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Perelman School of Medicine 2022 Teaching Awards Deans Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching (at an Affiliated Hospital)

The Deans Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching was established in 1989 to recognize clinical teaching excellence and commitment to medical education by outstanding faculty members from affiliated hospitals. One or more Deans Awards are given annually, the recipients being selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

Judd Flesch is an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the department of medicines division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care. He graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine in 2006 and subsequently completed his internal medicine residency, chief residency, and pulmonary/critical care fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During his fellowship, he also served as the Mayock Chief Fellow. He joined Penns faculty in January 2014 and has served as an associate program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and site director at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) for the past eight years. In addition to overseeing clinical rotations at PPMC, Dr. Flesch also oversees the mentorship program for residents. He is passionate about clinical teaching, working with residents, fellows, and medical students in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition to his educational roles, Dr. Flesch is active in clinical operations leadership at PPMC, serves on the department of medicine Professionalism Committee, and is the co-director of the Penn Medicine Program for LGBTQ Health.

Temitayo Ogunleye is an associate professor of clinical dermatology and the associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the department of dermatology. She received her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine, completed her residency training in dermatology at the University of Michigan, and trained at the University of Pennsylvania as a clinician educator fellow to further her interests in medical education and develop her current niches of skin color and hair disorders. Dr. Ogunleye received a masters degree in healthcare innovation from Penn in 2021 and was appointed as medical director of the dermatology clinic at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine in January 2022. She plays an active role in medical education, interacting with both medical students and residents in her clinics and on inpatient consultations at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. She is a member of her departments Clinical Competency Committee and serves as a GME Ombudsperson. She is also a faculty leader of the Faculty Forums committee of the Alliance of Minority Physicians, a resident-led organization comprised of residents, fellows, and attending physicians who are underrepresented in medicine and committed to creating a diverse workforce. A former trainee commented, (she) is simply the best. She is kind, courteous, charismatic. She is a great teacher andI love working with her.

Carla R. Scanzello is an associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the Perelman School of Medicine, and section chief of rheumatology at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC) in Philadelphia. Dr. Scanzello received her medical and graduate degrees from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, completed her residency training at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and her rheumatology fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. She joined Penn and the CMCVAMC in 2013, where she established a laboratory focused on osteoarthritis therapeutic development within the Translational Musculoskeletal Research Center, which she now co-directs. In addition to her research pursuits, she is dedicated to education of clinical trainees. She regularly supervises rheumatology fellows in their weekly VA clinics and participates as a faculty member in PSOMs Cell & Tissue Biology and Mechanisms of Disease and Therapeutic Interventions courses. She teaches medical students and trainees from multiple specialties and primary care rotating through the rheumatology clinics at the CMCVAMC. This includes bedside teaching within the CMCVAMC Multi-Disciplinary Osteoarthritis Clinic, which she co-established. In partnership with colleagues in endocrinology and radiology, she co-organizes quarterly conferences in metabolic bone disorders for trainees at the CMCVAMC. In all these settings, she encourages trainees to set educational goals for themselves to foster a lifetime of self-directed learning and to collaboratively engage colleagues from other specialties to optimize inter-disciplinary care for patients. As former trainees have commented, Dr. Scanzello is an outstanding teacher. She regularly helps fellows develop learning goals and then revisits these to check in on progress. I appreciate that she takes into account my learning goals and actively incorporates these into her teaching styleShe is a great role model as a rheumatologist.

Nicole Washington is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics within the department of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine and an attending physician with the division of general pediatrics at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Washington received her BA in Spanish and her medical doctorate from the University of Virginia. She completed her pediatric residency training at CHOP. After completing her residency, she served as a pediatric chief resident for the hospital and the pediatric residency program. Dr. Washington remains active in the pediatric residency program, serving as one of the associate program directors and an integral member of the Intern Selection Committee; she also is currently the chair of the American Board of Pediatrics Education and Training Committee. Dr. Washington is one of the faculty mentors of the Alliance of Minority Physicians, a resident-led organization at CHOP comprised of residents, fellows, and attending physicians who are underrepresented in medicine and committed to creating a diverse workforce. Dr. Washington has mentored countless residents, medical students, and undergraduate students with a strong dedication to ensuring their personal and professional growth. Dr. Washington is also committed to her own professional growth and improvement, and is currently enrolled in the College of Liberal & Professional Studies Master in Organizational Dynamics Program. She plans to share this new knowledge and growing expertise with her trainees to further their leadership development.

This award was established by the department of anesthesia in 1984. As a pioneer in the specialty of anesthesia and chair of the department from 1943 to 1972, Dr. Dripps was instrumental in the training of more than 300 residents and fellows, many of whom went on to chair other departments. This award is to recognize excellence as an educator of residents and fellows in clinical care, research, teaching, or administration.

David Aizenberg is an associate professor of clinical medicine in the division of general internal medicine. He came to Penn in 2007 as an intern and stayed on to complete his residency and a chief resident year. He then joined the faculty and continued to have an active role within the internal medicine residency. Dr. Aizenberg enjoys optimizing learning environments and has led several educational innovations, including transitioning the program into a block scheduling system and designing and implementing a theme-based ambulatory curriculum. In 2018, Dr. Aizenberg left Penn to lead the Drexel/Hahnemann University Hospital internal medicine residency as its program director. During the unexpected closure of Hahnemann, Dr. Aizenberg advocated on behalf of all the residents and fellows impacted by this crisis and helped them to find receiving programs. Dr. Aizenberg returned to Penn in 2020 and joined the GME leadership team as director of assessment and professional development. In this role, he helps programs improve their assessment systems and coaches struggling housestaff. Dr. Aizenberg continues to be clinically active in outpatient primary care and the inpatient wards at PPMC.

