Hartwell renowned biomedical research awards received from UCSD scientists

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Three scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of medicine are among the year's 12 winners of the Hartwell biomedical research team awards, researchers, whose work the health of children progress to honor.

The UC San Diego receivers are Jack Bui, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of pathology; Pamela Itkin Ansari, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics; and Adriana Trémoulet, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Each receives $ 100,000 grant annually for three years the Hartwell Foundation direct research costs to cover.

It is only for the second time in the history of the Hartwell awards that a single institution was three winners in the same year. The Hartwell Foundation also UC San Diego is one of the top ten centers for biomedical research in the country.

"This year UC San Diego seek exceptional, a great group of researchers for the Hartwell single biomedical research award, appoint made", said Frederick Dombrose, PhD, President of the Hartwell Foundation. "We welcome their care in identifying such innovative scientific with the potential, children benefit."

While Bui, Itkin-Ansari and Trémoulet share a common goal to improve the understanding and treatment of childhood diseases, their special efforts are especially diverse. Bui is interested in, helps to better recognize the body's immune system to kill tumor cells. Itkin Ansari is looking for ways to improve the treatment of type 1 diabetes. And Trémoulet focuses on biomarkers for Kawasaki disease, finding a mysterious vascular disorder of unknown cause.

"The Hartwell Foundation has a rigorous evaluation process have a high potential reward for the improvement of children's health, but choose people with novel early stage research projects that are high risk,", said Gordon Gill, MD, Dean for Scientific Affairs at the school of medicine. "We are proud of the fact that DRS." "Bui, Itkin-Ansari and Trémoulet this recognition and much-needed support of their research to a new level move get have."

Jack Bui

In the United States, cancer is the leading cause of disease-related children under the age of 20 years. Every year thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer. Despite massive investments of time and resources, the need for new, acute remains innovative Cancer Therapeutics for this population.

In a paradigm shift Bui, proposes a solution within can be. The idea is based on a spontaneous remission of cancer patients, to destroy cases where it believed the body's immune system, attacked and cancer cells. Although such documented remissions are relatively rare, it is believed that the phenomenon when people more frequently, usually happens is cured their cancer, before they are even diagnosed.

Bui proposes to understand how spontaneous remission of terminal cancer can be duplicated, as the body's innate immune system recognize then isolated and destroyed it, developing tumor cells. Its working hypothesis is that certain genes in be expressed to therapeutically can be used, the immune system to cancer as eliminate Sarcoma stimulate.

Pamela Itkin-Ansari

Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which normal pancreas cells by the immune system of patients caused the loss of insulin production, a hormone that are destroyed to the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in the body. Children are particularly affected: the estimated 850,000 to 1.7 million Americans who have type1 diabetes, 125,000 are 19 years and younger. A further 30,000 Americans develop diabetes type1 each year, approximately 13,000 children are.

With employees at the Sanford/Burnham Institute for medical research in a mouse model shows Itkin Ansari, transplanted pancreatic beta-cells from the immune system when encapsulated in a synthetic device protected. Theoretically could such a device beta-cells in overcoming the autoimmune response that characterized type1 diabetes provide important protection on transplanted pancreas. If successful, their technique encapsulated cell requires no suitable tissue and do not have a requirement for immunosuppression, thus transforming the health and quality of life for diabetic children

Adriana Trémoulet

Kawasaki disease is a rare disease in children, the inflammation of blood vessels. It is the most common cause of Pediatric acquired heart disease in the United States, but there is no diagnostic test for KD. Current Diagnostics are limited to open clinical symptoms such as rash and fever, but these symptoms overlap with other infections and conditions, of which many require no treatment. Many of the clinical signs are not yet available in up to one-third of cases of KD.

The quest for individual, tell-tale biomarker for KD was problematic. Trémoulet proposes, identify a novel Panel of biomarkers, the KD is different from children with benign rash fever diseases patients. If this is successful, she expected that a point of service tests for the diagnosis of KD within 5 to 10 years in every emergency room, Pediatric Office and urgent care center in the United States will be available.

Source:
Scott LaFee
University of California - San Diego