recipe for being an inno- tion Center, the location of large produce vative physicist, Tom Witten’s and Paul markets that serve much of New York City, McEuen’s keynote talks were demonstra- generates a large amount of organic solid tions of how to implement this advice. waste that otherwise ends up on landfi lls. Tom Witten of the University of Chi- Ordinarily this waste decomposes aerobi- cago revealed how a seemingly mundane cally and anaerobically, but the byprod- phenomenon—the crumpling of a thin ucts of this digestion (methane gas among sheet—can challenge simple theoretical them) escape into the atmosphere. AD fa- explanation. By beginning with a mathe- cilities control the anaerobic digestion and matical exploration of “singularities,” ver- capture the byproducts for use as fuel. tices and ridges, that occur in thin sheets For Mark Paisley, inventor of the Tay- whose properties are only possible in the lor Biomass Gasifi cation Process, biomass mathematical (not physical) world, Wit- (or “residues”) includes not just food, but ten and his colleagues have been able to also wood, leather, other organics, and explain what happens to very real, thin, Each day, New York City generates 11,000 even some plastic components. Th ese tons of municipal solid waste—enough to On the Web fi ll the Empire State Building. Motivated On the Web Full eBriefi ng by David Ruff ner: to reduce the environmental and manage- Full eBriefi ng by Brett VanLandingham: www.nyas.org/GMCMM5-eB ment impact of this waste and to facilitate www.nyas.org/WasteToEnergy-eB the economic growth that accompanies

14 www.nyas.org Recent & Upcoming residues can be broken down not through hosted the workshop “Innovating on a combustion but through a controlled Shoestring: Medical Technologies for the eBriefi ngs heating process to produce a gas similar Developing World,” supported by the Jo- in composition to natural gas. Th is gas siah Macy Jr. Foundation. can even replace natural gas as the fuel Executive Director Shaifali Puri 1. Thinking About Teaching: Myths and for some processes. showed how the Scientists Without Bor- Realities of Becoming an Educator According to Paisley, all metro areas ders community can be utilized success- www.nyas.org/Educator-eB with more than 250,000 people could fully and introduced a group who has 2. Sirtuins, Longevity, and Adaptations support a gasifi cation facility of this sort, done just that, the Earth Team—commu- to Nutrient Availability and thereby substantially reduce the por- nity members and third-place winners www.nyas.org/Sirtuins-eB tion of their waste that occupies landfi lls. in the global Maternal Health and Nutri- 3. Facing the Elements: Transportation Taylor Biomass has already established tion Challenge. Th e group described how System Resilience in an Era of a working plant in Upstate New York, and they fi nd challenges posted on sites like Extreme Weather and Climate Change Paisley explained how the physical and Innocentive and Scientists Without Bor- www.nyas.org/TransportationSystem-eB environmental attributes of the facility ders and then work together in short but 4. Global Metabolite Profi ling: The Fast- could be altered to adapt such a plant to intense problem-solving sessions. Using Track for Functional Genomics New York City’s particular waste disposal this approach, they have won several ma- www.nyas.org/Metabolome2-eB and energy needs. Y jor challenges and are currently partner- 5. Achieving Urban Infrastructure —Stephanie Kelly ing with on-the-ground organizations to Effi ciencies Through Building implement some of their solutions. Networks Next, Jacqueline Linnes and Anna www.nyas.org/BuildingNetworks-eB Innovating on Young, from MIT’s Innovations in Inter- 6. Advancing Drug Discovery for national Health Lab, provided examples Schizophrenia a Shoestring: of innovations from scientists, technolo- www.nyas.org/Schizophrenia2011-eB gists, designers, and others who are ap- 7. Leadership and Personal Success Medical plying their skills to meet the medical Through Self-Awareness and and health needs of the world’s poorest Emotional Intelligence Technologies for communities. Th ey presented the prac- www.nyas.org/PersonalSuccess-eB tical design principals and attributes for 8. The Art & Science of Modernist the Developing aff ordable global health technologies and Cuisine: An Evening with Nathan advocated the creation of technologies in Myhrvold World cooperation with the end-user. To secure www.nyas.org/Cuisine-eB funding, they suggested either using the 9. RNAi-based Genetic Screening: Past, technology to answer a research question Present & Future or creating dual-use technologies that are www.nyas.org/RNAiScreen-eB useful in both developed markets and in 10. Autism Spectrum Disorders: From the developing world. Genes to Targets to Treatments To demonstrate these principles in www.nyas.org/Autism-eB action, the presenters concluded the 11. Cracking the Safe: Advances in HIV / workshop with an example of a low-cost AIDS Prevention and Treatment medical device: a nebulizer for asthma www.nyas.org/AIDS2-eB medication. Th ough the cause of asthma 12. Fare and Toll Payment Technologies: is not known, the condition is prevalent Potential Benefi ts for Sustainability in low-resource communities, where it is and Society exacerbated by air pollution. www.nyas.org/FareAndToll-eB To keep the conversation going, a 13. From Strained Suspensions to Th e medical community in low-resource Medical Technologies for the Developing Magnetoelectronic Materials: 4th environments has unique needs. Scientists World Discussion Group was formed on Gotham-Metro Condensed Matter Without Borders, a web-based collabora- the Scientists Without Borders website. Meeting 2010 tive community, was created specifi cally Attendees were encouraged to join the www.nyas.org/GMCMM4-eB to address these types of needs by uniting group and also to look at the Challenges 14. The Non-Academic Job Search: stakeholders and individuals worldwide and Exchange sections of the website. W Target the Job, Tailor the Approach to develop and advance innovative and —Jamie Kass, PhD www.nyas.org/jobsearch-eB eff ective science and technology-based 15. Targeting Synaptic Dysfunction in solutions to critical global development On the Web Alzheimer’s Disease challenges. On June 30, 2011, the New Full eBriefi ng by Monica Kerr, PhD: www.nyas.org/synapse-eB York Academy of Sciences’ Science Alli- www.nyas.org/MedicalTechnologies-eB ance and Scientists Without Borders co-

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 15 Cover Story

Closing the GAP through Translational Science

byline rule by Diana Friedman MORTEN OLSEN / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM MORTEN