Created in 1987 by the Blockley Section of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, this award is given annually to a member of the faculty at an affiliated hospital for excellence in teaching modern clinical medicine at the bedside in the tradition of William Osler and others who taught at Philadelphia General Hospital.

Sean Harbison is a native Philadelphian, having spent almost his entire education and professional career within blocks of Broad Street. After earning his BA in biology from LaSalle College, Dr. Harbison attended Temple University School of Medicine and completed general surgery training at the Graduate Hospital and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He has served as a faculty attending surgeon and professor of surgery at Graduate Hospital, Temple University Hospital and, most recently, in the department of surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, where he focuses on educational roles at each institution. For the past 8 years he has served as an associate clerkship and sub-internship director in the department of surgery, and he recently earned a masters degree in medical education from Penn. He has had his teaching prowess recognized by multiple teaching awards, including induction into AOA Medical Honor Society (2005), three Penn Pearl Awards (1995, 2017, 2021), and the Deans Award for Clinical Teaching (1997). A former student stated, I hope to emulate your style with patients and students when Im a physician: Thank you for making me feel like a valued team-member and [for] an inspired learning experience.

This award was established in 1981 as a memorial to Leonard Berwick by his family and the department of pathology. It recognizes a member of the medical faculty who in his or her teaching effectively fuses basic science and clinical medicine. It is intended that this award recognize persons who are outstanding teachers, particularly among younger faculty.

Katharine Bar is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases and a physician-scientist studying novel approaches to HIV prevention and cure. Her translational research program fuses a virology laboratory studying the basic mechanisms of viral pathogenesis with clinical trials of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 interventions. Dr. Bar is an engaged teacher in both her clinical and research roles at Penn and through her leadership in national scientific organizations. She precepts medical trainees and leads multiple small group sessions for medical students, internal medicine residents, and infectious disease fellows. She is also an active teacher of cell and molecular biology graduate students, for whom she co-directs a journal club format class centered on HIV. Through her laboratory, she serves as a formal mentor for multiple students and an informal mentor to many additional trainees, in particular women pursuing basic and translational research careers. Outside of Penn, she is known as a dynamic speaker who communicates complex concepts in an engaging manner. A physician-scientist trainee mentored by Dr. Bar wrote, Dr. Bar has consistently mentored me through graduate and clinical phases of my development as a physician-scientist, always reminding me of the duality of my training. I have witnessed Dr. Bars tailored mentorship of numerous friends who are graduate students, medical trainees, and budding physician-scientists. She assesses a mentees needs and meets them at their level. Her advice is honest, thoughtful, and based on her wealth of experience as a successful physician-scientist.

This award was established in 2000 by the Penn/VA Center for Studies of Addiction and the department of psychiatry. Scott Mackler is known for his excellence in teaching medical students, residents, post-doctoral fellows, nurses, and other Penn faculty in many different departments in the area of substance abuse.

Subhajit Chakravorty is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine and a staff physician at the affiliated Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center (CMCVAMC). He completed his medical school training at the University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India. He trained in psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and completed his sleep medicine training and a master of science in translational research at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he completed his addiction research and clinical care fellowship at the affiliated CMCVAMC. He is certified in psychiatry, sleep medicine, and addiction medicine. He attends to patients in sleep medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and addiction psychiatry at CMCVAMC.

His program of research focuses on developing personalized treatment interventions for insomnia comorbid with alcohol use disorder and their underlying mechanisms for change. Additionally, he is interested in understanding how alcohol use interfaces with sleep-related disorders.

The Deans Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching was established in 1988 to recognize teaching excellence and commitment to medical student teaching in the basic sciences. One or more Deans Awards are given annually, the recipients being selected on the advice of a committee comprised of faculty and students.

Rahul Kohli is an associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious disease, with a secondary appointment in the department of biochemistry and biophysics. Dr. Kohli obtained his MD and PhD from Harvard Medical School, after which he completed his internal medicine residency at Penn and his post-doctoral fellowship and clinical infectious disease training at Johns Hopkins University. The chief objective of his research group has been to probe DNA modifying enzymes and using approaches rooted in enzymology and chemical biology. The enzymes targeted by his groups studies catalyze the purposeful modification of the genome and are central to host-pathogen interactions or to epigenetics. Dr. Kohlis work has been recognized through support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Doris Duke Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation and an NIH Directors New Innovator Award, among others. He has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigators (ASCI) and has received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry. At Penn, Dr. Kohli is dedicated to the mission of training the next generation of physician-scientists grounded in basic science. Since 2014, he has served as an associate program director of the Penn MD/PhD program. His roles in the program include supporting combined degree students in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group and being the course director for Topics in Molecular Medicine, a course aimed at introducing all first-year combined degree students to cutting edge basic science work with medical implications.

