In this edition:
Calendar at a Glance
Student Accolades
Student Council Update
Program News and Reminders
Student Highlight
Alumni Highlight
PRISM Update
Interesting Local Events
Calendar at a Glance
March 5, 2014. MSTP Grand Rounds. 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Hughes Auditorium. Presenters: Brian Hitt and Prajwal Ciryam.
March 21,2014. External Fellowships Coffee Talk Session. 12:00 - 1:00 PM. Baldwin Auditorium. With Special Guest Steve Hill, Associate Director, Office of Fellowships.
April 2-4, 2014. MSTP Second Look.
April 3, 2014. 10th Annual Lewis Landsberg Research Day. 1:00 – 5:00 PM. Lurie Atrium.
April 9, 2014. MSTP Grand Rounds. 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Hughes Auditorium. Presenters: Chris Brooks and Sarah Brooker.
April 21, 2014. MSTP Women’s Forum. 3:00 – 5:00 PM. Daniel Hale Willaims Auditorium. With Special Guest Jo A. Hannafin, M.D., Ph.D.
April 25-27, 2014. Tenth Annual American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) Meeting.
May 7, 2014. MSTP Grand Rounds. 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Hughes Auditorium. Presenters: Andrew Karaba and Ted Cybulski.
May 21, 2014. MSTP End of Year Senior Celebration. 4:00 – 6:00 PM. Lurie Atrium.
May 22, 2014. FSM Graduation. Navy Pier Ballroom.
May 28, 2014. MSTP Grand Rounds. 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Hughes Auditorium. Presenters: Michael Breen and Devang Amin.
June 18, 2014. MSTP Grand Rounds. 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Hughes Auditorium. Presenters: Ye Yuan and Neil Chatterjee.
July 18-20, 2014. MSTP Student-Faculty Retreat and 50 Year Celebration.
Student Accolades
Congratulations to Lauren Smith (Grad 2) on being selected as a Northwestern University Presidential Fellow.
The Presidential Fellowship is funded by the President of the University and awarded by The Graduate School. This highly competitive award is the most prestigious fellowship awarded by Northwestern. Lauren was chosen from a large pool of nominees representing a broad range of disciplines across the university based on many factors including scholarly/research achievement at Northwestern, significant leadership roles, outreach and interdisciplinary activity and high academic achievement amongst other considerations. Lauren has had an exciting year. She was also recently named a Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) Scholar, was a 2013 Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship Finalist and was awarded a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NIH F31 National Research Service Award also in 2013. Congratulations Lauren on all of these tremendous achievements!
Congratulations to Prajwal Ciryam, Julian Klosowiak, Keith Summa and Woon Teck Yap on their recent first-author publications. Read about their work below.
"Widespread aggregation and neurodegenerative diseases are associated with supersaturated proteins." Ciryam, P., Tartaglia, G.G., Morimoto, R.I., Dobson, C.M., Vendruscolo, M. 2013. Cell Rep. 5(3): 781-90.
The maintenance of protein solubility is a fundamental aspect of cellular homeostasis because protein aggregation is associated with a wide variety of human diseases. Numerous proteins unrelated in sequence and structure, however, can misfold and aggregate, and widespread aggregation can occur in living systems under stress or aging. A crucial question in this context is why only certain proteins appear to aggregate readily in vivo, whereas others do not. We identify here the proteins most vulnerable to aggregation as those whose cellular concentrations are high relative to their solubilities. We find that these supersaturated proteins represent a metastable subproteome involved in pathological aggregation during stress and aging and are overrepresented in biochemical processes associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Consequently, such cellular processes become dysfunctional when the ability to keep intrinsically supersaturated proteins soluble is compromised. Thus, the simultaneous analysis of abundance and solubility can rationalize the diverse cellular pathologies linked to neurodegenerative diseases and aging.
"Structural coupling of the EF hand and C-terminal GTPase domains in the mitochondrial protein Miro." Klosowiak, J., Focia, P.J., Chakravarthy, S., Landahl, E.C., Freymann, D.M., Rice, S.E. 2013. EMBO Rep. 14(11): 968-74.
Miro is a highly conserved calcium-binding GTPase at the regulatory nexus of mitochondrial transport and autophagy. Here we present crystal structures comprising the tandem EF hand and carboxy terminal GTPase (cGTPase) domains of Drosophila Miro. The structures reveal two previously unidentified 'hidden' EF hands, each paired with a canonical EF hand. Each EF hand pair is bound to a helix that structurally mimics an EF hand ligand. A key nucleotide-sensing element and a Pink1 phosphorylation site both lie within an extensive EF hand-cGTPase interface. Our results indicate structural mechanisms for calcium, nucleotide and phosphorylation-dependent regulation of mitochondrial function by Miro.