16 www.nyas.org he term “translational science” itself is troublesome. Th is increasingly trendy term is oft en used to talk about a T specifi c fi eld of science or type of scientist. But accord- ing to many of the scientists featured in this cover story, trans- lational science is best thought of as a process: the long, complex process of making scientifi c discoveries and, through additional research and clinical trials, turning those discoveries into viable therapeutics targeted to specifi c disease states. Th is process involves many people, much money, and, admit- tedly, some failure. Consider the following quote: “Translation of biomedical research into safe and eff ective clinical applications remains a slow, expensive, and failure-prone endeavor.” Th e words of an incurable pessimist? Not quite; these words were written by NIH Director Francis S. Collins in a commen- tary in Science Translational Medicine in July 2011. Collins’ as- sessment is not unfair: for a new drug, the average length of time from target discovery to approval is approximately 13 years, and the vast majority of compounds fail or are abandoned at some point during testing, aft er a staggeringly high investment into their development. It is not surprising then, that new ways of bringing about translation are being taken up by leading scientifi c organiza- tions, including the NIH and the New York Academy of Sci- ences, both of which recently introduced new initiatives. Th ese initiatives represent more than new ideas and, in some cases, new buildings: they represent real-life eff orts to connect and support the many scientists and medical professionals from di- verse backgrounds and fi elds of study who, through their work, make translation happen. With such eff orts on the horizon, the outlook for transla- tional science is improving; it has to, according to many experts. Th e reimagining of how translation happens is not only a loft y goal, but a societal necessity to deal with rising rates of disease and disability. On the following pages, we take a look at the issue of trans- lational science from a variety of perspectives: academia, indus- try, government, and yes, even Hollywood, helping us to explore translation through the widest possible lens. Y FOTOGRAFIABASICA / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 17 Cover Story Putting Brain Power behind Brain Disease A new partnership between the New York Academy of Sciences and One Mind for Research aims to hasten the translation of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research. bylineby Brooke rule Grindlinger and Sonya Dougal

n the scientifi c community, the past 50 years have brought scalable to a variety of scientifi c fi elds and disease states, with the about a bounty of basic science discoveries, and with it, goal of adding new modules on a continual basis. I much excitement about potential applications for this For its launch, the Academy’s Translational Science Initia- knowledge. In the medical community, by contrast, the past 50 tive has partnered with One Mind for Research, a coalition of years have been marked by an upswing in chronic, disabling dis- research scientists, universities, government agencies, industry, ease, and much anxiety about both the resulting human toll and and advocacy groups dedicated to improving the health and related costs. functioning of the 100 million Americans who suff er with a dis- Despite a proliferation of groundbreaking life sciences re- order of the brain or central nervous system. Th is partnership search, the rate of therapeutic development has not matched the represents the creation of a powerhouse of participants, ideas, rate at which disease is affl icting the U.S. population, particu- infrastructure, and resources, all directed toward the goal of larly in the realm of neurological and psychiatric disorders. For accelerating progress in the development of disease-modifying example, while the annual cost burden of Alzheimer’s disease in therapies for the most devastating and costly diseases, starting the U.S. is $170 billion, only fi ve drugs are approved to treat it, with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. and none eff ectively modify or treat the underlying cause. Con- Th rough a variety of methods—conferences and workshops, sider that four million people currently suff er from Alzheimer’s public advocacy events, academic and lay publications, policy disease, with that number projected to grow to 14 million by whitepapers, entrepreneurship training, career mentoring, and 2050. How will our already struggling health care system fare working groups designed to form new pre-competitive partner- under this staggering burden? ships—the Academy will develop a robust network that links Th e simplifi ed answer to this conundrum is to accelerate life individuals across disciplines and sectors to foster a culture of sciences research and development to more quickly turn basic communication, collaboration, and coordination in the area of science discoveries into clinical therapeutics. Th e question of neurological disease. how to go about such a task is, however, not so simple. Timely Th e Academy, together with One Mind for Research, will use translation is countered by a perfect storm of challenges: lack each organization’s strengths to develop and implement an agen- of pre-competitive collaboration among basic scientists, physi- da that tackles regulatory issues, advances basic science, and ac- cians, industry scientists, and government; little consensus on celerates the development of improved diagnostics, preventative best practices in translational science; inadequate representation measures, and disease-modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer’s of certain patient populations in current drug development ef- disease and dementia. forts; and a shortage of scientists trained to meet the challenges Th e need could not be clearer: based on mortality data of translational science. from 2000 to 2008, death rates have declined for most ma- It will take strong intra- and inter-institutional partnerships to jor diseases while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen overcome these barriers and to bring about the changes necessary 66% during the same period. It’s time to put good science, and to eff ect real translational science progress. To this end, the Acad- strong organizations, to work to reverse alarming trends in emy recently announced the creation of its Translational Science neurological disease. Y Initiative, strategically designed to support the translation of sci- entifi c discovery from the laboratory to patient care applications Brooke Grindlinger and Sonya Dougal are the director of scientifi c by bringing together stakeholders in research and medicine, re- programs and senior program manager of life sciences, respectively,

gardless of institution, region, or discipline. Th e initiative will be at the New York Academy of Sciences. / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM SVITLANA KAZIYEVA-DEM’YANENKO

18 www.nyas.org Translational Science on the Big Screen W. Ian Lipkin contributes to the pandemic thriller Contagion.