This award was established in 1997 to recognize outstanding teaching by allied health professionals (e.g.; nurses, physicians assistants, emergency medical technicians). The recipient is selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

Michelle Jackson has nearly 15 years of experience as a clinician working in the field of individual, couple, and family therapy. She holds a BA in womens studies and philosophy from Temple University and an MSS in clinical social work from the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Currently, Ms. Jackson is an attending faculty member in the Psychiatry Residency Assessment Clinic for third-year residents at Penn. She adds family and systems perspectives to the overall discussion of patients presenting for care and also ensures that residents consider race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and cultural background for all of their new and on-going patients. Ms. Jackson was on the clinical faculty of the Center for Couples and Adult Families in the department of psychiatry at Penn Medicine until 2019. In that position, she collaborated with the clinical director and other colleagues to provide therapy for a wide variety of family life cycle transitions, adjustment and mood disorders, and relationship concerns. In addition to her work at Penn, Ms. Jackson has been a valued instructor for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students since 2014. She has taught in the department of psychology at Philadelphia University (now part of Thomas Jefferson University), in the Rutgers University School of Social Work, in the Couple and Family Therapy program at Thomas Jefferson University, and in the post-graduate certificate program at Council for Relationships. Known for her enthusiasm and dynamism in the classroom, Ms. Jackson is sought after as a student advisor, professional mentor, and clinical supervisor.

This award was established in 2015 to recognize clinical teaching excellence and commitment to medical education by outstanding housestaff. One award is given annually. The recipient is selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

Stphane Vie Guerrier is a senior internal medicine resident at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine in 2019. After she completes her residency in June of 2022, she will join Penns department of endocrinology as a fellow. She enjoys working alongside Penns hardworking and inquisitive medical students, who teach her unexpected lessons every day.

The Michael P. Nusbaum Graduate Student Mentoring Award was established in 2017 to honor Mikey Nusbaum as he stepped down from his role as Associate Dean for Graduate Education and director of Biomedical Graduate Studies.

Christopher Hunter is the Mindy Halikman Heyer Distinguished Professor of Pathobiology in Penns School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Hunter has been a mentor far beyond the borders of his own laboratory, through the T32 grant he leads, the courses he directs, and the regular connection with students across several graduate groups. Dr. Hunters thoughtful advice has guided several generations of biomedical graduate studies (BGS) students through their PhD education and beyond. His dedication to mentoring students and guiding them in reaching their scholarly potential exemplifies the type of scientist and mentor that Mikey Nusbaum represents.

The Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award was established in 2009 by the Glick family in remembrance of Jane Glick and her dedication to the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) programs.

Dan Beiting is an assistant professor of pathobiology in Penns School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Beitings creation of a new teaching model within Biomedical Graduate Studies through the development of the CAMB 714 DIY Transcriptomics course and his innovative approach to deliver biostatistics training with the BIOM 610 course will have a lasting impact on quantitative training for BGS students for years to come. His dedication to these efforts exemplifies the type of scientist/educator that Jane represented.

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Perelman School of Medicine 2022 Teaching Awards | University of Pennsylvania Almanac - Almanac

Nancy Carrasco

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced today that Dr. Nancy Carrasco, Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science and professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics, has been elected as one of its new members. Carrasco was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 and to the National Academy of Medicine in 2020.

Carrasco is an internationally recognized scientist known for her study of membrane transporters. Her pioneering research has had a significant impact on numerous fields, including molecular endocrinology, gene transfer, diagnostic imaging, cancer therapy and public health.

I offer my warmest congratulations to Professor Carrasco on this prestigious and much deserved honor, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. In making extraordinary contributions toward the study of membrane transporters and how they affect public health, she has advanced the good of both our university and society as a whole. Vanderbilt is fortunate to have her as an ambassador.

Carrasco was the first to isolate the coding DNA for NIS, the iodide transporter protein that pulls iodide from the bloodstream into the thyroid gland. Iodide (a form of the element iodine) is required for the production of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism in almost all tissues and play crucial roles in the development and maturation of the nervous system, skeletal muscles and lungs. Infants who do not have the correct levels of thyroid hormones may have impaired cognitive development and intellectual disability.

Carrascos findings also include key mechanistic details about how the protein works, that it actively transports the pollutant perchlorate, and that it is functionally expressed in lactating breast tissue and in breast cancer. Her studies have suggested that NIS-mediated transport of radioactive iodidea mainstay in the treatment of thyroid cancermight be a useful therapy for breast cancer.

I am delighted that Professor Carrasco has earned this important recognition, said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Her election attests to our collective excellence as a university and research institution as the number of Vanderbilt faculty in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences continues to grow across disciplines.

Carrasco is among AAA&Ss 261 new members in 2022. She joins 17 current or former Vanderbilt faculty members who have been elected in the past.

Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and other leading figures of the American Revolution, AAA&S is one of the countrys oldest and most distinguished honorary societies. In addition to recognizing the scholarly work of its members, it serves as an independent research center, convening leaders from across disciplines to address significant challenges.

This is a great tribute to the impact of Dr. Carrascos research contributions, said Lawrence Marnett, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences and Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research. She not only elucidated how iodine is transported across biological membranes in precise molecular detail, she also discovered that certain environmental pollutants block the transport. Since iodine is critical for thyroid hormone formation, her discoveries have profound physiological and pathophysiological significance. She is a wonderful colleague, and we are very fortunate to have her as a member of our faculty.

