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Three students from United States military academies have completed biomedical research summer internships at OMRF. Two students from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and one from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., participated in the foundation’s ninth annual John H. Saxon Service Academy Summer Research Program. Oklahoma City native and Heritage Hall High School graduate Paige Miles is a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. She worked in the lab of Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., studying blood vessel development. “Both of my parents are doctors in Oklahoma City, so when I heard about this opportunity I jumped at the chance to not only get experience working in medical research but also to move home for a few weeks,” said Miles. “This has been an unbelievable opportunity, and I am so fortunate have the chance to work with a great scientist like Dr. Griffin.” Connor King, also a midshipman at the Naval Academy, investigated cell division under the guidance of researcher Roberto Pezza, Ph.D. The Suffolk, Va., native researched a protein involved in DNA recombination and its function in cell development. “I have a pre-medical focus, and this experience has had a big impact on me because it shows the lifetime of research and work that goes into making each of these discoveries,” said King. “It really changes your perspective on the value of research science.” Finally, U.S. Air Force Academy cadet Lionel Gumireddy studied the impact of diabetes on the heart with OMRF scientist Kenneth Humphries, Ph.D. Gumireddy worked on an enzyme that has been linked to diabetes. “I’ve learned even more than I expected, and I have loved every minute of the experience,” said Gumireddy, a Pittsburgh, Pa., native. “I’m trying to be a doctor in the Air Force, and I’m leaning toward critical care transport. This introduction to the research side of medicine has been eye-opening.” Muskogee physician John Saxon, III, M.D., established the program to honor his late father, a West Point graduate and Air Force pilot. “This exposure to real-world medical research is invaluable to the students, and it also adds needed help and fresh perspectives in our labs,” said OMRF Senior Human Resources Specialist Heather Hebert, who coordinates the program. “We’re grateful to Dr. Saxon for supporting this unique program.” |
Military academy students get hands-on lab experience at OMRF
Three U.S. military academy students have completed a crash course in biomedical research at OMRF through the John H. Saxon Service Academy Summer Research Program.
Two students from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and one from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., participated in the foundation’s eighth annual program.
John Saxon III, M.D., a Muskogee physician and OMRF board member since 2000, established the program to honor his father, a West Point graduate who taught for five years at the U.S. Air Force Academy and was a career Air Force pilot before passing away in 1996.
The Saxon program is designed to provide military academy students with an opportunity to work side-by-side with OMRF’s senior scientists.
Matthew Lerdahl, a Coon Rapids, Minn., native and cadet captain first class in the U.S. Air Force, worked in the lab of Roberto Pezza, Ph.D., studying cell division.
Lerdahl, a biology major, specifically worked on what happens when cell division goes wrong in mitosis, which can result in disorders like Down syndrome and is implicated in certain cancers.
“This experience has been even more intense than I thought, and that’s a great thing. It’s very hands-on and the mentors are super helpful but also give you the freedom to make mistakes and learn on your own,” said Lerdahl. “It made me a better scientist and researcher. The environment here is just phenomenal.”
Erin McShane, a battalion sergeant major at the U.S. Naval Academy, is a chemistry major who was assigned to the lab of Ken Humphries, Ph.D., where she worked with an enzyme called PFK2. This is important because it is under-expressed in people with diabetes. It could provide a clue as to why diabetics can’t properly metabolize glucose.
“This project has been fascinating and a truly unique experience. I have an interest in serving in the Navy’s medical corps, and this has provided invaluable exposure to what medical research looks like up close,” she said. “We have sent someone from the academy here for several years, and I am thrilled to have had this amazing opportunity.”
Yuma, Ariz., native and Naval Academy midshipman second class Jocelyn Rodriguez worked under the guidance of Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., where she studied the formation of the vasculature, specifically during development of embryos. Rodriguez, who studies chemistry, said understanding how vessels work is important not only for embryonic development but also during the development of a tumor. Understanding how to disrupt the process could lead to new ways to slow or stop tumor growth.
“I have an interest in becoming a medical officer, and this opportunity has been great for my future,” she said. “It’s fun to pick the scientists’ brains to see if I want to do research or be more on the clinical side of things. It’s also great to see the leadership styles here at OMRF. Dr. Griffin is phenomenal and you can really see people love to come to work every day in her lab. It’s inspiring.”
