*****
University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 21
May 25, 2007
*****
To view an archived version of Online News on the UW
Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
*****
This week’s news:
* Major new effort to catalog structural variation in human genome could lead to advances on many human diseases
* Faculty Integrative Health Program, which trains UW health sciences faculty in complementary and alternative medicine, accepting applications for upcoming school year
* Terry Maresca leading School of Medicine's Native American Center of Excellence
* Study of fruit fly and roundworm genome functional elements to teach researchers about human biology and medicine
* Researchers will study effectiveness of clinician communication training in improving end-of-life care
* School of Medicine accepting online nominations for 2007-2008 Science in Medicine lecture series
*****
SCIENTISTS TO CATALOG STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES OF HUMAN GENOME
A major new effort to uncover the medium- and large-scale genetic differences within the human species may soon reveal DNA sequences that contribute to a wide range of diseases, according to a paper by Evan Eichler, UW associate professor of genome sciences, and 17 colleagues published in the May 10 issue of Nature. The undertaking will help researchers identify structural variations in DNA sequences, which Eichler says amount to as much as 5 to 10 percent of the human genome.
Past studies of human genetic differences usually have focused on the individual letters, or bases, of a DNA sequence. However, structural changes such as insertions, duplications, or deletions of the DNA sequence, are more common than single base-pair changes, according to Eichler, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. In some cases, individual genes appear in multiple copies because of duplications of DNA segments. In other cases, segments of DNA appear in some people but not others, which means that the 'reference' human genome produced by the Human Genome Project is incomplete.
These structural differences can influence disease susceptibility and the normal functioning of the human body. Deletions of particular genes or parts of genes can result in color-blindness, higher prostate cancer risk, or higher risk for some forms of cardiovascular disease. Variation in the number of genes or in gene regulation caused by structural rearrangements may also contribute to more common diseases, but researchers do not yet know the effect of those structural changes.
The project Eichler and his colleagues describe in their paper will help answer this question. Using DNA from 62 people who were studied as part of the International HapMap Project, they are creating bacterial 'libraries' of DNA segments for each person. The ends of the segments are then sequenced to uncover evidence of structural variation. Whenever such evidence is found, the entire DNA segment is sequenced to catalog all of the genetic differences between the segment and the reference sequence.
The result will be a tool that geneticists can use to associate structural variation with particular diseases. Geneticists will then be able to test, or genotype, large numbers of individuals who have a particular disease to look for structural variants that they have in common. If a given variant is contributing to a disease, it will occur at a higher frequency in people with the disease.
*****
INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The UW's Faculty Integrative Health Program is accepting applications for the upcoming school year. The year-long program allows 10 UW health sciences faculty members to study theoretical concepts, clinical practices, and evidence related to integrative therapies.
The program is a joint effort by the UW Schools of Medicine and Nursing in cooperation with Bastyr University. Participants will attend monthly daylong education sessions at the Bastyr campus, from September 2007 to June 2008. The courses will cover topics such as naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, botanicals, and energy techniques. The program's application deadline has been extended; applications must now be received by June 7.
The program was developed with funding from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, through grants to the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine. Continued support is being provided by the School of Nursing through an NIH grant.
To learn more about the program, visit:
http://www.son.washington.edu/fihp
Send questions to any of the following people:
Trez Buckland, project coordinator, trezbuck@u.washington.edu
Claudia Finklestein, School of Medicine, claudiaf@u.washington.edu
Jane Cornman, School of Nursing magicj@u.washington.edu
*****
TERRY MARESCA LEADING NATIVE AMERICAN CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Terry Maresca, clinical assistant professor of family medicine, has been named director of the UW School of Medicine's Native American Center of Excellence by David Acosta, associate dean of multicultural affairs. She is replacing Polly Olsen, who held the position for four years.
Maresca is a member of the Mohawk tribe, and is a board-certified physician in family medicine. She is a mentor faculty member in the Big Sky College of the School of Medicine. She is also a teacher and former program director of the Seattle Indian Health Board family medicine residency program, part of the Swedish Providence/Cherry Hill residency site.
Maresca is the former president of the Association of American Indian Physicians. Her medical practice with the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington combines Western and herbal medicine approaches. She maintains a medicinal herb garden at the clinic, and is a frequent speaker on the subject of combining Western and traditional approaches to health.