Carrasco has received numerous national and international awards, including a Pew Award in the Biomedical Sciences, the Beckman Young Investigators Award from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, the Maria Sibylla Merian Prize (Germany), the European Thyroid Associations Merck-Serono Prize, the Noun Shavit Award in Life Sciences (Israel), and a Light of Life Foundation award. She also has served as president of the Society of Latin American Biophysicists.

Carrasco received her M.D. and masters degree in biochemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in her native Mexico City and completed her postdoctoral training at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. Before joining Vanderbilt in 2019, she was a member of the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine.

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Carrasco elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences - Vanderbilt University News

Description

A research assistant position is available in the Magzoub lab at NYU Abu Dhabi (https://www.magzoub-lab.com). The research will focus on developing novel inhibitors of cancer-associated mutant p53 amyloid aggregation.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with an interest in working in the areas of biophysics, molecular medicine and chemical biology, and hold a Bachelor of Science (BSc). The ideal candidate will have experience in protein misfolding diseases or amyloid research, and a strong background in developing and testing amyloid inhibitors. Experience inin vivomodels of amyloid diseases is highly desired.

NYU Abu Dhabi offers a stimulating research environment led by a distinguished research community and supported by state-of-the-art research facilities.

The terms of employment are very competitive. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and candidates will be considered until the position is filled. To be considered, all applicants must submit in PDF format: a cover letter summarizing research experience and specifying the interests in this position; a curriculum vitae (including a full list of publications); a statement of research interests; and the names and contact details for three references. If you have any questions, please emailmazin.magzoub@nyu.edu

About NYUAD:

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYUs global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.

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UAE Nationals are encouraged to apply.

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This institution is using Interfolio's Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.

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For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR:www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr

NYU is an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity, and social inclusion.

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Similar to itch, pleasant touch transmitted by specific neuropeptide and neural circuit

Mice engage in grooming behavior, experiencing a phenomenon researchers call pleasant touch. Researchers from the Washington University Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders have identified a specific neuropeptide and a neural circuit that transmit pleasant touch from the skin to the brain. The findings eventually may help scientists better understand and treat disorders characterized by touch avoidance and impaired social development.

Studying mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a neural circuit and a neuropeptide a chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells that transmit the sensation known as pleasant touch from the skin to the brain.

Such touch delivered by hugs, holding hands or caressing, for example triggers a psychological boost known to be important to emotional well-being and healthy development. Identifying the neuropeptide and circuit that direct the sensation of pleasant touch eventually may help scientists better understand and treat disorders characterized by touch avoidance and impaired social development, including autism spectrum disorder.

The study is published April 28 in the journal Science.

Pleasant touch sensation is very important in all mammals, said principal investigator Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders at Washington University. A major way babies are nurtured is through touch. Holding the hand of a dying person is a very powerful, comforting force. Animals groom each other. People hug and shake hands. Massage therapy reduces pain and stress and can provide benefits for patients with psychiatric disorders. In these experiments with mice, we have identified a key neuropeptide and a hard-wired neural pathway dedicated to this sensation.

Chens team found that when they bred mice without the neuropeptide, called prokinecticin 2 (PROK2), such mice could not sense pleasant touch signals but continued to react normally to itchy and other stimuli.

This is important because now that we know which neuropeptide and receptor transmit only pleasant touch sensations, it may be possible to enhance pleasant touch signals without interfering with other circuits, which is crucial because pleasant touch boosts several hormones in the brain that are essential for social interactions and mental health, he explained.

Among other findings, Chens team discovered that mice engineered to lack PROK2 or the spinal cord neural circuit expressing its receptor (PROKR2) also avoided activities such as grooming and exhibited signs of stress not seen in normal mice. The researchers also found that mice lacking pleasant touch sensation from birth had more severe stress responses and exhibited greater social avoidance behavior than mice whose pleasant touch response was blocked in adulthood. Chen said that finding underscores the importance of maternal touch in the development of offspring.

Mothers like to lick their pups, and adult mice also groom each other frequently, for good reasons, such as helping emotional bonding, sleep and stress relief, he said. But these mice avoid it. Even when their cagemates try to groom them, they pull away. They dont groom other mice either. They are withdrawn and isolated.

Scientists typically divide the sense of touch into two parts: discriminative touch and affective touch. Discriminative touch allows the one being touched to detect that touch and to identify its location and force. Affective, pleasant or aversive, touch attaches an emotional value to that touch.

Studying pleasant touch in people is easy because a person can tell a researcher how a certain type of touch feels. Mice, on the other hand, cant do that, so the research team had to figure out how to get mice to allow themselves to be touched.

If an animal doesnt know you, it usually pulls away from any sort of touch because it can view it as a threat, said Chen, the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Professor in Anesthesiology and a professor of psychiatry, of medicine and of developmental biology. Our difficult task was to design experiments that helped move past the animals instinctual avoidance of touch.

To get the mice to cooperate and to learn whether they experienced touching as pleasant the researchers kept mice apart from cagemates for a time, after which the animals were more amenable to being stroked with a soft brush, similar to pets being petted and groomed. After several days of such brushing, the mice then were placed into an environment with two chambers. In one chamber the animals were brushed. In the other chamber, there was no stimulus of any kind. When given the choice, the mice went to the chamber where they would be brushed.

