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News Archive
Angela Trepanier, Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and president-elect of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, is quoted in Newsweek's article about sequencing the genome of James Watson.
Feature Article: Student Perspective
ABC Nightline Video: "Climbing Jacob's Ladder," featuring Dr. James Garbern, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and of Molecular Medicine & Genetics
CMMG Researchers Co-Author Paper in PNAS on a genetic marker that could help to predict the risk of an unexpected premature birth.
Read the BBC News Story about their discovery: Gene clue to premature birth risk.
Comments by Derek Wildman in "The Scientist" regarding
"The ancestors of humans and chimpanzees may have interbred and exchanged significant numbers of genes after the initial split between the species."
Complexity of primate gene regulation revealed in ß-type globin expression and distance, report Wayne State researchers in PNAS
Phylogenetic comparisons suggest that the locus control region (LCR)—the area that regulates transcription—interacts with primate ß-type globin genes to mediate different developmental expression patterns in different branches of the evolutionary tree.
Epilepsy Genes Discovered
For the first time, a team of researchers led by Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology and of molecular medicine and genetics, has identified genes in the human brain that could be responsible for most forms of pediatric epilepsy.
CMMG Researchers to Move into State of the Art Laboratories
The Wayne State University School of Medicine is renovating the entire 3rd floor of Scott Hall, creating new state of the art research facilities for the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics. CMMG faculty, students, and staff are expected to move into the newly renovated space during the summer of 2006.
CMMG labs open up new horizons for eleven undergraduates from Boston to Houston
See what undergraduate research student
Megan Hurt
learned during her summer while participating in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics Summer Undergraduate Research Program - SURP.
Dr. Feldman wins MDCH award
Gerald Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., WSU associate professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, recently received the Director's Recognition Award from the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Dr. Finley receives
Tech Tri-Corridor award
Dr. Russell Finley, WSU associate professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, received $501,000 for "Tools for Drug Target Discovery and Development of Diagnostics and Vaccines for Pathogenic Bacteria."
Derek E. Wildman, Ph.D., appointed Assistant Professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics.
KEM concert benefits CMMG research
The Aneurysm Genetic Study Group, which is part of the WSU Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, recently received a $5,000 gift from the proceeds of R&B singer KEM's sold-out concert at the Detroit Opera House Dec. 29. The group, which is led by Drs. Helena Kuivaniemi and Gerard Tromp, both WSU associate professors, is conducting research on genetic factors associated with aneurysms.
CMMG study published in Trends in Genetics
"Accelerated evolution of the electron transport chain in arthropoid primates," a study by four members of the WSU Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, was published in the November issue of Trends in Genetics. Authors of the paper include Drs. Lawrence Grossman, interim center director; Derek Wildman, a research scientist; Timothy Schmidt, a research assistant; and Morris Goodman, WSU distinguished professor of anatomy and cell biology and CMMG.
Dr. Gow reports accomplishments
Alexander Gow, Ph.D., associate professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics as well as the departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, recently presented "Gamete-Somatic Interactions Blood/Testis and Epididymal Barriers and Tight Junctions" at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's recent meeting in Seattle on the future of male contraception. In addition, his manuscript entitled "CNS Myelin Paranodes Require Nkx6-2 Homeoprotein Transcriptional Activity for Normal Structure" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Neuroscience.
WSU School
of Medicine researcher to establish center of excellence on environment, fertility
With a three-year, $1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a
new multi-institution Center for Excellence hopes to turn the recent discovery of sperm in the genetic material
called RNA into a variety of screening tests that will check men for PCBs, pesticides and similar pollutants
that are believed to impede fertilization and/or normal fetal development, according to center director Stephen
Krawetz, Ph.D.
WSU benefits from Michigan
Proteome Consortium grant
The $11.9 million grant awarded to the Michigan Proteome Consortium from the National Center
for Research Resources was good news for the Wayne State University node of the consortium and its director,
Russell Finley, Ph.D. Although the consortium's main facilities are at the University of Michigan, the group was
created as a partnership among U-M, WSU, Michigan State University and the Van Andel Research Institute through
the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor in 2001. The five-year grant will be shared by the four institutions.
WSU
Gets Early Access To Corning Technologies
Environmental toxins combined with particular genetic factors may
predispose individuals to specific diseases. Wayne State has
partnered with Corning to develop biosensors and investigate the
relationship between gene expression and the environment.
Combining
Technology and Expertise to Discover New Genes in Epilepsy
Amy Jalon's seizures when undiagnosed for nine years. Within 10
minutes of her first visit to Wayne State's Comprehensive Epilepsy
Program, doctors assured her they could "catch her
seizure," pinpoint its location in the brain, and repair it
surgically. Jalon hasn't had a single episode since her treatment
and she thanks WSU faculty members for vastly improving her life.