Ian Lipkin, Th e John Snow Professor of Epidemi- ology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of W Public Health, recently found himself mentoring a W. Ian Lipkin at the New York City premiere of Contagion on Sep 7, 2011. new kind of student—the Hollywood variety. Lipkin, also direc- tor of the Center for Infection and Immunity, served as senior I also helped with dialogue; made suggestions for props, set, technical advisor for Contagion, the pandemic thriller released makeup, and costume design; helped to train actors in the spe- in September 2011. Th e advising process started three years ear- cifi cs of laboratory work; and connected the crew and cast to lier, when the Academy member was recruited to work on the laboratory and public health scientists for expertise and insights big-budget fi lm. I could not provide. We also recorded portions of the soundtrack at Columbia—biocontainment doors opening and closing, whir- NYAS: Why did you sign on as an advisor for ring centrifuges, cages rolling down hallways. Contagion? Lipkin: I had been asked to review movies in the past and most NYAS: Do you feel that the fi nished movie accurately of the time, my reviews were negative. Th is was the fi rst time I represents the work of an infectious disease scientist? signed on to help in the creation of a movie. I was very impressed Lipkin: Consultants don’t, nor should they, have control of the with the screenwriter, Scott Z. Burns, because he came to this fi nished work. Nonetheless, I am pleased with the outcome and with no preconceived notions. Both Scott and the director, Ste- the feedback from my colleagues has been positive too. ven Soderbergh, were committed to a strong scientifi c founda- Th ere are minor issues like the time from virus discovery to tion (incidentally, they’re both kids of academics, so they grew having a vaccine might be six months rather than four, or that up in that tradition). the incubation period is too short. But by and large, the movie is Additionally, the movie provided a unique opportunity to scientifi cally plausible. Furthermore, it shouldn’t take six months educate millions of viewers about the challenges—scientifi c, po- to make and distribute a vaccine. We can do better. litical, economic, logistical, and humanistic—of emerging infec- tious diseases, and the opportunities we have to address them. NYAS: How does this fi lm address the issue of translational science? NYAS: How does the topic of the movie relate to what Lipkin: In this fi lm, we’re trying to engender interest in support- you do on a daily basis? ing translational work: developing vaccines, drugs, and diagnos- Lipkin: Our Center is known for its work in pathogen discovery, tics to reduce the impact of disease. surveillance, diagnostics, and immunotherapeutics. We have We think this fi lm is timely because there is a threat to science programs in the developing world, including one focused on the funding at all levels: state, federal, and global. Th is fi lm makes Nipah virus, the inspiration for the virus in the fi lm. the case for why it’s important to not only maintain support, but increase it. Th e risks are too great. NYAS: In which aspects of the movie-making process were you involved? NYAS: What are your biggest professional priorities Lipkin: I presented several scenarios for the pandemic, and rec- when faced with a new microbial threat? ommended the one that was selected. Th ereaft er, Craig Street, a Lipkin: I start out with a series of questions: What is it? Where bioinformatician at the Center for Infection and Immunity, and did it come from? How is it transmitted? What does it do and I designed the virus by downloading existing viral sequences how? Where is it going? Is it stable or is its pathogenicity chang- from a GenBank database and stitching them together. We then ing? Is everyone equally vulnerable, and if not, why not? created three dimensional virus models based on structures My action items include answering the questions, building of Nipah and Hendra, which were solved by Bowden and col- and implementing diagnostic tools for clinical management and leagues at Oxford, and described its evolution over the course of surveillance, and establishing countermeasures. Y

DAVE ALLOCA/STARPIX DAVE the pandemic.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 19 Cover Story From ‘The Valley of Death’ to Lifesaving Therapeutics: The Role of Academic Medical Centers bylineby Diana rule Friedman

don’t like the distinc- terests increasingly move from tion between basic and discovery to development, ac- I translational science; sci- ademic medical centers must ence should be seamless,” says play a leading role in seizing Laurie Glimcher, the Stephen these opportunities. and Suzanne Weiss Dean, Jeff rey Bluestone, execu- Weill Cornell Medical Col- tive vice chancellor and pro- lege, eff ective January 2012. vost, University of California, Glimcher is supported in her San Francisco (UCSF), be- viewpoint by many of her col- lieves that one way to greatly leagues in the academic medi- increase translation is to focus cal center community. “our incredible science on hu- “No matter what we call the mans as the complex medical discovery and development model of choice.” of new therapeutic drugs, it’s “To me, one of the most critical for the future of patient exciting post-human genome care that we focus on break- and technology advancements throughs in therapeutics,” says is thinking about the human Kenneth L. Davis, president organism as a place to do cut- and CEO, Mount Sinai Medical Center. ting-edge research, just like mice were our organism of choice in For Glimcher, who spends the majority of her professional the past.” To do that, says Bluestone, academic medical centers life in a laboratory, her training as a physician still informs her will need to engage faculty and students in areas of human bi- desire to translate laboratory discoveries into viable clinical ology while improving existing infrastructure (data and tissue treatments. Th is is the quintessential mission of an academic banks, bioinformatics technology, etc.) so that it is up to the task medical center: to bring together clinical and scientifi c resourc- of human research. es, with a greater duty of service to humankind. Th is mission is further supported by the Bayh-Doyle Act, a federal mandate that Incentives Needed requires academic medical centers to develop discoveries at the Despite the incredible research opportunities aff orded by an in- bench into benefi ts for patients, notes Glimcher. crease in scientifi c knowledge, academic medical centers are faced In order to move translation forward, clinicians and scien- with many challenges that make the realization of translation an tists must interact. “We need great clinicians who understand uphill climb. Declining Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement how to interface with laboratory scientists, we need scientists to leads to clinicians with packed patient schedules, leaving less ask research questions that are relevant to disease, and we need time for vital collaboration with laboratory-based scientists, who bridges that connect the two groups,” says David S. Stephens, are themselves faced with a dearth of research funds. vice president for research, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, “Ninety-three percent of grants are turned down. A basic sci- Emory University. “Th is happens in academic medical centers, entist will write their best grant in the area with which they are but it doesn’t happen well in all of them.” most comfortable and oft en that isn’t an area of disease,” says Da- vis. Th is underscores a critical need in academic medical centers: Medical Model of Choice fi nding ways to incentivize both laboratory-based scientists and “We have never lived in a time when opportunities were greater clinicians to spend more time working together and, ultimately,

in biomedical research,” says Davis. And, as pharmaceutical in- to make progress in creating new therapeutics for disease. FOTOGRAFIABASICA / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