The best Father’s Day gift: A healthy heart
Whether your Father’s Day tradition is taking in a ball game, hitting the links or firing up the grill, the most important part is spending time with your dad.
But in Oklahoma and across the country, one illness is taking fathers away from their families prematurely and at an alarming rate: heart disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the U.S., killing one in every four males. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of sudden cardiac events occur in men, and half of the men who die suddenly of coronary disease have no previous symptoms.
“The good news is, if you’re a father—or the spouse, sibling, friend or child of a father—there are straightforward steps that can lower heart disease risk significantly,” said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation President Stephen Prescott, M.D., a heart researcher (and also a father).
- Watch your waistline
It’s been known for some time that having an “apple” shape increases the risk for disease and death. But a 2014 study from Annals of Internal Medicine found that a man of normal body mass index with an abnormally large belly has an 87 percent higher risk for death than a man with the same B.M.I. but a normal waist-to-hip ratio. Women with large bellies also showed higher risk, but not at the same level as men.
“Belly fat is especially deadly when it comes to heart disease in men,” said Prescott.
A 2014 study from Harvard University showed that older men who engaged in regular weight training gained less belly fat than those who spent the same amount of time performing aerobic workouts.
“Optimally, a combination of regular aerobic activities and weight work typically yields the best results,” said Prescott.
- Kick butts
We all know that tobacco use causes cancer. But it’s also a major contributor to heart disease.
“Quitting smoking is one of the single biggest decisions you can make for heart health,” Prescott said. “Within just a few years, your risk for heart disease and stroke drop significantly.”
- Steer clear of trans fats
Trans fatty acids, or trans fats, were developed as a substitute for saturated fats like lard and can be found in fried foods, snack foods and baked goods. “But they’re far more deadly than the saturated fats they replaced,” said Prescott.
Trans fats increase artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, decrease protective HDL cholesterol, damage the lining of arteries and cause inflammation, which can destabilize arterial plaque and lead to a heart attack or stroke.
“Although many food manufacturers have cut back on using trans fats, even a small amount can substantially raise your heart disease risk,” said Prescott. A mere two percent bump in calories from trans fats can raise coronary disease risk by as much as 29 percent.
To avoid trans fats, Prescott recommends two easy steps: “Don’t eat any packaged foods that have the words ‘partially hydrogenated’ in their ingredient list, and unless a restaurant says it’s trans fat-free, try to steer clear from fried foods when eating out.”
- Move it
After sitting in front of a computer for eight hours at work, Americans increasingly trade one seat and screen for another, heading for the couch to stream their favorite Netflix series. But this sedentary lifestyle may literally be killing us.
“Research has shown that sitting still for long periods of time is harmful to our health, leading to more heart disease and death,” said Prescott.
Unfortunately, these health outcomes may not be something we can reverse simply with visits to the gym. While regular exercise is beneficial, studies have consistently found that heart health is optimized when people also avoid long periods of inactivity.
“It’s important that we move regularly,” said Prescott. “At work, try to get up and walk around every hour; take the stairs instead of the elevator. Then take the dog for a walk when you get home.”
Scientists at OMRF are working hard to find new ways to treat heart disease, Prescott said. “But the most effective way fathers—and everyone else—can fight coronary disease is to make lifestyle choices that help prevent it in the first place.”
OMRF researcher receives rheumatology award
The Rheumatology Research Foundation has named OMRF scientist Darise Farris, Ph.D, as a recipient of its Research Foundation Innovative Research Award.
The award will provide Farris with $400,000 in funding over a two-year period to continue promising research in understanding the origins of the autoimmune disease Sjögren’s syndrome.
Sjögren’s syndrome is a painful autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks the body’s own moisture-producing glands, inhibiting the ability to produce tears or saliva. The most common symptoms include severe dry eyes and dry mouth, as well as arthritis, fatigue and others.
The disease is believed to affect as many as 3 million people in the United States and, like many autoimmune diseases, disproportionally affects women by a 9-to-1 ratio. There is no known cure and current treatments only address symptoms, not the root cause.
In her lab at OMRF, Farris is trying to identify the proteins in patients that are causing the abnormal autoimmune response in the glands that produce tears and saliva.