"Disruption of the Circadian Clock in Mice Increases Intestinal Permeability and Promotes Alcohol-Induced Hepatic Pathology and Inflammation.
" Summa, K.C., Voigt, R.M., Forsyth, C.B., Shaikh, M., Cavanaugh, K., Tang, Y., Vitaterna, M.H., Song, S., Turek, F.W., Keshavarzian, A. 2013. PLoS One. 8(6):e67102.
The circadian clock orchestrates temporal patterns of physiology and behavior relative to the environmental light:dark cycle by generating and organizing transcriptional and biochemical rhythms in cells and tissues throughout the body. Circadian clock genes have been shown to regulate the physiology and function of the gastrointestinal tract. Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier enables the translocation of proinflammatory bacterial products, such as endotoxin, across the intestinal wall and into systemic circulation; a process that has been linked to pathologic inflammatory states associated with metabolic, hepatic, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases - many of which are commonly reported in shift workers. Here we report, for the first time, that circadian disorganization, using independent genetic and environmental strategies, increases permeability of the intestinal epithelial barrier (i.e., gut leakiness) in mice. Utilizing chronic alcohol consumption as a well-established model of induced intestinal hyperpermeability, we also found that both genetic and environmental circadian disruption promote alcohol-induced gut leakiness, endotoxemia and steatohepatitis, possibly through a mechanism involving the tight junction protein occludin. Circadian organization thus appears critical for the maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity, especially in the context of injurious agents, such as alcohol. Circadian disruption may therefore represent a previously unrecognized risk factor underlying the susceptibility to or development of alcoholic liver disease, as well as other conditions associated with intestinal hyperpermeability and an endotoxin-triggered inflammatory state.
"Collagen IV-modified scaffolds improve islet survival and function and reduce time to euglycemia.
" Yap, W.T., Salvay, D.M., Silliman, M.A., Zhang, X., Bannon, Z.G., Kaufman, D.B., Lowe, W.L. Jr., Shea, L.D. 2013. Tissue Eng Part A. 19(21-22): 2361-72.
Islet transplantation on extracellular matrix (ECM) protein-modified biodegradable microporous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds is a potential curative treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Collagen IV-modified scaffolds, relative to control scaffolds, significantly decreased the time required to restore euglycemia from 17 to 3 days. We investigated the processes by which collagen IV-modified scaffolds enhanced islet function and mediated early restoration of euglycemia post-transplantation. We characterized the effect of collagen IV-modified scaffolds on islet survival, metabolism, and insulin secretion in vitro and early- and intermediate-term islet mass and vascular density post-transplantation and correlated these with early restoration of euglycemia in a syngeneic mouse model. Control scaffolds maintained native islet morphologies and architectures as well as collagen IV-modified scaffolds in vivo. The islet size and vascular density increased, while β-cell proliferation decreased from day 16 to 113 post-transplantation. Collagen IV-modified scaffolds promoted islet cell viability and decreased early-stage apoptosis in islet cells in vitro-phenomena that coincided with enhanced islet metabolic function and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These findings suggest that collagen IV-modified scaffolds promote the early restoration of euglycemia post-transplantation by enhancing islet metabolism and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These studies of ECM proteins, in particular collagen IV, and islet function provide key insights for the engineering of a microenvironment that would serve as a platform for enhancing islet transplantation as a viable clinical therapy for T1DM.
Share Your News! We are very lucky to have such a talented group of students and we'd love to share your publications and awards with your peers. Please let us know right away if you have any new publications or awards.