20 www.nyas.org Many academic medical centers are providing incentives on translational science, in which physicians learn to become clini- an institutional level, by investing large amounts of fi nancial and cal researchers. organizational resources to create physical spaces that support UCSF, a health sciences campus, recently developed ties with the day-to-day process of translation. For example, new build- a local law school to help researchers learn about issues such as ings are being created at Weill Cornell Medical College and confl ict of interest and consent forms. And ACTSI hosted a fo- Mount Sinai Medical Center to foster closer collaboration be- rum, in partnership with industry, to teach laboratory-based sci- tween clinicians and laboratory-based scientists, blurring the entists about the process of creating a therapeutic product—an lines between such disciplines to create the ‘seamless science’ of area most of those in attendance had never learned about before. Glimcher’s vision. Such ties with industry are vital to avoiding the so-called val- Putting scientists and clinicians from diverse disciplines and ley of death—that stage where development of a previously prom- backgrounds in close proximity to each other is useful both for ising compound languishes and dies—says Bluestone. “We need its practicality and its ability to drive culture change. “Many of a diff erent model of partnership with industry. Not one where our faculty are used to, and very successful at, working indepen- industry licenses a drug from us and they tell us to go away, or dently or with a few collaborators,” says Bluestone. “We need to one where industry provides us with money to do research and fi nd ways to allow faculty to overcome barriers to communication we tell them to go away.” At UCSF, Pfi zer locates full-time scien- and collaboration.” Having a building where scientists, clinicians, tists on the university campus, leading to greater interaction and and students with varying de- better understanding of both grees and areas of expertise sides of the process—discov- work side-by-side is one way ery and development. to facilitate a free exchange of Industry collaboration is information and ideas. incredibly valuable, agrees Glimcher, provided there is Reaching Out full transparency from all In addition to new initiatives sides. “In the olden days, ba- that pool intra-institutional sic scientists looked down resources, partnerships be- on clinical researchers,” says tween academic medical cen- Glimcher. “It’s not so dif- ters are key, says Glimcher. ferent from how academics “Here in New York, we have used to perceive industry. I the so-called four corners— believe those distinctions are New York Presbyterian, Me- largely being erased. Many of morial Sloan Kettering Cancer my esteemed colleagues have Center, Weill Cornell Medical crossed over from academia Center, and Th e Rockefeller to industry and vice versa. I University. We all have unique think that’s a positive thing, so strengths, so we want to lever- long as there’s transparency.” age those to avoid duplicating eff orts. It’s more cost eff ective.” At the Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute A Unique Advantage (ACTSI), partnerships span three academic institutions—Em- Indeed, collaboration, both within and outside of academia, is ory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Georgia necessary to overcome translational hurdles. Th e potential re- Institute of Technology—as well as a variety of health care and wards are great. But, says Bluestone, academic medical centers non-profi t partners. All of these organizations pool resources “to do not have to look beyond the borders of their campuses to fi nd rapidly and effi ciently translate scientifi c discoveries to impact two of their most valuable resources: students and patients. all populations of the Atlanta community,” says Stephens, who is “Our students are tremendous resources that drive innova- the institute’s principal investigator. tion and creativity,” says Bluestone. “Th ey can help us challenge Oft en, the results of these initiatives reach well beyond At- the status quo.” lanta. For example, ACTSI scientist Bali Pulendran recently At ACTSI, researchers interact regularly with community published a systems biology approach to determine innate and boards, set up to provide a forum for two-way communication adaptive responses to infl uenza vaccination, providing a new and to engender trust between community members/patients platform to predict vaccine immunogenicity and establishing and the institute. “Th e community boards allow us to reach out new mechanistic insights for vaccine development. to communities about our research projects, but they also allow communities to contribute to us by telling us about their unmet Educating the Educators clinical needs,” says Stephens. Another way to incentivize both scientists and clinicians to ex- Targeting research, and subsequent drug development, to pend more time and professional resources on the development unmet health needs is perhaps the best example of how aca- of disease-modifying compounds is to provide professional demic medical centers can make a real-life diff erence through education that emphasizes the skills necessary for translation. translation. Y

DNY59 / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM Some schools now off er master’s degrees in clinical sciences or

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 21 Cover Story A CConversationonversation wwithith NNapoleoneapoleone FFerraraerrara The Genentech Fellow discusses his life’s work: from discovering the core angiogenic signaling molecule, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), to creating anti-VEGF therapeutics for wet age- Napoleone Ferrara (center) receives the 2011 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for related macular degeneration and Biomedical Research with (left to right) Joaquin Duato (J&J), Craig Mello (University of Massachusetts Medical School; Howard Hughes Medical cancerous tumors. Institute), Harlan Weisman (J&J) and Paul Stoffels (J&J).

NYAS: What motivated you to go into research? NYAS: What factors have contributed to your success? Ferrara: I studied medicine in Catania, Italy, my hometown. Ini- Ferrara: I have a medical background even though I have not been tially I thought that clinical medicine was very interesting, but I a practicing physician for a long time. Perhaps that medical back- didn’t have a fi rm direction. Th en, I met a professor of pharma- ground helped me to guide my research into an area that is thera- cology with an established research group. I joined this group as peutically relevant. I was also just very fortunate that the VEGF a medical student and that’s what introduced me to research. It molecule turned out to be so important. I also think being at Ge- was thanks to my post-doctoral mentor at University of Califor- nentech for 22 years helped push my work along. I think it would nia, San Francisco, that I was able to further hone my research have been diffi cult to do the same work in a diff erent setting. interests. Both of these people were very infl uential and inspira- tional factors. NYAS: You recently received the 2011 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for your breakthrough research on VEGF, and NYAS: Broadly, how did you identify VEGF and in 2010 you received the Lasker Award. What do these identify its role? awards mean to you? Ferrara: I was interested in endocrinology and neuro-endocri- Ferrara: Th ey express the fact that my peers, my colleagues, re- nology. Th e pituitary is the master regulator of many key physi- spect this work, so that means a lot to me personally. But the ological processes. During my fellowship at UCSF, I stumbled on awards also refl ect on the work that my group has done over the a population of pituitary cells without an established function. years. To me, these awards are really a stimulus to do more. I see As part of my postdoctoral work, I tried to characterize these them as motivation to do more and better research. cells. I found that they released a factor that promotes angiogen- esis. Over time I was able to isolate this molecule: I named it vas- NYAS: What are your biggest research priorities cular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Aft er that, and through right now? the work of a number of other labs, it became clear that VEGF is Ferrara: We’re trying to follow up on our work on VEGF. We a very important signaling molecule. want to know why, for example, not all tumors respond to VEGF inhibitors. We want to understand resistance. Th is will mean dis- NYAS: As your work progressed, what were your secting tumors to refi ne our understanding of angiogenesis. Re- biggest challenges in translating your discoveries to garding pro-angiogenic therapies, clinical studies thus far have the development of therapeutics? been quite disappointing. It’s very diffi cult to reconstruct com- Ferrara: We were very fortunate that we found the right target plex vessels to positively impact circulation. It would be really but the challenge was proving that. Initially there was a lot of wonderful if someone could fi gure out how to do that. W controversy about angiogenesis. Th ere was skepticism about VEGF’s role in angiogenesis; people thought that maybe there were other molecules at work. We had to prove our fi ndings

through sound scientifi c methods. PRNEWSFOTO/JOHNSON & JOHNSON

22 www.nyas.org Member Memoir Defying Defi nition Why good science resists characterization. bylineby Marci rule A. Landsmann Elias Zerhouni President, Global Research & Development, Sanofi -Aventis

cience is a discipline that whittles the abstract into clear and Former positions: executive vice dean and professor of radiology and precise terms. So it might seem odd, at fi rst, that Elias Zer- biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; presidential scientifi c envoy to Islamic countries for President Barack Obama (2009 to S houni, former director of the National Institutes of Health 2010); senior fellow, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2008 to 2009); director, and esteemed scientist, takes issue with certain characterizations. National Institutes of Health (2002 to 2008)