Next, Chens team began working to identify the neuropeptides that were activated by pleasant brushing. They found that PROK2 in sensory neurons and PROKR2 in the spinal cord transmitted pleasant touch signals to the brain.

In further experiments, they found that the neuropeptide they had homed in on wasnt involved in transmitting other sensory signals, such as itch. Chen, whose laboratory was the first to identify a similar, dedicated pathway for itch, said pleasant touch sensation is transmitted by an entirely different, dedicated network.

Just as we have itch-specific cells and peptides, we now have identified pleasant touch-specific neurons and a peptide to transmit those signals, he said.

Liu B, Qiao L, Liu K, Piccinni-Ash TJ, Chen ZF. Molecular and neural basis of pleasant touch sensation. Science, April 29, 2022. DOI 10.1126/science.abn2749

This work is supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Grant numbers 1R01 AR056318-06 and R01 NS094344.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,700 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, and currently is No. 4 in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

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Neural pathway key to sensation of pleasant touch identified Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Washington University School of...

Summary: Newly identified nerd cells code for speed, direction, and position all at once.

Source: University of Oslo

Are you impressed when NASA manages to calculate the time and speed of a rockets trajectory? A new study from the University of Oslo shows that your brain has a nerd center capable of even more complex calculations.

If, late on your way to work, you see the bus coming and run to catch it while carrying your cup of coffee, you have probably beaten NASA. Nerve cells in yourbrainperform billions of complicated mathematical calculations to work out your speed, position and direction. For years, this ability of the brain to calculate such parameters has been a mystery.

After five years of research into the theory of the continuous attractor network, or CAN, Charlotte Boccara and her group of scientists at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo, now at the Center for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), have made a breakthrough.

We are the first to clearly establish that thehuman brainactually contains such nerd cells or super-calculators put forward by the CAN theory. We found nerve cells that code for speed, position and direction all at once, says Boccara.

1,400 nerve cells

Boccara analyzed 1,400 nerve cells recorded in rats in a distributed manner across severalbrain areas. Together with Ph.D. fellow Davide Spalla and researcher Alessandro Treves, she recently published an article inNature Communicationstitled Angular and Linear Speed Cells in the Parahippocampal Circuits.

We equipped rats with small brain probes holding very thin electrodes that could read theirbrain activity. Afterwards, they were free to move around in a maze to search for goodies. We could follow their movements with a camera and thus correlate their actions with the activity of the many nerve cells we were recording from, explains Boccara.

Boccaras research group used an advanced form of data analysis to thoroughly investigate what was happening in all the cortical layers of several brain areas. This involved systematic examination of vast datasets.

This new research is in the continuation of the ground breaking work of John OKeefe, May-Britt and Edvard Moser (Nobel Prize in Medicine, 2014), which show that individual nerve cells can code for a navigation coordinate systemthe brains GPS system.

A missing puzzle piece that could be important for research into Alzheimers

The CAN theory that Boccara studies had been widely popular among scientists for decades. In a nutshell, it proposes that when we move around, our mental map or representation of the place in which we find ourselves constantly updates itself according to our new position.

The CAN theory hypothesizes that a hidden layer of nerve cells perform complex math and compile vast amounts of information about speed, position and direction, just as NASAs scientists do when they are adjusting a rocket trajectory.

Previously, the existence of the hidden layer was only a theory for which no clear proof existed. Now we have succeeded in finding robust evidence for the actual existence of such a brains nerd center,' says the researcher,and as such we fill in a piece of the puzzle that was missing.

The area where Boccara and her team found this hidden layer is precisely the part of the brain that is first impaired at the onset of Alzheimers disease.

Our findings are important because these cells tell us where we are and how we are moving. If they stop working, one gets lost, explains Boccara.

To understand the inner mechanisms of brain coding can later be applied for developing new therapeutics.

Why are thenervecells discovered by Boccara spread over different parts of the brain? And can they perhaps perform several different tasks?

Here, we have a number of theories: Do some cells function as a back-up, or do they perform separate calculations, i.e., do some cells plan while others react to previous experiences? she asks.

At all times, the brain is bombarded with sensory experiences (sight, feelings, hearing). It must make sense of this chaos to create an image coherent with memories of similar situations previously experienced in order to adjust ones actions. For example, I see that the bus is coming, I can feel that the coffee is hot; at which speed can I run to reach the bus without burning myself?

In recent years, theresearch communityhas proven that the brain areas Boccara is interested in is involved in many more tasks beyond mapping spatial position. Thenerve cellsthere can also map sounds and rewards. Now, she wonders whether the cells they found are capable of performing other tasks, in addition to calculating speed and direction.

But how such phenomena are perceived changes depending on the experiences you have. For instance, the way you perceive the name Ola will change significantly if you meet an Ola who becomes your partner. The process of categorization must therefore be updated as time goes on and the nerd center may also be involved in this process. This is an interesting field for further research, says Boccara.

Boccara now wants to find out how bad sleep affects the nerd cells ability to calculate.

I am wondering whether the reason why the brain works more slowly when we have had too little sleep has something to do with abnormal activity in these cells, she says.

Author: Press OfficeSource: University of OsloContact: Press Office University of OsloImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Open access.Angular and linear speed cells in the parahippocampal circuits by Davide Spalla et al. Nature Communications

Abstract

Angular and linear speed cells in the parahippocampal circuits

An essential role of the hippocampal region is to integrate information to compute and update representations. How this transpires is highly debated.