“We know that Sjögren’s selectively attacks these glands, but nobody understands why those glands are targeted,” said Farris. “We believe there are unidentified salivary gland antigens, which are proteins that are the target of an immune response.”
Farris is currently pursuing two related paths of Sjögren’s research.
First, her lab is attempting to identify the proteins that incite the disease. Using special tools, scientists have isolated specific receptors from immune cells called T cells from the salivary tissue of Sjögren’s patients. They have isolated the immune cell receptors that directly touch the unknown proteins, and they hope to use them to explain why salivary tissues are targeted in the disease.
If this work is successful, it could provide the knowledge needed to better identify individuals who either have Sjögren’s syndrome or are susceptible to the disease.
The second aim is to follow up on the discovery of a relationship between the degree of activation of those T cells and reduced saliva production. Farris said. “We think this might lead to an understanding of why saliva production is defective in these patients,” said Farris.
The award was a result of research published with colleagues at OMRF in the journal JCI Insight. Farris earned her Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and has spent 18 years at OMRF researching Sjögren’s and other autoimmune diseases.
“This award is very exciting for us because it’s going to permit us to follow up on what we believe to be a fruitful line of investigation,” said Farris. “It will allow us a bigger budget to collect needed data in order to answer these pressing questions and work toward solutions for patients suffering from this painful disease.”
The Rheumatology Research Foundation was created by the American College of Rheumatology and is based in Atlanta, Ga.
“Dr. Farris’ research uses cutting-edge molecular tools to probe the causes of Sjögren’s disease that could lead to innovative therapies,” said OMRF Vice President of Research Rodger McEver, M.D.
Researchers discover 10 new lupus genes in Asian population study
An international coalition of researchers led by OMRF scientist Swapan Nath, Ph.D., has identified 10 new genes associated with the autoimmune disease lupus. The findings were published in the Jan. 25 issue of Nature Genetics.
Nath and his colleagues analyzed more than 17,000 human DNA samples collected from blood gathered from volunteers in four countries: South Korea, China, Malaysia and Japan. Of those samples, nearly 4,500 had confirmed cases of lupus, while the rest served as healthy controls for the research.
From that analysis, the researchers identified 10 distinct DNA sequence variants linked to lupus, a debilitating chronic autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system becomes unbalanced and attacks its own tissues. It can result in damage to many different body systems, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart and lungs. More than 16,000 people are diagnosed with lupus in the U.S. each year, and it affects as many as 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people worldwide, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.
“We know lupus has a strong genetic basis, but in order to better treat the disease we have to identify those genes,” said Nath, a member of OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. “Large-scale studies of this magnitude are becoming the gold standard for locating genes associated with autoimmune diseases like lupus.”
Thirty-seven researchers from 23 institutes, hospitals and universities in the United States, Malaysia, Korea, China and Japan took part in Nath’s study.
“These findings mark a significant advance in our knowledge base for lupus genes,” said Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., director of OMRF’s Autoimmune Disease Institute and Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program chair. “For every gene we identify, it brings us closer to uncovering the trigger for this puzzling disease. It’s good news for researchers and patients alike.”
In the study, one gene in particular, known as GTF2I, showed a high likelihood of being involved in the development of lupus. “GTF2I seems to be one of the key players in lupus susceptibility,” said Nath. “Its genetic effect appears to be higher than previously known lupus genes discovered from Asians, and we surmise that it now may be the predominant gene involved in lupus.”
With these new genes identified, Nath and his colleagues can try to pinpoint where defects occur and whether those mutations contribute to the onset of lupus pathogenesis. Nath said that understanding where and how the defects arise will allow scientists to develop more effective therapies specifically targeting those genes.
The ultimate goal, said Nath, is to understand the disease better and develop personalized intervention therapies for patients based on their genetic makeup. “We are a long way from that point, but huge collaborative efforts like this help to get things going.”
OMRF scientists Celi Sun, Julio Molineros, Ph.D., Xana Kim-Howard, Prasenjeet Motghare, Krishna Bhattarai, Adam Adler and Jonathan Wren, Ph.D., also contributed to the discovery.
Funding for the project was provided by grants R01AR060366 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, R01MD007909 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and R21AI103399 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, all part of the National Institutes of Health.