The UW's Native American Center of Excellence is intended to attract Native American and Alaska Native students into the study and practice of medicine; recognize Native healing traditions and integrate them into Western medical education; provide the Indian Health Pathway certification program; provide continuing professional development of Native physicians; encourage Native researchers and research into Native health issues; and support multicultural outreach and diversity efforts at the UW with the School of Medicine's Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Maresca may be reached at tmaresca@u.washington.edu
*****
PROJECTS WILL IDENTIFY FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF MODEL ORGANISM GENOMES
UW Genome Sciences Chair Robert Waterston is leading one segment of a consortium aimed at understanding parts of the genome necessary for organisms to develop and thrive, by working with the genomes of the fruit fly and the roundworm. The consortium includes 11 research projects around the nation. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will provide $57 million over four years for the project.
Waterston will lead the UW project, focusing on genes and other transcribed elements in the genome of the roundworm, C. elegans. The project will receive $1.4 million in the first year, and a total of $5.4 million over four years.
The overall project will build on the foundation laid by the ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) consortium, which is preparing to build a comprehensive list of elements of the human genome crucial to biological function. This worm and fly genome consortium will be known as the model organism ENCODE, or modENCODE.
The scientific community relies heavily on model organisms like C. elegans or Drosophila melanogaster, also known as the fruit fly. The genomes of such organisms are smaller and easier to work with in experimental settings, so researchers will be able to confirm their findings by manipulating the fly and worm genomes. By combining and comparing data from the worm, fruit fly, and human, researchers can learn far more about the functional elements than if they analyzed the genome of just one organism.
For more information about the ENCODE project, visit:
http://www.genome.gov/ENCODE/
*****
STUDY WILL EXAMINE CLINICIAN COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN END-OF-LIFE CARE
Medical and nursing trainees at the UW will participate in a five-year study on clinician communication skills and improvement of end-of-life care. The project is being led by J. Randall Curtis, UW professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. It includes co-investigators in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and will be implemented with clinicians at the UW and the Medical University of South Carolina.
The study will evaluate an interdisciplinary communication skills training program for internal medicine residents and nurse practitioner students to improve end-of-life care. Trainees receive specialized training on facilitating communication between clinicians and terminally ill patients and their families. The training will focus on areas such as giving bad news, managing transitions from curative to palliative care, conducting family conferences, and managing clinicians' emotions.
The study is aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of this training program in improving end-of-life care, and to show the feasibility of making the intervention a routine part of training for physicians and nurse practitioners.
Any questions about the study can be directed to the principal investigator, Curtis, at jrc@u.washington.edu or 206-731-3356, or the research coordinator, Danae Dotolo, at danaed@u.washington.edu or 206-744-9518.
*****
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ACCEPTING ONLINE NOMINATIONS FOR NEXT SCIENCE IN MEDICINE LECTURE SERIES
The UW School of Medicine has changed its nomination process for the Science in Medicine Lecture Series, and is now allowing any faculty member to nominate potential speakers through an online interface. All nominations for the 2007-2008 lecture series are now due by May 31.
Faculty members who would like to nominate a speaker for next year's Science in Medicine series should visit the following Web site and log in with their UW NetID:
https://catalysttools.washington.edu/survey/cshay/17009
The medical school is interested in nominations representing the university's broad and diverse community of clinical, translational, and basic-science researchers. Self-nominations are acceptable. The nomination should include an endorsement stating why the candidate is being nominated, and how their research is of interest to the UW's scientific community.
Faculty may nominate potential speakers who have previously participated in the Science in Medicine series, if those researchers have new findings to present. Nominees should be able to communicate new or innovative knowledge likely to be relevant to clinical care, the basic sciences, and translational research. They should also be able to engage with an audience including undergraduate students, graduate trainees, staff, and faculty.
Faculty may nominate speakers in any of the five lecture categories:
Science in Medicine, which is intended for accomplished faculty at the professor rank selected in recognition of their research and recent exciting scientific discoveries;
New Investigator, for junior faculty members from any department in clinical, translational, or basic science research;
WWAMI, intended for accomplished faculty at the professor rank from the five-state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) selected in recognition of their research and recent exciting scientific discoveries;
Distinguished Scientist, which honors an accomplished and well-esteemed senior scientist or physician, at the rank of professor, chair, or emeritus professor, for outstanding achievements in his or her field of research;
and Annual Scientist, intended for prominent scientists from elsewhere in the United States or the world.
A faculty member may suggest up to four nominees in each category, with the exception of the Distinguished Scientist lecture, which is limited to one nominee per faculty member.
For more information about the Science in Medicine lecture series, contact Vee White, veewhite@u.washington.edu or 206-543-8319, or visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Research/ResearchTrainingAndSeminars/SIM.htm
*****
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
*****