“I don’t like to call something, ‘basic science’ or ‘translational MD: University of Algiers, 1975 science,’ ” says the Academy President’s Council member. “It’s ei- ther good science or bad science. I don’t think we should charac- Activities: Reading, listening to music, playing the luth, and competitive swimming terize any type of science. Science is an adventure; it’s the human search for knowledge and new ideas that can better humankind. Recently read: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and “Innovative Entrepreneurship and Policy: Toward Initiation and Preservation of Growth” from The Economics To pigeonhole types of science is, in my view, not benefi cial.” of Small Businesses Defi nitions can create barriers, says Zerhouni. And he has spent his life stepping over such lines, fi rst in academia at Johns Hopkins, then at the National Institutes of Health, and now in the funding agency should refl ect the realities of science and not private industry in his recently assumed role as president of glob- the other way around.” al research and development at Sanofi -Aventis. During his time at the NIH, Zerhouni encouraged further In the early days of Zerhouni’s career as a radiologist at Johns collaboration between scientists by creating multi-principal in- Hopkins, he recalls not being able to secure NIH funding for vestigator grants, which allowed each scientist on a project to his own research, because it didn’t fi t neatly into a single disease have lead investigator status. “Under a single lead investigator process or under the purview of one single NIH institute. It took system, everybody else would be secondary. Well, that, in some private industry funding to make his proposed research path— way, discourages collaboration because everyone wants to be rec- which years later led to imaging technologies that could show the ognized in their own fi eld as the top scientist.” Th e multi-PI grant heart in three dimensions and help clinicians decipher between gave scientists equal billing to contribute to the scientifi c prob- cancerous and noncancerous nodules in the lungs—a reality. lem at hand—and to converge in the same way as science does. Funding Reform Matter of Perspective Zerhouni got the opportunity to make changes in the way the Zerhouni attributes his success, in part, to his own unique back- NIH chooses and awards research grants when he was appoint- ground. Algerian-born, Zerhouni came to America when he ed NIH director. He assembled a multidisciplinary team and a was 24, aft er securing a residency at Johns Hopkins. He quickly “Roadmap for Medical Research,” which isolated areas of science learned the role perspective can play in the world of medicine. that would most benefi t from cross-collaboration. Th e NIH Re- “I think maybe part of my ability to succeed here is that I can form Act of 2008 established the NIH’s Common Fund, specifi - bring a viewpoint that many people feel is sometimes surprising- cally for research that involves at least two of the 27 institutes in ly diff erent and constructive in showing there is a diff erent way,” the NIH. In addition, it also set up funds for the Pioneer Award, says Zerhouni. “I think being an immigrant enriches the mix.” He which supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity applauds the U.S. for welcoming scientifi c immigrants and their who propose pioneering, and possibly transforming, approaches contributions, pointing out that science is the great peacemaker. to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research, de- Zerhouni cites the fact that 30% of all Nobel Peace Prizes in spite not fi tting neatly into a single disease category. Medicine have been won by immigrant Americans. “No country “You need a diversity of approaches,” Zerhouni says. “Some- has all of the talent to overcome its problems and that’s why I times funding agencies use a one-size-fi ts-all approach, which think science has to be global, it has to be without artifi cial bar- doesn’t help the real nature of science, which can go from the riers, and we should encourage collaboration and self-assembly proverbial single investigator in the lab doing fundamental ob- wherever it comes from, provided that it is good science.” W servation…to having the ability to put together teams to under- stand computational biology and bioinformatics. So in my view, Marci A. Landsmann is a medical writer in Philadelphia.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 23 Member News Share professional news with your colleagues. Submit announcements to [email protected].

a rare combination that engendered respect and love from all the Ralph Steinman Academy staff ers who knew him,” says Rubinstein. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago, Stein- man was himself a benefi ciary of his own research. According Awarded Nobel to Th e Rockefeller University, Steinman was able to extend his life through a dendritic-cell based immunotherapy of his own Prize design. He was 68 years old at the time of his passing. Steinman was the Henry G. Kunkel Professor in Th e Rocke- feller University’s Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immu- nohematology, a senior physician at Th e Rockefeller University Hospital, and head of the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1968.

Academy Members Receive NIH Common Fund Grants Th e National Institutes of Health announced that it is awarding $143.8 million to support research that “is neither incremental nor conventional,” according to James M. Anderson, director of the Di- vision of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, who guides the Common Fund’s High-Risk Research program. “Th e awards are intended to catalyze giant leaps forward for any area of biomedical research, allowing investigators to go in entirely new directions,” with the goal of turning research into better health for the American public, says Anderson. On October 3, 2011, longtime Academy Member and Fellow In 2011, the NIH awarded 13 Pioneer Awards, 49 New Inno- Ralph Steinman, won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or vator Awards, and 17 Transformative Research Projects Awards, Medicine for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in all supported by the NIH Common Fund. A number of Acad- adaptive immunity. Steinman passed away just days before the emy members have been announced as winners of these presti- announcement was made. In spite of the tragic timing of Stein- gious awards. man’s passing, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute voted Academy members Uttiya Basu, Columbia University; Aron to allow the posthumous honor to stand. M. Geurts, Medical College of Wisconsin; and Megan C. King, Steinman earned numerous awards for his contributions to the Yale University, received New Innovator Awards. Academy mem- advancement of immunology research and health care, including bers Th omas Hartung, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 2007. School of Public Health; Th omas S. Kupper, Brigham and Steinman contributed greatly to the Academy during his mem- Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Brigham and Women’s Can- bership. Academy President and CEO Ellis Rubinstein, former edi- cer Center, and Harvard Medical School; F. Nina Papavasiliou, tor of Science, joined the Academy at a low point in its history. “Few Th e Rockefeller University; and Margaret Elizabeth Ross, Weill people had the vision to imagine what a valuable role the Academy Medical College of Cornell University, received Transformative could play in mentoring doctoral students and in creating scien- Research Projects Awards. tifi c synergies across New York’s great research institutions. Ralph Steinman saw this immediately and was one of the fi rst of the President’s Council Member Elected to great—and very busy—scientists in New York to devote portions Philosophical Society of his precious time to help us create world-class conferences.” Th e members of the American Philo- Steinman, who served as editor for two volumes of Annals of sophical Society (APS) voted a member the New York Academy of Sciences, was also an immediate sup- of the Academy’s President’s Council, Is- porter of Scientists Without Borders when it launched several mail Serageldin, director of the Library years ago. “Th at was no surprise to me because, busy as he was, of Alexandria, into membership. he had answered a Gates Grand Challenge and was spending Th is high honor was conferred to many of what proved to be his last hours working on the prob- Serageldin in recognition of his extraor- lems of the neglected on our planet. Ralph was deep and broad, dinary accomplishments in the fi elds of intellectual endeavor and public service. He was nominated and

