MAY 2004 www.asbmb.org Constituent Society of FASEB AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ALSO IN THIS ISSUE ASBMB President Urges Support for NSF Page 2 Experimental Smallpox Vaccine Tested Page 9 See You in Boston! “A“A MolecularMolecular ExplorationExploration ofof thethe Cell”Cell” ASBMB Annual Meeting and 8th IUBMB Conference JuneJune 12-16,12-16, 20042004 Boston, Massachusetts IUBMB/ASBMB 2004 “A Molecular Exploration of the Cell” June 12 – 16 Boston, MA American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting and 8th IUBMB Conference l Biology ■ Mole ■ Chemica cular Recog atics nition ■ nform Ce Bioi llula and r Bi ics och om em te ist Pro Opening Lecture ry First Annual Herbert Tabor/Journal of Biological Chemistry Lectureship Robert J. Lefkowitz, HHMI, Duke University Medical Center Organized by: John D. Scott, HHMI, Vollum Institute; Alexandra C. Newton, UCSD; Julio Celis, Danish Cancer Society, and the 2004 ASBMB Program Planning Committee Cellular Organization and Dynamics Regulation of Gene Expression and Organizer: Harald A. Stenmark, Norwegian Rad. Hosp. Chromosome Transactions Organizer: Joan W. Conaway, Stowers Inst. for Med. Res. Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics Organizers: Charlie Boone, Univ. of Toronto and Signaling Pathways in Disease Michael Snyder, Yale Univ. Organizers: Alexandra Newton, UCSD and John D. Scott, HHMI, Vollum Inst. Integration of Signaling Mechanisms Organizer: Kjetil Tasken, Univ. of Oslo, Norway The Future of Education and Professional Development in the Molecular Life Sciences Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids Organizer: J. Ellis Bell, Univ. of Richmond Organizer: Dennis Vance, Univ. of Alberta Molecular Recognition and Catalysis For further information: Organizer: Jack E. Dixon, UCSD ASBMB 9650 Rockville Pike Protein Modifications and Turnover Bethesda, MD 20814 Organizer: William J. Lennarz, SUNY at Stony Brook Tel: 301-634-7145 Fax: 301-634-7126 Protein Structure, Catalysis and Dynamics Email: [email protected] Organizer: Susan Taylor, UCSD http://www.asbmb.org www.asbmb.org/meetings/asbmbø4 www.asbmb.org AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY MAY 2004, Volume 3, Issue 2 features 2 ASBMB President Urges Support for NSF 4 Administration Denies it Politicizes Science 6 WHI Study: No Heart Disease Benefit from Estrogen 8 New RNA Libraries ‘Major Step Forward’ 15 9 Experimental Smallpox Vaccine Tested 10 Mouse Cloned with Olfactory Neurons ON THE COVER: 15 Drug Addiction, Learning Share Common Protein 12 See You in Boston! A Preview of the 16 Sponges Used in Nanoscale Production 2004 ASBMB Annual Meeting 17 Obesity Drug Inhibits Prostate Tumor Cover Photo by: 18 FDA Seeks to Speed Drug Development FayFoto/Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau/BostonUSA.com 22 U.S. Funds Swedish Stem Cell Research 23 New Genomics Lab to Open in Germany 10 departments 2 News From the Hill 6 NIH News 20 Biotech Business 24 Calendar BRONZE AWARD WINNER 2004 NEWS FROM THE HILL ASBMB Today is a monthly publication of The American Society for ASBMB President Masters Biochemistry and Molecular Biology by Peter Farnham, CAE, ASBMB Public Affairs Officer Officers Bettie Sue Masters President e support returning the limited funds Judith S. Bond President-elect Albert E. Dahlberg Secretary NSF to its doubling path, on programs Kenneth E. Neet Treasurer “W authorized in 2002 but other than Thomas Blumenthal Councilor not adhered to, by increasing fund- biomedical William R. Brinkley Councilor ing this year to approximately $6.39 research. NSF Lila M. Gierasch Councilor Frederick P. Guengerich Councilor billion.” seems to be William J. Lennarz Councilor This was the message ASBMB Presi- among the Alexandra C. Newton Councilor dent Bettie Sue Masters took to the other pro- Merle S. Olson Councilor Peter J. Parker Councilor House Appropriations Committee on grams that William L. Smith Councilor March 25 when she delivered oral tes- can expect ASBMB President Non-Voting Members timony on the National Science Foun- some addi- Dr. Bettie Sue Masters George M. Carman dation appropriation for fiscal year tional money Chair, Meetings Committee 2005. It was the second time in a little this year, but how much remains John D. Scott over a week that Dr. Masters had repre- very much unsettled. Alexandra C. Newton Julio Celis sented ASBMB on Capitol Hill. She had The President asked for a 3 % increase Co-chairs, 2004 Program Committee also spent March 16 making visits to for NSF this coming year, about $167 Marion H. O’Leary J. Ellis Bell various Members of Congress with million over its 2004 total of $5.57 bil- Co-chairs, Education and Professional incoming President Judith Bond. lion. Dr. Masters characterized this as Development Committee Dr. Masters’ comments on NSF came “clearly inadequate.” She made the William R. Brinkley Chair, Public Affairs Advisory Committee in the context of one of the most diffi- point that