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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 12
March 23, 2007
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
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This week’s news:
* Trojan horse strategy successful against drug-resistant bacteria
* Multi-center study finds links between autism and random genetic mutations, rather than inherited mutations
* Gail P. Jarvik to lead Division of Medical Genetics in UW Department of Medicine
* Health-information television shows from UW Medicine Marketing and UWTV recognized for excellence by film and video industry
* UW accepting applications for graduate programs in health-care leadership and health-information management, designed for working professionals in medical field
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TROJAN HORSE STRATEGY SUCCESSFUL AGAINST BACTERIA
A new antimicrobial approach can kill bacteria in laboratory experiments and eliminate life-threatening infections in mice by interfering with a key bacterial nutrient, according to research led by a UW scientist. The joint project, conducted at the UW, the University of Iowa, and the University of Cincinnati, will be featured in the April 2 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Bacteria are increasingly resistant to antibiotics, and existing drugs work poorly against chronic infections like those that occur in wounds, on medical devices and in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. For these reasons, a great deal of research is focused on finding new antibiotic compounds.
In this study, researchers took a different approach. Rather than trying to find agents that best killed bacteria in test tubes, they sought to intensify the stress imposed on microbes by one of the body's own defense mechanisms. The researchers focused on iron, a critical nutrient that allows invading bacteria to grow and to form biofilms, slime-encased colonies of microbes that cause many chronic infections.
The group, led by Pradeep Singh, UW associate professor of medicine and microbiology, designed an intervention that targeted iron uptake. They used gallium, a metal very similar to iron that acts as a Trojan horse. The bacteria are tricked into taking up gallium, but the metal cannot function like iron once inside the microbes.
The researchers showed that gallium killed microbes, and prevented the formation of biofilms. Importantly, gallium's action was intensified in low-iron conditions, like those that exist in the human body. Gallium was even effective against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients that were resistant to multiple antibiotics. In mice, gallium treatment blocked both chronic and acute infections caused by this bacterium.
The idea of using gallium as a substitute for iron was developed by a group led by Bradley Britigan, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati and a co-author on this study. The general approach of targeting stresses already applied by natural defense mechanisms could be a promising new way to treat infections.
Yukihiro Kaneko, UW senior fellow in microbiology, was the study's lead author, and the research was supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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SOME FORMS OF AUTISM CAUSED BY RANDOM DNA MUTATIONS
Many cases of autism may be caused by new DNA mutations, according to a collaborative study including researchers at the UW and other institutions. The study was led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and was published online by the journal Science on March 15.
Much of the research previously done on autism has centered on autism in families, and the passing of genetic information from parents to children. This study focused on children who developed autism without any family history of it or related disorders.
The researchers looked for large deletions and duplications of pieces of DNA, known as copy number variations, in patients with autism and in their parents. They found that 10 percent of patients with sporadic autism had copy number variations that were not present in their parents, compared to 2 percent of patients with inherited autism. About 1 percent of unaffected controls had such DNA variants.
The findings give more weight to the theory that some complex diseases are caused by different DNA mutations for different patients. Some scientists have long believed that common diseases are caused by common forms of genes that are shared among everyone with the condition. However, this study and others like it have led to an alternative theory of medical genetics – that a complex disease may be caused by any one of many, many different genetic errors.
Mary-Claire King, UW professor of genome sciences and medical genetics, and Tom Walsh, UW research assistant professor of medical genetics, participated in the study. Their colleagues Jonathan Sebat and Michael Wigler, at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, led the study.
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GAIL P. JARVIK TO HEAD DIVISION OF MEDICAL GENETICS
Gail P. Jarvik, UW professor of medicine, has been appointed to head the Department of Medicine's Division of Medical Genetics and to the Arno G. Motulsky Endowed Professorship of Medicine, effective immediately. She succeeds George Stamatoyannopoulos, who stepped down as division head in 2005.