24 www.nyas.org elected by his peers in the Society, which has 700 members from “Each of these extraordinary scientists, engineers, and inven- a wide variety of disciplines. Other members elected this year tors is guided by a passion for innovation, a fearlessness even include several Nobel laureates and the newest member of the as they explore the very frontiers of human knowledge, and a U.S. Supreme Court. Of the 37 new members elected in 2011, desire to make the world a better place,” said President Obama Serageldin is one of eight non-U.S. members. in his address. Chien and the other researchers will receive their Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the APS promotes awards at a White House ceremony later this year. useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities. Th e Society honors and engages distinguished scientists, humanists, social Dental Implant System Wins Research Award scientists, and leaders in civic and cultural aff airs through elect- Academy Member Victor Sendax, senior attending general den- ed membership. tist/oral implantologist at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in the Serageldin is highly regarded worldwide for his attempts to Department of Otolaryngology, received the American Acad- combat hunger in developing countries, as well as his tireless ef- emy of Implant Dentistry’s (AAID) Research Foundation Award forts to re-establish the importance of science in the Arab and on October 22, 2011. Muslim worlds. Each year, the AAID selects a recipient who has contributed substantially to the specialty of oral implantology. As the original Neuroscience Prize inventor and patent-holder of the Sendax Mini Dental Implant Honors Work on Stress System (now acquired by the 3M Corp.) the AAID Research Academy Governor and former Board of Foundation has seen fi t to honor Sendax, president and chair of Governors Vice Chair Bruce S. McEwen Sendax Mini Dental Centers Mgt., Inc. is the winner of the 2011 Edward M. Scol- nick Prize in Neuroscience. Th e Scolnick 60-Year Member to Publish Prize is awarded annually by the McGov- Rorschach Biography ern Institute for Brain Research at MIT Wolfgang Schwarz, a clinical psycholo- to recognize outstanding advances in the gist in Chappaqua, NY, and 60-year fi eld of neuroscience. member of the Academy, is a Charles McEwen, Alfred E. Mirsky Professor and head of the Harold Darwin buff . He is also the offi cial bi- and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinol- ographer of Hermann Rorschach, who, ogy at Th e Rockefeller University, has spent more than four de- coincidentally, was also fascinated by cades studying how hormones regulate the brain and nervous Darwin (one of the Academy’s most dis- system. Work by McEwen and his colleagues has shown that in tinguished members). the hippocampus, chronic stress causes neurons to undergo a re- Schwarz received a history of medicine grant from the NIH modeling of dendrites, changes that are largely reversed once the the early 1960s to write Rorschach’s biography. He is currently stress is removed, at least in young adult animals. His laboratory fi nishing volume three in a three-volume book, the fi rst volume has extended these studies on the hippocampus to the prefrontal of which will be published for a lay audience later this year. Th e cortex and the amygdala. other two volumes will be published as reference material. As “Bruce has made pioneering discoveries about the eff ects of part of his research, Schwarz traveled to Europe four times to stress hormones on the brain,” says Marc Tessier-Lavigne, presi- gather primary source material. dent of Th e Rockefeller University and a member of the Acad- Th roughout his career as both a psychologist and an author, emy’s President’s Council. “His research has shown how chronic the Academy has been a constant source of excitement and in- stress damages the brain, while acute stress can prove to be ben- spiration for Schwarz. “One of the most exciting moments was efi cial. Bruce’s fi ndings have direct implications for improving having Oliver Sacks speak to us at the Academy’s old home on human health.” East 63rd Street. It was a thrilling place with a romance about it that just smelled of history.” In the Academy’s new home at 7 Academy Life Member Receives National Medal of Science World Trade Center, Schwarz’s most memorable moment to date President Barack Obama named seven researchers as recipients has been hearing Richard Dawkins’ impressive talk. of the 2011 National Medal of Science, among them Academy Schwarz credits the Academy with “giving a glamour to sci- Life Member Shu Chien, University of California, San Diego. ence that’s so necessary, otherwise young people get attracted to Chien was recognized “for pioneering work in cardiovascular other things. To imagine that too many young people haven’t physiology and bioengineering, which has had tremendous im- even heard of Charles Darwin and that there are all these climate pact in the fi elds of microcirculation, blood rheology, and mech- doubters out there; you have to have an antidote and the Acad- anotransduction in human health and disease.” emy provides that,” says Schwarz. W

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 25 Academy Calendar For further details on meetings and conferences, visit our calendar at www.nyas.org/events.