our concern was not related Peter A. Rubenstein cult budgetary years for science most merely to the parsimonious request for Chair, Publications Committee Washington observers can remember. NSF-funded biology. She noted: Phillip A. Ortiz Chair, Minority Affairs Committee The National Institutes of Health “…we strongly support increased Herbert Tabor budget was doubled over a five-year funding for NSF programs in the Editor, JBC period ending in 2003, and now Con- chemical, physical, mathematical, Ralph A. Bradshaw gress is strongly interested in spending social and behavioral, and computa- Editor, MCP Edward A. Dennis tional sciences, in addition to the bio- Editor, JLR logical sciences. These sciences, as well as being important in their own right, Editorial Advisory Board Tell Us What Irwin Fridovich often serve as the underpinning for Richard W. Hanson You Think advances in biomedical research that Bettie Sue Masters lead to improvements in the health Evan J. Sadler and well-being of the American peo- Robert D. Wells We appreciate receiving letters that are suitable for publication ple. If research in these areas is allowed Comments from ASBMB members regarding to languish, we risk not just world Please direct any comments or questions leadership in these specific disciplines, concerning ASBMB Today to: issues of importance or comment- ing on articles appearing in but in biomedical research as well.” John D. Thompson As for how the day went, Dr. Masters Editor, ASBMB Today ASBMB News. Letters should be 9650 Rockville Pike sent to the editor, John Thomp- noted, “I thought it was very useful Bethesda, MD 20814-3996 son, at the address found at left. and educational for me and, I hope, Phone: 301-634-7145; Fax: 301-634-7126 E-mail: [email protected] Letters must be signed and must for the members of Congress who lis- contain the writer’s address and tened to us. The two major topics that For information on advertising we discussed—NSF funding and the contact FASEB AdNet at 800-433-2732 telephone number. The editor ext. 7157 or 301-634-7157, or reserves the right to edit all letters. importance of support for the under- email [email protected]. pinning sciences in biomedicine— 2 ASBMBToday MAY 2004 NEWS FROM THE HILL Urges House to Support NSF struck a very good note.” Also, she “NSF needs to spend more of its Her thoughts on her Capitol Hill visit? noted, “The testimony was well resources on core science programs, “It is a vibrant atmosphere,” Dr. received by the committee and it rather than new initiatives that seem Masters said. “You walk around the appeared to me they were listening to attract most of the additional appro- halls of these huge congressional office and engaged.” priated dollars; buildings and see hundreds of other Other major points made during her “The average NSF grant needs to be people doing the same thing you are testimony—witnesses were allowed 5 larger and longer in duration, to an doing, and you realize that when you minutes to speak—were: average of approximately $200,000 per have an opportunity to speak to Con- “ASBMB opposes the transfer of the year for four years, versus the $140,000 gress in a setting like a congressional Math & Science Partnerships program for three years it is now; hearing, it's very important that you from the NSF to the Department of “Finally, NSF biological research sup- take the opportunity to do so.” Education because NSF is an agency ports non-medical biology and is thus The full Society testimony on the that specializes in science education, different from that funded by NIH. The NSF budget for fiscal year 2005 can be and the NSF program dispenses funds two should not be confused, and just found on the Society website at through a peer-review mechanism, because biomedical research has done http://www.asbmb.org; type the word rather than the block-grant approach well in recent years, other fields of biol- “testimony” in the search window, and used at Education; ogy have not. This needs to be corrected. then click on “NSF Testimony.” MAY 2004 ASBMBToday 3 NEWS FROM THE HILL by Peter Farnham, CAE, ASBMB Public Affairs Officer Administration Denies it Politicizes Science, war of words between the laureates, strongly endorsed the trivia.” He characterizes most of the administration and congres- UCS report. major allegations as attempts to A sional and scientific critics At the end of February, two mem- politicize policy disputes. He says, erupted in February over the issue of bers of the President’s Council on “…it’s common in Washington for whether the administration is politi- Bioethics known for being support- each side to consider its own views cizing science. ive of somatic cell nuclear transfer as science and the other side’s as a This charge has been lurking in the (SCNT) research were removed from misuse of science. Bush, the Democ- background almost since the Bush the Council and replaced with per- rats and the Union of Concerned Administration took office in 2001.