Student Council Update
Over 30 students from all phases of the program have been hard at work to enhance our students' MSTP experience. Planning is currently underway for the 2014 Retreat, set for July 18-20 in Chicago, IL and Lake Geneva, WI. This year, the MSTP will celebrate the
50th anniversary of the receipt of its training grant from the National Institutes of Health. We are excited to welcome alumni to join us at the 2014 Retreat to commemorate this special occasion, reconnect with old friends, network with current students, and participate in career mentorship sessions. The student-initiated and run mentoring program,
Promoting Inner-City Youth in Science and Medicine (PRISM), has expanded this year with support from the MSTP and the NU Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and will soon be recruiting tutors for the next academic year. The Student Council is working to bring nationally renowned physician-scientists to campus to speak on their accomplishments and provide professional and personal advice to current students. In April, we will host Dr. Jo Hannafin, the Director of Orthopaedic Research at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, to deliver the first keynote address of the
Women’s Forum on Physician-Scientists. We have also started the process of inviting a speaker for Northwestern’s
Lectures in Life Sciences series. The program directors continue to meet with current students in monthly
Coffee Chats for informal discussion on a wide range of issues important to students. Upcoming talks will feature guest speakers to comment on National Fellowship competitions, Physician-Scientist Training Programs, and more. To promote the professional development of our early-phase students, senior students have hosted
advice panels on the USMLE Step exams and transitioning to the clinical wards. A committee of graduate students has also put together a
Grant Writing Guide for students applying to the NIH’s National Research Service Awards. Additionally, we have revived the
MSTP siblings program in order to provide personalized support and guidance to first-year students from graduate-phase students. Looking to the future of our program, nineteen students served on the
Admissions Committee alongside faculty members in the 2013-2014 application cycle, conducting interviews and leading the student arm of the program’s recruitment efforts. Thanks to the numerous others who escorted applicants around campus and Chicago. Planning is currently underway for Second Look.
Interested students are welcome to contact us to join the Student Council, propose new ideas, or discuss concerns.
Anil Wadhwani, President
Alok Swaroop, Vice President
Program News and Reminders
Spring Registration. TGS Spring Quarter registration is now open. Please take a moment to register if you haven't already done so. All M1 and M2 students should register for MSTP 401 (Journal Club) and MSTP 402 (Grand Rounds). All Graduate Phase students should register for MSTP 402 in addition to their full-time graduate coursework. If students have difficulty registering, they should contact Student Services at gradservices@northwestern.edu or Becca in the MSTP Office for assistance.
Student Activity Fee Reminder. Please remember to check your student account and pay your Student Activity Fee for either the medical school (yearly) or the Graduate School (quarterly) in a timely manner.
Upcoming MSTP Events. Please note upcoming MSTP Events in the attached calendar. Second Look is quickly approaching and will kick off with a program-wide reception hosted by Dean Nielson on Wednesday, April 2nd at 4:00 PM in the Method Atrium.
APSA. The 10th-Annual American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) meeting coming up on April 25-27, 2014 right here in Chicago. NU MSTP will be covering the registration fee for any student who wishes to attend and is an APSA member! To become a member click
here. And to register for the meeting click
here. Early registration ends
March 28. In order to have your fee covered please select the "Check/Money Order" as the payment type when registering. Then in the comments section type "Group payment provided by Northwestern MSTP". Finally, please forward a copy of your registration confirmation to Becca in the MSTP Office. Feel free to email APSA representative
Jonathan Bell with any questions.
Fellowship Opportunities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), with participating NIH Institutes and Centers, intends to reissue the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) listed below. NIH will reissue the FOAs no later than March 7, 2014 for applications due April 8, 2014.
Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD and Other Dual Doctoral Degree Fellows (Parent F30) (PA-11-110)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-056.html
Individual Predoctoral Fellows (Parent F31) (PA-11-111)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-057.html
Please let the MSTP Office know if you are planning to apply for an F30 or F31 for the April deadline. As mentioned above, the MSTP Student Council is hosting a Coffee Chat with
Steve Hill, Associate Director, Office of Fellowships to highlight additional fellowship opportunities and resources available at the university. It will be held March 21st at noon in Baldwin Auditorium.
Student Highlight
Jessica Schulte, Med 4 Student
Jessica Schulte was born in Kentucky, but has called Portland, Oregon home for the last 15 years. After attending the University of Chicago for undergrad, she stayed in the City of Big Shoulders to join the Northwestern MSTP in 2006. She completed her PhD work in the lab of Anjen Chenn, studying the endothelial regulation of tumor cell migration in Glioblastoma Multiforme. She's now finishing up med school, and hoping to match into Neurology for residency. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys photography and exploring the Chicago food scene.
Alumni Highlight
Loren Del Mar Pena MD, PhD
We are excited to feature Loren Del Mar Pena, MD, PhD, Northwestern MSTP Class of 2004 in our most recent Alumni Spotlight. Dr. Pena is currently Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University.
Dr. Pena received her B.S. from Duke before beginning the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University. In 2002, she completed her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Lou Laimins where her research resulted in her thesis titled "Regulation of viral gene expression throughout the vegetative life cycle of human papillomaviruses" . She completed her M.D. in 2004 from the Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Pena then completed residencies in Pediatrics at the University of Chicago and in Clinical Genetics at the University of Chicago and Children's Memorial Hospital. Her current research focuses on pompe disease, down syndrome, propionic academia/aciduria, biomarkers of disease and the natural history of inborn errors of metabolism.
