Dartmouth Medical School Digest
May 2009

News for our community

In this issue

Fast track for therapies
In a genetic leap, DMS researchers have discovered how to tame a wily human parasite model to help accelerate vaccine and drug development against serious global disease. Their feat turns Toxoplasma into a genetic workhorse to exploit the immune response hard-wired into the parasite --whose cousins are responsible for malaria and severe diarrhea -- and could lead to safe and effective genetically modified therapies. The team, led by Dr. David Bzik, reported the advance in the April Eukaryotic Cell.

Foiling cystic fibrosis
Dartmouth Medical School researchers have devised a two-pronged approach to thwart the relentless bacterial infections that plague cystic fibrosis patients. Their innovative model --combining a mainstay antibiotic with drugs that deprive the bacteria of iron -- bolsters the attack on tenacious lung infections. The research was reported online in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology by lead author Dr. Sophie Moreau-Marquis and members of the lung biology team.

Losing a newborn sibling
Death of a sibling in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have can life-long psychological and emotional consequences for survivor siblings, whether they are born before or after the infant's death. A Dartmouth Medical School study explores the psychological and emotional issues related to siblings of children who died in the NICU. Dr. Joanna Fanos and colleague reported their work online in the Journal of Pediatrics.

NAS taps geneticist
Dartmouth clockwork pioneer Dr. Jay Dunlap, recognized for cracking apart the field of clock biology to open a window on the rhythms of life, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. His groundbreaking work has advanced understanding of the genetic basis of the circadian clock, the biological timepiece controlling the 24-hour cycle that synchronizes when we sleep or awake and influences such disorders as jet lag and depression. The election was announced April 28 during Academy's annual meeting.

Physician-scientist at Class Day
Noted biomedical engineer Dr. Donald E. Ingber of Harvard is the featured speaker for Dartmouth Medical School Class Day, June 13. He is known for landmark research on how cells sense their surroundings and respond to mechanical forces and chemical signals, and how the shape of vascular cells and the physical properties of their environment influence whether they grow, specialize, move or die. Ceremonies start at 9 a.m. rain or shine under a tent in the parking lot at the corner of Maynard Street and Rope Ferry roads, Hanover.

National CDC center
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice a national center to improve population health in Vermont and New Hampshire. The Dartmouth Population Health Research Center, lead by Dr. Elliott Fisher, will bring together a coalition to focus on reducing cardiovascular disease, starting in Manchester and Keene, NH, and St. Johnsbury, VT. In addition to operational funding from the CDC, TDI is eligible for over $12 million in research grants targeted at diverse prevention strategies for which Dartmouth faculty may apply through the Institute.

In the media
Highlights of April news coverage about Dartmouth Medical School programs.


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