Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular / Internal Medicine | PI: Paul F. Bray, MD

A Genetic Mechanism Contributing to Racial Differences in Vascular Disease

Heart attacks and strokes result from clots formed in the blood vessels of the heart or brain, respectively. The laboratory of Paul Bray, MD, demonstrated that platelets from Black individuals were more reactive than those from White individuals, suggesting a genetic basis for some of the racial discrepancy observed in vascular diseases associated with clotting. Continue reading → A Genetic Mechanism Contributing to Racial Differences in Vascular Disease
Posted on | CategoriesHealth and Disease / Psychiatry | PI: Adrian Rothenfluh, PhD

Genetics of Alcohol Abuse – from Flies to Humans

In an unbiased screen, the lab directed by Adrian Rothenfluh, PhD, isolated flies lacking a certain gene (Rsu1) that produces a strong liking for alcohol, even before repeated exposure. Their investigations in Drosophila showed that Rsu1 and downstream signaling molecules regulate actin dynamics; genetic manipulations that increase actin filament turnover lead to accelerated development of alcohol preference, while manipulations that increase actin filament stability abolish the development of preference. Continue reading → Genetics of Alcohol Abuse – from Flies to Humans
Posted on | CategoriesCancer / Neurosurgery | PI: Howard Colman, MD, PhD , Adam L. Cohen, MD & Sheri L. Holmen, PhD

The Role of IDH Mutation in Human Brain Tumors

Sheri Holmen, PhD, was the first to show that IDH mutations, on the appropriate genetic background, resulted in glioma initiation and growth. This discovery provided the basis of a pre-clinical model for testing the contribution of other molecular alterations to the pathogenesis of, and the effects of various treatments on, these tumors. Howard Colman, MD, PhD, and colleagues subsequently demonstrated that increased DNA alterations were associated with higher-grade gliomas and worse prognoses. Continue reading → The Role of IDH Mutation in Human Brain Tumors