Many theories hinge on the integration of self-motion signals and the existence of continuous attractor networks (CAN). CAN models hypothesise that neurons coding for navigational correlates such as position and direction receive inputs from cells conjunctively coding for position, direction, and self-motion. As yet, very little data exist on such conjunctive coding in the hippocampal region.

Here, we report neurons coding for angular and linear velocity, uniformly distributed across the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), the presubiculum and the parasubiculum, except for MEC layer II. Self-motion neurons often conjunctively encoded position and/or direction, yet lacked a structured organisation.

These results offer insights as to how linear/angular speed derivative in time of position/direction may allow the updating of spatial representations, possibly uncovering a generalised algorithm to update any representation.

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Nerd Cells, Super-Calculating Network in the Human Brain Discovered - Neuroscience News

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Estelamari Rodriguez, M.D., MPH: The other thing I wanted to highlight is that in the past, EGFR mutations were first described in women who were non-smokers and Asian women. I still feel theres a big bias from physicians who take care of patients with cancer, that if they see patients who are heavy smokers or patients who are older, they may not think of these mutations because theyre attributing them to younger patients. I dont know the age of your husband when he was diagnosed, but I have seen in my practice patients of all ages who present with this diagnosis. To me, the only indication for testing is the diagnosis of lung cancer, not how the patient looks or where the patient comes from, because the smoking history doesnt really determine how these mutations present.

Katina Bland: Absolutely. Youre 100% correct. My husband was 48 years young when he was diagnosed. He was an extremely healthy and fit man; he is an athlete. He was a coach, and just very fit and very careful about what he ate, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and he never smoked. There was no reason to indicate that not only would he have potentially cancer, but lung cancer. It was really shocking for us to learn that. There are quite a few other patients who are to this day at this time undiagnosed, or even in some cases misdiagnosed because they dont know what to look for and potentially use the wrong testing to identify exactly what kind of cancer they have. At Exon 20 Group, we try to help patients with that by advocating for them. We get quite a few questions that we field on a regular basis, either calls that we get or emails, regarding if these patients have received the right or the best testing. Its an overwhelming majority of patients weve found who had their tissue tested by NGS [next-generation sequencing] laboratories, which is the right direction they want to be going. You mentioned the Guardant360 test, NeoGenomics, Foundation Medicine, Caris, Tempusthose are several of the laboratories that are doing the correct and accurate testing to get these patients the appropriate sequencing they need to understand, so that they can be successful in battling their cancer.

Estelamari Rodriguez, M.D., MPH:Thank you. I have to say that the role that you play, the patient advocacy groups in education, is critical because I see patients who, when we give them this diagnosis of cancer, go blank. I feel that its a lot of information, and to try to explain genetic sequencing at that stage and retain all that information is overwhelming. I think patients are feeling sick and have an urgency to start treatment. I think thats when caregivers are critical to the team because they may have the resources and the time to seek out this information. Im very excited to hear about the resources that the organization has. I wanted to ask you what kind of challenges you have seen patients report in terms of the testing when they come and ask questions. What kind of challenges have patients described?

Katina Bland: Well, there are a number of challenges. Sometimes they start right at the basic level of, We cant understand this testing report. Can you decode it for us? Can you help us understand what this means? Sometimes that can mean helping the patient to understand a little better the terminology, I suppose just the vernacular in this world that we live in, in fighting cancer. Sometimes it can mean coming alongside the clinician and discussing not necessarily how to read the report, but some ideas and approaches, best practices and standards, making sure theyre aware of clinical trials, making sure that theyre aware of the new drugs that have been approved, and different options that their patients have available to them that they may or may not be aware of.

Estelamari Rodriguez, M.D., MPH: I think that is critical. We need to engage patient advocates, we need to engage caregivers so that we give patients the best tools, and also so that patients can become their own self-advocates. Patients present with symptoms, and we have chemotherapy, and we have immunotherapy, and we know that we can do a disservice to a patient who would do better with a different treatment if we dont look for them. This has been looked at. We always think as doctors, were all doing the right thing, but in the last oncology conference, they presented data from the whole country and community practices and academic centers. Only about half of the patients who start their first treatment for advanced lung cancer have the genetic information at hand when that treatment started. Theres a significant number of patients who may be started on chemotherapy or immunotherapy, and they have molecular drivers that will do better with a targeted therapy. One thing that well talk about is that these treatments, in a way, are different than chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In some ways, they can keep your quality of life longer and they can be easier to tolerate in some ways.

Transcript edited for clarity.

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The Importance of Molecular Profiling and Patient Education in NSCLC - Curetoday.com

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genome Insight, a global leader in Whole Genome Sequence analysis and interpretation, announced $23 million in Series B funding.

Dunamu & Partners led the financing with participation from InterVest, Signite Partners, KC, and VNTG Corporation, as well as existing investors DSC Investment, Paratus Investment, and Schmidt. The funding will be allocated towards advancing Genome Insights data production and curation pipelines that enable scalable investigation of whole-genome sequences (WGS), the most comprehensive technique for understanding the molecular origin of human diseases. These efforts will bring WGS in real-world clinics for clinicians and patients for next-generation medical practice, in particular, for cancer and rare diseases.