We were happy to catch up with Dr. Pena via email and ask her a few questions.
What is your current research focus? I am a clinician- scientist at Duke, with a focus primarily on two lysosomal storage disorders – Pompe and Gaucher disease. As such, I have several investigator-initiated clinical studies on some of the complications observed in these diseases. I also am the principal investigator in several clinical trials for Pompe, Gaucher, and other genetic disorders.
What has been one of the most rewarding experiences you have had as a physician-scientist? My interactions with study participants. It’s quite rewarding to hear patients express their commitment to research as a way to advance a field and ultimately benefit them with new therapies. It is also humbling to have participants, particularly those in phase 1 trials (first in human), put their trust in that I will maximize their benefit and minimize their risk from participation in a study. It is also exciting to participate in these early trials for disease that previously had no treatments.
What is your favorite part of your current position? I get to interact with a lot of different people – regulatory folks, budget, the institutional review board, study monitors, participants, so it is never monotonous! I also get to hear first-hand about new treatments for rare disorders. This is an exciting time for clinical genetics, as we are transitioning from a diagnostic service to one with many therapies to offer.
One thing that comes up a lot with our current students is finding a way to balance – both research and medicine and then professional with personal life. How have you managed to find balance and/or do you have any advice in this area? It is difficult to balance work and personal life these days – more and more we are all expected to be ‘on’ all the time by email or phone. I try to set limits to my availability and try to get out of the office at a reasonable time by scheduling other personal activities right after work.
How do you feel your training as an MSTP helped prepare you for your professional life? PhD work that involved molecular biology has been tremendously helpful in my career in clinical genetics. We use much of the technology I practiced in the lab for clinical purposes these days, and since I understand the assay, I can advise patients on the limitations of the testing that I am offering. It’s been a tremendous asset in this field to understand the principles of Sanger sequencing versus next generation sequencing, MLPA etc – these are all assays that are used for diagnostic purposes in clinical practice, and it is crucial that we understand what we test for.
Do you have any funny and/or special memories from your time at Northwestern? The old soda fountain at Passavant – that building does not even exist anymore!
What insights or advice to you have for current MSTP students? Take a step back every once in a while to assess the big picture and whether your day to day life follows the trajectory you envision for yourself.
What do you like to do outside of your career? I am a pastry enthusiast and like to try new recipes and new challenges in pastry. Croissants are incredibly hard to get right, and I miss not being able to take classes at the French Pastry School in Chicago. I also like to keep my dog’s brain occupied by developing new skills through training – he is an 11 year old Labrador Retriever who is not slowing down!
PRISM Update
PRISM is growing in its second year at the McCormick Boys and Girls Club in Uptown. Our mentors have guided PRISM students through cases involving torn ligaments and sickle cell anemia, and mentee groups have performed laboratory activities investigating physics and molecular biology. PRISM has also been on a field trip to Northwestern's Evanston campus to visit the varsity training facilities and Director of Athletic Training Tory Lindley.
Still halfway through the academic year, PRISM has an upcoming career fair which will bring professionals in health and science fields up to the Boys and Girls Club, as well as a unit of activities covering neurology and brain anatomy. PRISM looks forward to offering another full year of programming at the Club for the 2014-2015 school year, as well as hopefully offering one-time events over the summer. Interested students and parents should contact the PRISM administration at
prism.mentors@gmail.com for more information.
Check out the photos below of PRISM in action!
Interesting Local Events
Spring is almost here!! (No really!) You have almost officially survived Chiberia 2014. The first day of Spring is right around the corner March 20, 2014. Below are a few upcoming events that will make you forget all about subzero forecasts, icy commutes, and that stock that you wish you had invested in Chapstick this year.
St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and you can check out the full line-up of Chicago events
here. On St. Patrick's Day 2012 it was 81 degrees in Chicago! It was slightly chillier last year with a high of 37 but hey you never know!
Baseball will be back soon! Whether you're a Northsider, Southsider or somewhere in between, a sure sign of Spring in Chicago is the return of baseball season. The Chicago White Sox Opening Day at U.S. Cellular will be Monday, March 31st, 2014 and the Chicago Cubs Opening Day at Wrigley Field will be Friday, April 4th.
And finally, what do John Legend, Hall & Oates and ZZ Top all have in common? They're all a part of the 2014 Ravinia lineup which was just recently announced. For the full spring and summer calendar click
here.
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