Mon, Dec 5 • 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM November Genome Integrity January Discussion Group Meeting Wed, Nov 16 • 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM Th e Genome Integrity Discussion Group Tue, Jan 24 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM The Forever War: provides a forum for interactions between Biomarkers and Brain Imaging of Malaria versus the World basic and clinical research groups working on Presymptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease: Th e goal of this symposium is to call attention chromosome biology and function, and at the Exploring the Silent Years to the enormous burden imposed by malaria, interface between chromosome integrity and New clinical tools suggest that events under- and highlight the groundbreaking research onset and progression of malignancy. lying Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) begin many conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers and years prior to diagnosis. Th is symposium other scientists aligned in the battle against Mon, Dec 5 • 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM explores these structural, functional, and malaria. Jeff rey D. Sachs (Th e Earth Institute, Familiar but Strange: Exploring our biochemical events that precede and may Columbia University) is the keynote speaker Relationships with Robots predict both AD and amnestic mild cognitive at this event that celebrates the tenth anni- Why do some robots make us want to hug impairment. versary of the founding of the Johns Hopkins them, while others make us want to run and Malaria Research Institute. hide? For the fourth installment of the Being Wed, Jan 25 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Human in the 21st Century Series, roboticists New York Structural Biology Wed, Nov 30 • 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM Heather Knight and Chris Bregler discuss our Discussion Group: Advances in Adult Stem Cell Therapy familiar but strange robot-human relations. Seventh Winter Meeting in Tissue Repair for Cardiovascular Th e New York Area Structural Biology Dis- Diseases Tues, Dec 6 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM cussion Group convenes twice annually and Bone marrow-derived stem cells have been Brainfl ammation: The Role of the presents talks and poster sessions from gradu- used to treat chronic cardiovascular disease, Innate Immune System in CNS ate students, postdocs, and laboratory heads. with promising clinical trial results. Th is sym- Disorders posium, featuring speaker Sharon Watling A growing body of evidence indicates that Th u, Jan 26 • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Aastrom Biosciences, Inc.), reviews recent chronic or maladaptive activation of micro- Will Technology Let Us Avoid the Limits advances in the fi eld, from compelling pre- glia play a critical role in a variety of CNS to Growth? clinical data to mid-stage clinical trial results. disorders. Th is symposium gathers experts on Join us as we explore an updated view of the microglia and monocyte biology to discuss 1972 hit book Th e Limits to Growth, with the role of infl ammation in neurological thoughts by original author Dennis Meadows December diseases and disorders, insights into their bi- and world renowned industrial ecologist ology, and possible therapeutic interventions. Th omas Graedel. Dec 1 – 3 Thrombolysis and Acute Stroke Wed, Dec 14 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Treatment (TAST) in 2011: Preparing Chronic Kidney Disease: Infl ammation February for the Next Decade and Oxidative Stress in Pathogenesis Designed to serve a multidisciplinary audi- and Clinical Course Fri, Feb 3 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ence of physicians, clinicians, and scientists Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are Cancer Metabolomics: Elucidating the interested in cerebrovascular disease, this thought to cause chronic kidney disease Biochemical Programs that Support 2.5-day conference will explore the state-of- (CKD), and some link CKD with chronic Cancer Initiation and Progression the-art and future directions of research and infl ammation and oxidative stress. Th is While cancer cells show distinct features, a clinical practice leading to enhanced medical symposium presents results from trials with a complete metabolome picture is elusive. Th is care in the acute treatment of ischemic stroke. drug that modulates infl ammatory pathways. symposium reveals strategies for metabolite profi ling to distinguish cancer cells, signaling Th u, Dec 1 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Fri, Dec 16 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM cascades that drive selective pathways, and TAST 2011 Satellite Workshop: Patient-Specifi c Induced Pluripotent novel chemotherapies. Advanced Multi-modal Neuroimaging Stem Cells for the Study of and Ultrasound Approaches to Neurological Diseases Th u, Feb 9 • 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM Hyperacute Stroke Diagnosis, Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) off er Chemical Biology of Infectious Treatment, and Monitoring a rare opportunity to study viable neurons Diseases: TB, Toxins, and Biofi lms Andrei V. Alexandrov (University of Alabama potentially representative of the disease state. Th is symposium covers infectious disease at at Birmingham) and David S. Liebeskind Th is symposium examines the generation of a molecular level, including bacterial ‘group (UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles) speak patient specifi c iPSCs, technical challenges, behavior,’ signal transduction pathways; at this workshop that will provide tutorial and patient consent. detection of pathogens, weapons of biologi- lectures, hands-on demonstrations, and case cal warfare; and the development of practical studies regarding advanced neuroimaging new medical treatments. and ultrasound approaches to hyperacute stroke diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.

26 www.nyas.org Meetings Policy

» DATES, TIMES, AND TOPICS OF EVENTS LISTED HERE ARE SUBJECT Wed, Feb 15 • 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Jun 11 – 12 TO CHANGE. For up-to-date Matchmaking in the Digital Age Fetal Programming and Environmental information, including ticket prices, For the fi ft h installment of the Being Hu- Exposures: Implications for Prenatal please visit our online calendar at man in the 21st Century Series, OKCupid’s Care and Pre-Term Birth www.nyas.org/events. resident blogger, Christian Rudder, will Th is 1.5-day conference will explore recent give a behind-the-scenes look into human discoveries, challenges, and future research » Registration is required for most and mating in the 21st Century, just in time for directions for understanding the complex strongly encouraged for all events. To Valentine’s Day. gene–gene and gene–environment interac- register to attend an event, please use tions responsible for fetal programming in the Academy events calendar online at utero and pre-term birth and the lasting Beyond adverse health eff ects. www.nyas.org/events or contact the meetings department at 212.298.3725 or May 21 – 23 [email protected]. 12th International Conference on Myasthenia Gravis and Related » Unless noted otherwise, Disorders Academy events are held at: Review the most recent advances in basic, The New York Academy of Sciences translational, and clinical research on the 7 World Trade Center rare, acquired disorder, Myasthenia Gravis, 250 Greenwich St at Barclay, 40th Fl with implications for a range of additional New York, NY 10007 autoimmune and neuromuscular diseases. » Photo ID is required for entry.

Bringing the Resources of the Pathways to Science Academy to the K-12 Community

Pathways to Science, a web portal created by the New York Academy of Sciences, is a virtual home for New York City science teachers to link to the digital resources of the Academy, and the science world beyond.

Pathways to Science contains blogs, a discussion board, links to resources, direct access to Academy content, and a calendar that lists all of the upcoming events for science, math, technology, and engineering teachers in the New York City area and beyond.

