PASADENA, Calif.--The Weston Havens Foundation has recently awarded $1.3 million in philanthropic gifts to the California Institute of Technology that will fund five separate research projects. Faculty working on these projects received $260,000 each to cover such wide-ranging topics as stem cell differentiation dynamics, the gastrointestinal connection to autism, and treating viral diseases.
The first study, "Microfluidic Chambers for Cell Biological Studies of Synaptic Plasticity," is being conducted by Erin M. Schuman, professor of biology and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The connections between neurons, called synapses, are the sites of information flow and storage in the nervous system. The dense wiring and connectivity prevents researchers from observing specific processes involved in the synapses. The lab proposes an interdisciplinary approach, combining techniques from engineering, physics, and neurobiology, to isolate and manipulate synapses independent of the entire cell body of the neuron using microfluidic platforms. This will provide unique new tools to investigate learning and memory mechanisms in both normal and diseased brains.
The next funded study, "Investigating the Gastrointestinal Connection to Autism in an Animal Model," is being conducted by Sarkis Mazmanian, assistant professor of biology, and Paul H. Patterson, Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about one in 150 people in the United States. Studies have reported that a significant portion of the population of autistic children displays chronic inflammation of the colon, and an altered composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with higher levels of 'bad' bacteria. This collaboration plans to use a mouse model of autism to find out if the GI tract does, in fact, display inflammation, and if there is any alteration of GI bacteria. If this is the case, antibiotics, introduction of 'good' bacteria (called probiotics), and/or an altered diet may be tested in an effort to eventually help autistic children.
"Differentiation Dynamics in Individual Embryonic Stem Cells" is the third study being funded by a Weston Havens grant, and is being led by Michael Elowitz, professor of biology and applied physics and Bren Scholar. As a fertilized egg develops, individual cells choose what they will become. This outcome depends on the state of the cell, signals it gets from other cells and fluctuations in its own genetic components. It remains unclear, however, how multiple genes operate together to regulate the timing and outcomes of cellular decision-making. The lab will analyze this question using mouse embryonic stem cells and fluorescent reporter genes that will permit observation of critical proteins, thereby creating a direct view of mechanisms that underlie cell-fate decision-making. This may ultimately help improve the use of embryonic stem cells for therapeutic purposes.
The fourth study, "Induction of Proteasome Synthesis in Cells Treated with Proteasome Inhibitors and its Implications for Cancer Therapy," is being conducted by Raymond J. Deshaies, professor of biology, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and executive officer for molecular biology. Bortezomib, which is a chemical that inhibits the proteasome, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating patients who suffer from the blood-cell cancer multiple myeloma. In addition to inhibiting the proteasome, bortezomib also induces the synthesis of new proteasomes in patients, which counteracts the effectiveness of the drug. Researchers in the Deshaies lab seek a deeper understanding of the basic mechanisms that underlie increased proteasome synthesis in patients treated with bortezomib, which may lead to rational strategies for improving the efficacy of proteasome inhibition therapy. The researchers also plan to seek drugs that, when used in combination with proteasome inhibitors, block the growth of solid tumors.
The last study, "Development and Testing of Multi-Specific Antibodies for Treating Viral Diseases," is being conducted by Stephen L. Mayo, Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry and vice provost, and Pamela J. Bjorkman, Delbrück Professor of Biology and molecular biophysics and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Current antibodies target very specific viral strains. But, other versions of the virus arise that those antibodies cannot recognize. This research will combine computationally based designs with experimental programs to create antibodies that will provide a resistance to an entire family of viruses that include multiple types of strains. Such advances would revolutionize treatment and prevention of viruses ranging from a common cold to AIDS.
The Weston Havens Foundation, located in California, was founded in 2005 from the estate of John Weston Havens, Jr. This is the first year that it has provided awards for research, with the purpose "to carry on, finance, or promote medical or other scientific research, or experimentation, having as the primary object the benefit of humanity."
Written by Jacqueline Scahill