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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 24
June 15, 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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW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:
* UW researchers play leading role in major study of human genome function
* Divisions of Cardiology and Dermatology establish research endowments
* Low libido in menopause linked to disturbed sleep and night sweats, UW and Group Health researchers find
* Beth Ebel leading Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center
* Eric Stern named founding president of the Alliance for Clinician Educators in Radiology
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CONSORTIUM COMPLETES MAJOR STUDY OF HUMAN GENOME FUNCTION
UW scientists and other members of an international consortium have completed a multi-year research effort that dramatically boosts understanding of how the human genome functions. While previous studies of the human genome have focused mainly on genes, this study provides insight into the non-gene sequences making up the vast majority of the genome. Buried in non-gene sequences are regulatory elements that contain instructions for switching genes on or off, and for controlling how DNA is packaged and replicated within a human cell. Scientists believe these DNA sequences may play a very important role in some diseases, such as prostate or colon cancer.
The UW was a leading institution among dozens that participated in the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) consortium, supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health. The consortium's initial results were published June 14 in the journal Nature, and in companion articles in the June issue of the journal Genome Research. John Stamatoyannopoulos, UW assistant professor of genome sciences, served as co-chair of the ENCODE Chromatin and Replication Analysis Group, led the UW ENCODE team, and was a senior author on the Nature article.
Launched in September 2003, the consortium began a four-year pilot project to identify the function of all DNA sequences in a small section of the human genome. Though the pilot study only examined about 1 percent of the genome, scientists hope the work will build our understanding of the 98 percent of the genome that is made up of non-gene sections of DNA. The consortium also set out to create methods for easily building up the ENCODE project to encompass the entire human genome.
The UW is one of eight major data-producing centers in the consortium, along with Yale University, Stanford University, Affymetrix Inc., the University of Virginia, the University of California San Diego, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre in Cambridge, UK, and the NHGRI. UW researchers also led a computational analysis project that integrated data from multiple consortium members, uncovering how different aspects of genome function relate to one another.
The project provided deep insights into how functional information is organized in the human genome, Stamatoyannopoulos said, and helped boost scientists' understanding of how the packaging and replication of DNA, the production of RNA, and the evolution of DNA sequences all fit together.
The UW ENCODE team included members from the laboratories of John Stamatoyannopoulos, William Noble, and Maynard Olson in the Department of Genome Sciences, and the laboratories of George Stamatoyannopoulos and Patrick Navas in the Division of Medical Genetics of the Department of Medicine.
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CARDIOLOGY AND DERMATOLOGY DIVISIONS CREATE RESEARCH ENDOWMENTS
The Divisions of Cardiology and Dermatology in the Department of Medicine have each recently established research endowments.
The Division of Dermatology established the Michael W. Piepkorn Chair for Dermatologic Research, which is intended to support a productive mid-career physician scientist in dermatology. The endowment is named after Piepkorn, a UW clinical professor of dermatology who completed his residency in the division. He also earned his Ph.D. at the UW, and has served at the UW as a dermatologist, dermatopathologist, and researcher focused on melanoma.
The Division of Cardiology has created the Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., Research Endowment in Preventive Cardiology. The fund will support the development of resources for preventive medicine within the division, and will eventually become an endowed professorship. Cooper is an international leader in physical fitness and preventive medicine, and founded the Cooper Institute, a research center for fitness and prevention. Cooper began his career as an intern at Harborview Medical Center, and was a physician in the Air Force and NASA. He developed the standard 12-minute fitness test, and wrote the 1968 book "Aerobics."
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LOW LIBIDO IN MENOPAUSE LINKED TO SLEEP PROBLEMS
Women with lower sexual desire during menopause are more likely to report disturbed sleep, depression, and night sweats, researchers at the UW and Group Health Cooperative report in the June issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
This research is based on data from Group Health's Herbal Alternatives for Treatment of Menopause Symptoms study, which showed that the herbal supplement black cohosh did not relieve menopausal hot flashes or night sweats. The 341 women in the herbal alternatives study were all between the ages of 45 to 55, and all had hot flashes, night sweats, or both. Nearly two-thirds of them reported diminished sexual desire, 43 percent slept poorly, and 18 percent had major depression.
Researchers suggested that night sweats might disturb sleep, reducing women's energy and libido. They also noted that drugs for treating depression can also decrease sex drive, as can some hormone replacement therapy treatments. However, the researchers cautioned against inferring cause and effect between depression and low libido.
The study was led by Susan Reed, UW associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of epidemiology. Reed is an affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies, and a physician at the Harborview Medical Center Women's Clinic.
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BETH EBEL LEADING HARBORVIEW INJURY PREVENTION AND RESEARCH CENTER
Beth Ebel, UW assistant professor of pediatrics, has been named director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC). Ebel began leading the center on June 1.
The HIPRC is one of 10 injury-control centers established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center's 40 staff are devoted to research, education, and prevention programs aimed at reducing the impact of trauma and improving injury prevention and trauma treatment programs.
Ebel studies injury prevention and health behaviors, and has led research on the Seattle campaign encouraging children's car booster seats. She also led a project examining the effectiveness of booster seats in protecting children in car crashes.
She may be reached at bebel@u.washington.edu
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ERIC STERN NAMED FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF RADIOLOGY EDUCATORS GROUP
Eric Stern, UW professor and vice chair of radiology, has been named the founding president of the Alliance for Clinician Educators in Radiology.
The organization was created to recognize the large and growing segment of academic radiologists who are choosing a clinician-educator faculty pathway. The alliance aims to encourage excellence in teaching and clinical radiology practice, and to bring together people for advancing common interests of clinician-educators around the country.
Stern is the vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Radiology and practices at Harborview Medical Center. He is a past recipient of a UW School of Medicine award for outstanding continuing medical education.
Stern may be reached at estern@u.washington.edu
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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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