Jarvik is an adjunct professor of genome sciences and of epidemiology, a member of the Markey Molecular Medicine Center, and an affiliate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She is a distinguished investigator of the genetics of complex disease, as well as an educator and national and international leader in the profession.
She holds an M.D. from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Michigan. She came to UW in 1991 as a fellow in medical genetics and then joined the faculty. She is an attending physician in the UWMC Medical Genetics Clinic, where her clinical specialty is adult medical and cancer genetics.
Jarvik chairs the Genomics, Computational Biology, and Technologies Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and has served on numerous other bodies dealing with ethical, legal, and social implications of medical genetics and other issues. Recently she was named a Lifetime National Associate of the National Academies in recognition of extraordinary service and was designated a "Local Legend from Washington" by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in association with the American Medical Women's Association and the National Library of Medicine.
The Motulsky endowed professorship was established in 2004 in honor of Arno Motulsky, an active professor emeritus of medicine and of genome sciences and founder of the division. Motulsky is an internationally recognized pioneer in human and medical genetics, and led the UW Division of Medical Genetics for more than 30 years.
Jarvik may be reached at pair@u.washington.edu
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UW MEDICINE TV PROGRAMS HONORED BY FILM AND VIDEO INDUSTRY
Two television programs created by the UW Medicine Marketing Department and UWTV have received numerous awards for excellence. The series include Talk Medicine, a talk-show format program, and Inside Access, a documentary-style show.
The Total Elbow Replacement episode of Talk Medicine, featuring the UW Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, received an Award of Distinction from the Videographer’s Awards. Those awards are given out by communications professionals to honor talented individuals and companies working on video production who are raising the standards of the industry.
Three episodes of Inside Access have also received several awards. An episode featuring the UW Medicine Regional Heart Center won a Silver medal at the Telly Awards, a Platinum Best in Show at the Aurora Awards, a Crystal Award of Excellence at the Communicator Awards, an Award of Excellence at the Videographer’s Awards, and was a finalist at the New York Festivals.
Inside Access: Brain Tumor Surgery, featuring the UW Division of Neurosurgery, received a Platinum Telly Award, a Gold Aurora Award, and an Award of Excellence from the Videographer’s Awards.
Another Inside Access episode on minimally invasive total knee replacement, featuring Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, received an Award of Excellence at the Videographer’s Awards and a Crystal Award of Excellence at the Communicator Awards.
The Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional, and cable television programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and are among the most sought-after national awards in the TV industry. The Aurora Awards are an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. The Communicator Awards is an international program founded by communication professionals to recognize excellence in the field. The New York Festivals International Film and Video Awards recognize the best work in the world in informational, educational, and industrial film and video productions.
The UW Medicine Marketing Department is led by Gretchen Bakamis, director of marketing. She can be reached at gbakamis@u.washington.edu
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HEALTH-RELATED DEGREE AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The UW Executive Master of Health Administration (MHA) program is now accepting applications for Autumn 2007 admission from working health-care professionals. In addition to providing skills for more effective leadership, the program helps students meet the increasingly challenging needs and expectations of our patients, families, stakeholders and communities.
The program format combines three-day intensive on-site meetings with teleconferencing, independent assignments and team projects over two years. Applications for admission are due by Monday, April 30. For more information, visit http://www.uwexecutivemha.org or contact Bree Rydlun at brydlun@u.washington.edu or 206-616-2947.
The UW Extension program is also accepting applications for summer entrance into the Certificate Program in Health Information Administration. This nine-month, 53-credit certificate program is for individuals seeking to work with health information management, health data systems, and emerging electronic health-record systems. Applications must be submitted by Sunday, April 15.
The program offers both one- and two-year course tracks, with courses taught in the afternoons and evenings. Courses cover health-care delivery systems, national health-information technology initiatives, clinical processes, legal, regulatory and compliance issues, finance and revenue cycle management, and management of patient health information in multiple settings. For more information, visit:
http://www.extension.washington.edu/ext/certificates/hia/hia_gen.asp
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Online News is published by Health Sciences/UW Medicine News and Community Relations.
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic redistribution, are reserved.
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