Genome Insight is a start-up company with expertise in the biomedical curation of WGS data. WGS examines the entire genomic sequence of diseased tissues, providing the most comprehensive characterization of tens of thousands of genomic mutations carried on it as a whole. While historically confined as a research tool, due to its massive data size and high cost for data curation, WGS is a leading driver for opening up an ultimate era of personalized medicine with entire genomic information. Making biomedical sense of the vast amount of WGS data at an affordable cost, predictable timeline, and standardized procedure has been the main barrier to the widespread use of WGS.

"With the falling cost of genome data production, we are at the tipping point of a whole-genome based transformation in treating genetically driven illnesses such as cancer and rare diseases. We plan to bring the analysis and interpretation technologies to make whole-genome sequences meaningful, said Young Seok Ju, founder of Genome Insight. We are excited to have as our new investors, not only those in bio-tech but also those in digital-tech. This investment is a clear signal that the field is at the forefront of bio-tech and digital-tech convergence.

Genome Insight was founded in 2020 in South Korea by co-founders Young Seok Ju and Jeong Seok Lee, who are both physician-scientists and professors at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). Earlier this year, the Company announced its incorporation as a US company and is now headquartered in San Diego, at the heart of the genomics hotbed of the west coast.

About Genome Insight

GENOME INSIGHT is a whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis and interpretation company with the goal to accelerate use of WGS for accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment for cancer and rare diseases. Our proprietary GINS platform is an automated WGS pipeline and computer system that can rapidly generate meaningful interpretation insights for clinicians and patients, making WGS data useable in real-life clinical settings. We are also actively engaged in research to promote the power of WGS in advancing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer and rare diseases. Our Company is headquartered in San Diego (US) with the R&D offices in Seoul and Daejeon (Korea). To learn more, please visit http://www.genomeinsight.net.

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Genome Insight Draws $23 Million in Series B Funding to Open the Whole Genome Era for Transforming Precision Medicine - Business Wire

James S. Hagood, MD, professor in the UNC Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Program for Rare and Interstitial Lung Disease of the UNC Childrens Research Institute and Marsico Lung Institute, has been selected as a Harrington Scholar-Innovator for his work on a therapeutic Strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

James S. Hagood, MD, professor in the UNC Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Program for Rare and Interstitial Lung Disease of the UNC Childrens Research Institute and Marsico Lung Institute, has been awarded a grant from the Harrington Discovery Institute for a research project titled, Thy-1 Mimicry as a Therapeutic Strategy for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is an often fatal complication of many acute and chronic lung diseases, including COVID-19, Dr. Hagood explains. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, one of the most common and deadly forms of PPF, progresses to either lung transplantation or death within a few years for most people affected. Existing FDA approved drugs slow the disease process but do not reverse the scarring of the lungs. Many major pharmaceutical companies have identified fibrosis as a priority area for drug development. Work done in our lab over two decades identified the protein Thy-1 as a strong suppressor of fibrotic scarring, by changing the scar-forming potential of fibroblasts, the cells responsible for wound healing. A soluble form of Thy-1 is able to reverse established fibrosis in several laboratory models. Our collaborator, Dr. Ronit Freeman (UNC Applied Physical Sciences) developed molecular mimics for Thy-1 with potent antifibrotic activity, forming the basis for development of new and potentially highly effective fibrosis-reversing therapies for PPF. We will refine and test these in a highly relevant disease in a dish model, in preparation for identifying the ideal version for testing in clinical trials. This approach has high potential to generate therapies that can improve and extend the lives of individuals suffering with PPF.

Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development was established in 2012 to accelerate the development of new treatments to address major unmet needs in medicine and society. Harrington Scholar-Innovators are accomplished physician-scientists whose research demonstrates innovation, creativity and potential for clinical impact. In addition to grant funding, Harrington provides guidance and oversight in drug development, while intellectual property is retained by the scholar and their institution.

The selected scholars have access to several rounds of capital and have the opportunity to qualify for up to a total of $1.1 million in funding. In addition, scholars have facilitated access to Harringtons mission-aligned commercial entities, Advent-Harrington Impact Fund and BioMotiv, and to its charitable partner Morgan Stanley GIFT Cures.

Read more about the other scholars at the institutes website.

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Hagood Awarded Grant from Harrington Discovery Institute | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine

When Livia Szeto, B.S.N., RN, OCN, was growing up, she wanted to be a teacher. And as an oncology nurse navigator at University of Chicago Medicine, teaching patients about their disease and upcoming treatment is a large part of her job.

Thats especially true when a patient receives a diagnosis of lung cancer.

Imagine how desperate they can be, she says. Often they feel as though its the end of their world. Perhaps they were feeling normal but developed hip pain and were then told they had lung cancer. Theres a lot of hand-holding, teaching and reassuring that needs to happen.

Originally a clinical trial research nurse, Szeto took on the additional role of oncology navigator six years ago. Although still involved with clinical trials, she also began caring for patients who werent in studies, taking care of them from their very first visit and throughout their cancer journey.

That way the patient doesnt have to interact with so many different nurses, Szeto explains. Theres just one primary nurse taking care of the patient. The navigator role can be pretty complex. Youre not only taking care of the patient but the family as well, helping them find their way through the health care system. They encounter many different specialties and need someone to help them understand them all.

Although her first nine-and-a-half years at University of Chicago Medicine were spent on the inpatient hematology/oncology floor providing direct care for patients, today Szeto isnt involved in much hands-on clinical treatment.