Visit today: www.nyas.org/PathwaysToScience

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Autumn 2011 27 Donor Profi le A Medical Education Paradigm for the Future George Thibault and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation help the Academy push progress. bylineby Noah rule Rosenberg

eorge Th ibault knows as well as Th e partnership, Grindlinger says, is anyone that medicine is an ever- accomplishing nothing less than helping G evolving frontier, continuously to “shape the future education, research, fraught with new challenges that demand and clinical care practices of thousands Aft er all, Th ibault explains, the irony innovative solutions. In fact, Th ibault, of physicians, scientists, and educa- of medical training is that physicians tra- president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Founda- tors around the globe.” Th is is achieved ditionally spend most of their education tion and an Academy governor, is the fi rst through programs like the Translational alongside classmates in their particular to admit that his medical school educa- Medicine Discussion Group—a forum specialty as opposed to those in compli- tion at Harvard would, by itself, be insuf- for distributing information to the larger mentary fi elds with whom they will spend fi cient in today’s medical world. scientifi c and medical communities—and most of their careers. “Health care professionals,” he says, partnership-sponsored Academy mem- “We think more of the educational “now need diff erent kinds of experience berships for medical school students process should be learning with and from to prepare them for a very diff erent world and clinical fellows, which expose them other health professionals,” he says, not- than the one I was prepared for when I to cutting-edge discoveries and enhance ing that Th e Macy Foundation has re- fi nished my training.” their delivery of care. Additionally, the ceived commitments from more than 15 Th ibault stresses that the health care Translational Medicine Initiative, whose schools and six major professional soci- system evolves so quickly that current fi ndings are disseminated via simulcast eties—including nursing and medicine— health care professional training, in cer- webinars, multimedia eBriefi ngs, pod- who recognize the importance of making tain respects, is oft en obsolete by the time casts, and articles in Annals of the New joint-curriculum planning “the educa- a graduate enters his or her chosen fi eld. York Academy of Sciences, grants students tional paradigm for the future.” Factors such as the diversifi cation of pa- access to the Academy’s Science Alliance At the end of the day, however, Th i- tient demographics, the rise of chronic events, which provide nontraditional ca- bault—whom Grindlinger calls an inte- disease, and the shift in care delivery from reer development opportunities. gral Academy partner with a “broad and hospitals to community-based interven- Th e Translational Medicine Initiative, thoughtful perspective”—is careful to note tions make for a model in fl ux. Th ibault says, goes hand in hand with that while Th e Macy Foundation’s strategy “Educational programs,” he insists, Th e Macy Foundation’s simple yet loft y has certainly adapted over the years, its “need to catch up with those changes.” goal: improving the health of the public core mission is as strong as ever: creating a Brooke Grindlinger, director of sci- through improving health professional healthier society by empowering the pro- entifi c programs at the New York Acad- education, a philosophy that was at the fessionals who live and breathe medicine. emy of Sciences, agrees wholeheartedly. core of Th ibault’s esteemed career as a “We don’t have enough resources our- To that end, Th ibault and the Josiah Harvard physician and educator. He spent selves to bring about the changes we want Macy Jr. Foundation, recently partnered more than 40 years with the university, to see,” Th ibault says, “so a large part is with the Academy to create the Transla- in posts including founding director of communicating ideas and getting others tional Medicine Initiative. A three-year the Academy at Harvard Medical School to pick up ideas. Ultimately, we have to go partnership that began in early 2010, the and chief medical offi cer at Brigham and beyond what we alone as a foundation can initiative fosters discussion and collabo- Women’s Hospital, and he has brought his do.” Th e Translational Medicine Initiative ration among physicians and basic re- educational values and beliefs with him to does just that, lending Academy resources searchers, industry and academic scien- Th e Macy Foundation. to Th e Macy Foundation’s mission. W tists, and public health experts, among “We’re not abandoning what we’ve others in the medical arena. Th e goal is done before,” Th ibault says of progress in Noah Rosenberg is a journalist in New to enable participants to learn from re- the industry, “but we need to do more and York City. cent scientifi c breakthroughs, receive ca- improve upon it for this diff erent health Invest in the Academy reer development in translational medi- care system, delivery system, and patient cine, and, ultimately, decrease the time population.” Contribute to the Academy’s programs needed to convert basic science into “We’re building on the excellence of by contacting Kiryn Haslinger Hoff man, clinical applications. the past but adapting it to a changing VP Development at 212.298.8673 or world,” he says. khoff [email protected].

28 www.nyas.org 2012 The New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnikfor Awards Young Scientists

Celebrate a new generation of scientists and engineers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Nominate leading faculty and postdoctoral candidates today. Deadline: January 31, 2012 Nominate at www.nyas.org/blavatnikawards

Faculty: Awards up to $25,000 Postdoctoral Students: Awards up to $15,000 Impact, Innovation, Interdisciplinarity THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

2011-2012 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich St., 40th Fl. CONFERENCES New York, NY 10007-2157

November 16, 2011 The Forever War: Malaria Versus the World www.nyas.org/Malaria2011 The goal of the symposium is to call attention to the enormous burden imposed by malaria, and highlight the groundbreaking research conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers as well as other scientists aligned in the battle against this disease. December 1-3, 2011 Thrombolysis and Acute Stroke Treatment (TAST) in 2011: Preparing for the Next Decade www.nyas.org/TAST2011 Explore the state-of-the-art and future directions of research and clinical practice leading to enhanced medical care in the acute treatment of ischemic stroke. January 27, 2012 Integrating Student Research into the Medical School Curriculum* www.nyas.org/Events This conference will bring together architects of medical school research programs to engage in a discussion of critical issues related to integrating student research in the medical school curriculum through a series of plenary lectures, intimate working groups, and a panel discussion tailored for physicians-in-training. May 21-23, 2012 | Poster abstract deadline March 23, 2012 12th International Conference on Myasthenia Gravis and Related Disorders www.nyas.org/MG12 Review the most recent advances in basic, translational, and clinical research on the rare, acquired disorder, Myasthenia Gravis, with implications for a range of additional autoimmune and neuromuscular diseases. June 7-8, 2012 | Poster abstract deadline March 30, 2012 Fetal Programming and Environmental Exposures: Implications for Prenatal Care and Pre-Term Birth* www.nyas.org/FetalProgramming This 1.5-day conference will address recent discoveries, challenges, and future research directions that further our understanding of the complex environmental and genetic factors, and gene-gene and gene- environment interactions responsible for fetal programming in utero and pre-term birth. *Dates subject to change, check website for updated information