UW School of Medicine Online News 5-9-08

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University of Washington School of Medicine

Online News

Vol. 12, No. 19
May 9, 2008
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW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:

* Biochemists and computer scientists team up to produce Foldit, a computer game for designing complex protein structures important to medical research

* Faculty Integrative Health Program, a partnership between the UW and Bastyr University, accepting applications for upcoming school year

* Osteoporosis drug Fosamax linked to heart problem, according to UW and Group Health study

* UW Medicine holding information session May 12 to give overview of South Lake Union Phase II, opening this summer


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NEW PROJECT LETS GAMERS WORK ON MEDICAL DISCOVERIES

Computer gamers have devoted countless years of collective brainpower to rescuing princesses or protecting the planet against alien invasions. This week researchers at the UW will try to harness those finely honed skills to make medical discoveries.

A new game, named Foldit, turns protein folding into a competitive sport. Introductory levels teach the rules, which are the same physical laws by which protein strands curl and twist into three-dimensional shapes. These structures are key to solving biological mysteries ranging from Alzheimer's to vaccines. After about 20 minutes of training, people feel like they're playing a video game, but are actually mouse-clicking in the name of medical science. The free program is at http://fold.it/

The game was developed by doctoral student Seth Cooper and postdoctoral researcher Adrien Treuille, both in computer science and engineering, working with Zoran Popovic, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering; David Baker, a UW professor of biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and David Salesin, a UW professor of computer science and engineering. Professional game designers provided advice during the game's creation. Popovic presented the project this week at the Games for Health meeting in Baltimore.

Proteins, of which there are more than 100,000 different kinds in the human body, form every cell, make up the immune system and set the speed of chemical reactions. We know many proteins' genetic sequence, but don't know how they fold up into complex shapes whose nooks and crannies play crucial biological roles.

Computer simulators calculate all possible protein shapes, but this is a mathematical problem so huge that all the computers in the world would take centuries to solve it. In 2005, Baker developed a project named Rosetta@home that taps into volunteers' computer time all around the world. But even 200,000 volunteers aren't enough. Rosetta@home works well on smaller proteins, but struggles with bigger ones. Baker and his colleagues believe people using their intuition might be able to find an answer more quickly.

Rosetta@home and Foldit both use the Rosetta protein-folding software. Foldit is the first protein-folding project that asks volunteers for something other than unused processor cycles on their computers or Playstation machines. Foldit also differs from human-computer interactive games that use peoples' ability to recognize images or interpret text. Instead, Foldit capitalizes on people's natural 3-D problem-solving skills.

Almost 1,000 players have tested the system by playing informal challenges using proteins with known shapes. Starting this week, however, the developers will open the game to the public and offer proteins of unknown shapes. The Foldit problems will expand in the future to include the creation of artificial proteins for uses like breaking down toxic waste, and eventually the creation of proteins important in understanding diseases like HIV or malaria.

The research is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc., and through fellowships at Nvidia Corp. and Intel Corp.


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FACULTY INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 08-09 SCHOOL YEAR

The UW's Faculty Integrative Health Program is accepting applications for the coming 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 hopes to foster the creation of a collaborative community dedicated to the teaching, research and clinical practice of integrative healthcare.

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 throughout the academic year, beginning in September 2008. The courses will cover such topics as naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, botanicals, and energy techniques.

The program is free for faculty who are selected to attend. The cohort will include 8 to 12 faculty members from a diverse range of disciplines. Applications are due by June 2. For more information and application materials, visit:
http://www.son.washington.edu/fihp/application.htm

Faculty with questions about the program may also contact Trez Buckland, project coordinator, at trezbuck@u.washington.edu


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FOSAMAX TIED TO HEART PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO UW AND GROUP HEALTH STUDY

Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, than are those who have never used it, according to research from the UW and Group Health published in the April 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, on the JAMA/Archives journals. Fosamax, also known as alendronate, is the most widely used drug for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. Merck markets Fosamax. Generic alendronate came on the market earlier this year.

The study looked at the heart health of 700 women who were Group Health patients and whose atrial fibrillation had been detected during a particular three-year period. The researchers compared those women to a control group of 900 randomly selected women in Group Health who matched the other group on age and high blood pressure.

Having ever used alendronate was associated with an 86 percent higher risk of newly detected atrial fibrillation, compared with never having used the drug, the researchers found.

About one percent of people, and nearly nine percent of those over age 80, have atrial fibrillation. In many cases, it has no symptoms, and isn’t necessarily life threatening. But it can cause palpitations, fainting, fatigue, or congestive heart failure. Atrial fibrillation can also make blood pool, and sometimes clot, in the atria. When parts of clots break off and leave the atria, they can lead to embolic strokes, as happens in over 70,000 Americans a year. Atrial fibrillation is often treated with the anticoagulant warfarin.

The authors suggest carefully weighing the risks and benefits of any medication for any individual patient. For most women at high risk of osteoporosis-related fractures, alendronate's benefit of reducing fractures may outweigh the risk of atrial fibrillation. However, some women may also have risk factors for atrial fibrillation, like heart failure, diabetes, or coronary disease, and may want to consider alternatives to alendronate.

The study was led by Susan Heckbert, a UW professor of epidemiology and affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies. Bruce Psaty, UW professor of medicine and epidemiology, also took part in the study. Psaty is the co-director and Heckbert an investigator in the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, a joint program of the UW and Group Health aimed at developing and applying knowledge of cardiovascular disease prevention.


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UW MEDICINE HOLDING INFORMATION SESSION ON SOUTH LAKE UNION PHASE II

UW Medicine is holding an information session about its newest expansion into the South Lake Union area of Seattle. The South Lake Union Centers and Resources Informational Event will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, May 12, in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 of the UW Health Sciences Center, and the Health Sciences Lobby downstairs from Hogness Auditorium.

This summer, UW Medicine is opening Phase II of its South Lake Union campus, which is southwest of the University District and near the eastern edge of Seattle Center. The information session will provide an overview of what labs and offices will be moving into Phase II, as well as a glimpse at the overall South Lake Union research community. Representatives from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Children's Research Institute, part of Children's Hospital, will be on hand at the event.

The event, sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Education in the School of Medicine, will include a poster session and refreshments in the Health Sciences Lobby from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., presentations in Hogness Auditorium from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a Q&A from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the auditorium and lobby.

All faculty, staff, students, and trainees are invited to attend the free event, and no registration is required. For more information, contact Vee White at veewhite@u.washington.edu.


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Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu

Online News is copyright 2008. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.

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