My job is teaching and also coordinating care for patients, making sure their care is coordinated with the right provider, with the right timing for the right services. So although I dont administer chemotherapy, the research coordinator and I do all the coordination for clinical trials, she says.

Along with a physician and midlevel practitioner, Szeto sees patients in the clinic twice a week. Among the 20 or so patients they see each day are those returning for treatment and patients who have received a new diagnosis of lung cancer, some of whom first came to the hospital for a different reason.

Last week, we saw a patient who presented in orthopedics for a fractured bone. One of the surgeons was very keen on lung cancer and scheduled a chest X-ray, which revealed a lung mass. So the patient will be getting a bronchoscopy this week to confirm lung cancer, she says.

Sometimes patients who know they have lung cancer are eager to get started with treatment, only to find they have to wait.

Its hard to tell a patient that you need all these tests first and, no, you wont be starting therapy until the test results these molecular analyses come back, Szeto says. Theyve heard that immunotherapy can often provide good results and want to know why they cant get it immediately. But unless a patient has a specific actionable mutation, giving an immunotherapy drug could be detrimental to the patient. It takes a lot of education to help them understand.

That education extends to informing patients of the realities of treatment.

Regardless of how successful we are with patients and how many therapies we give them, the day will come when the disease starts to progress again, Szeto says. We have to warn them, Therapy is going well, and we dont want to be pessimistic, but one day the therapy will stop working. So we want to let them know that day is coming, but we also do our best to make sure its as far in the future as possible.

Szeto strongly recommends that anyone mulling a nursing career consider oncology, pointing out that the job is not all doom and gloom, largely due to the major strides that have been made in treatment modalities. Its not as pessimistic as it used to be, Szeto says.

Its a very exciting field to be in, she notes. Cancer patients are living a lot longer, so we have the opportunity to follow them for a long, long journey. In a way, cancer has become a chronic disease that can be managed. The beautiful thing is that patients have options that allow them to live with this disease for a long time.

There are so many opportunities to learn and to help others.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, dont forget tosubscribe to CUREs newsletters here.

Originally posted here:
Educating Patients Fulfills an Oncology Nurse's Dreams - Curetoday.com

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is the first university in the world to lead a large-scale imaging study through dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans and involving 6,000 participants.

Titled Obesity and non-communicable diseases in Malaysia: An imaging study of 6,000 adults in the Malaysian cohort study, it aims to research obesity and non-communicable diseases which are becoming more prevalent in Malaysia and around the world in partnership with the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said currently, there are no DXA or large-scale MRI imaging studies in Malaysia to directly measure body fat to enable researchers to understand the relationship between body composition and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Therefore, he said, the study aims to understand the association of obesity in causing diabetes and heart disease.

Besides that, comparisons between the diversity of ethnic groups in Malaysia and in the UK can also be done, he said, adding that new methods such as DXA and MRI can be used to confirm the conventional instrument body mass index (BMI).

Prof Mohd Ekhwan said this collaboration between UKM and the University of Oxford can have a great impact on Malaysias health system, especially in the development and use of new BMIs that are more suitable for Asians, especially the Malaysian population.

He said the current BMI from the World Health Organization (WHO) is based on the Caucasian population and categorises those with a BMI below 18.5 as underweight, between 18.5 and 25 as normal, between 25 and 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.

Therefore, it is important to determine what is the normal range for excess body fat from each ethnic group in Malaysia so that a more accurate range can be introduced, he added.

Using an accurate classification is important for effective intervention to curb the increasing effects of obesity such as Type II diabetes and heart disease, he said.

Prof Mohd Ekhwan also said the project had the potential to enhance industry collaboration, especially in identifying the best treatment methods involving rare diseases specific to obesity such as proopiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency, leptin receptor (LepR) deficiency, Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), Alstrom syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome.

Throughout the study, UKM Institute of Molecular Medicine (Umbi) will be performing 6,000 DXA imaging and 100 MRI imaging to assess body composition among The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants, in collaboration with UKM Faculty of Medicine Department of Radiology and the University of Westminster, UK.

It is jointly led by Prof Sarah Lewington from Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, and Umbi Assoc Prof Dr Nor Azian Abdul Murad, with RM994,000 funding from the Higher Education Ministry.

The project is part of Umbis TMC Project, which is similar to the UK Biobank project.

Separately, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) has announced the recent setting up of the Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Unit (NRTU) at its Sungai Long campus.

UTAR vice president (R&D and Commercialisation) Prof Dr Faidz Abd Rahman said he believes that the Malaysian-UK collaborative project funded by the British Council Malaysia will enable Malaysian researchers and healthcare practitioners to undertake nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics research for disease prevention and treatment.

University of Reading Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) deputy director Prof Vimal Karani S., who presented a talk during the NRTU launch ceremony on Feb 16, said nutrigenetics is the science that studies the effect of genetic variation on dietary response while nutrigenomics is the study of how genes and nutrients interact at the molecular level.

He said many studies have shown that it is the interaction between genetics and lifestyle factors that contributes to the development of cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

However, he said, one can still overcome a high genetic risk through a change in diet and physical activity.

He said findings from nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics are essential to develop an optimum diet for an individual based on that individuals genetic makeup.

Link:
UKM and the University of Oxford spearhead study on obesity and NCDs - The Star Online