Genetic
Studies Underway for Inherited Aneurysms
The progress made by Helena Kuivaniemi is remarkable, given the
elusive nature of her subject. Dr. Kuivaniemi is performing genetic
research related to candidate genes for abdominal aortic aneurysms
(AAA). Why is this a problem? First, AAAs rarely produce symptoms
until they rupture, and then survival rates are very low.
Furthermore, few individuals develop aneurysms before the age of 50,
and although aneurysms are hereditary, by the time an individual has
been diagnosed, his or her parents have generally died and the
children are still too young to be tested, making familial studies
difficult.
Scientific
Computing Program Offers Training in New Skill Sets
The newly established Institute for Scientific Computing offers
Wayne State students a specialized graduate certificate in medicine,
genetics and biochemistry. The focus areas of the program include
biological databases, diagnostic developments, drug design,
simulated biology, computerassisted surgery, and computational
issues in medicine.
Multiple
Sclerosis Research Focuses on Axons
Dr. James Garbern has uncovered some good news and some bad news
in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. The good news is a novel
approach to studying the disease. Previously, researchers thought of
MS as a disease that exclusively affected myelin, the membranes
surrounding axons, which are the nerve fibers connecting different
parts of the nervous system. New evidence shows that the disease
actually destroys the axons themselves. This information allows Dr.
Garbern to attack the problem from a new front. The bad news is that
there are no current therapies to repair axonal damage, so new
treatment regimens need to be developed to prevent or slow this
process.
Training
Researchers in Genomics
The Michigan Center for Genomic Technologies at Wayne State
University hosted the first in a planned series of symposia dealing
with the nuts and bolts of genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics.
The first symposium focused on DNA microarrays and hosted people
from across the campus and the state. It was jointly sponsored by
Affymetrix Inc. and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics.
Michigan
Center for Genomic Technologies at WSU
The Michigan Center for Genomic Technologies, one of five core
Life Sciences Corridor facilities, will operate at Wayne State
University with satellite offices at Michigan State University, the
University of Michigan, and the Van Andel Research Institute.
Funding for this center was awarded at $6 million.
Genetic
and environmental factors interact for disease susceptibility
According to Dr. Craig Giroux, assistant professor in the Center
for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, the Human Genome Project has
yielded remarkable insights into single gene disease models, but
there is still much to be discovered about the diseases which are
influenced by a combination of genetic factors.
CMMG
introduces children to world of science
A group of sixth-graders from Detroit's University Preparatory
Academy departed from the usual course of science textbooks and frog
dissection to get a glimpse of the wonders of science from Wayne
State University researchers who work with it every day.
Single
gene controls many signaling pathways
Production of the signaling molecules dopamine, norepinephrine,
epinephrine, serotonin, and nitric oxide within the brain is
dependent upon a single enzyme and the gene that encodes it,
according to Gregory Kapatos, PhD, professor of psychiatry and
behavioral neurosciences and the Center for Molecular Medicine and
Genetics.
Neuregulins
Play Pivotal Role in Development and Disease
When Jeffrey Loeb, MD, PhD, began studying neuregulins, he was
simply interested in synapse formation in the brain. What he
discovered, however, were the multiple roles they play in everything
from cardiac growth to spinal cord development, to ovarian and
breast cancer, and a variety of neurological disorders, including
epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Programmable
cells open window of opportunity for gene therapy
"Any cell can be reprogrammed, and this process is
reversible. You do not need to start with the stem cell." These
remarks and the research behind them, which could have a profound
impact on gene therapy, come from Stephen Krawetz, PhD, who reported
his findings in the December 1998 issue of Development.
Smooth
muscle cells provide CV clues
Li Li, PhD, assistant professor of internal medicine, is
conducting research to learn more about the molecular mechanisms for
the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Specifically, she is
characterizing regulation of SM22, a gene that is highly expressed
in smooth muscle cells.
Cerebrovascular
disease may be all in the family
For Gerard Tromp, PhD, a family tree is more than just a hobby;
it's a valuable medical tool. Dr. Tromp, assistant professor in
the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, is identifying
patients with intracranial aneurysms (IA) and investigating whether
their family members may be at high risk for cerebrovascular
disease.
Neuroscience
program builds partnerships
One of Wayne State University's most promising medical
researchers has just scored another noteworthy accomplishment. The
Janssen Research Foundation and its parent corporation, Johnson and
Johnson, recently awarded Kenneth Maiese, MD, a five-year grant to
investigate and develop new treatments for neurodegenerative
disorders such as stroke, cerebrovascular disease, cerebral trauma,
and Alzheimer's disease.
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