These monthly seminars are open to the public and feature a wide variety of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities available in patient-oriented research.
Barbara Kahn MD, BIDMC "Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Obesity and Diabetes: the Fat Cell as an Endocrine Organ"
As the level of obesity increases alarmingly in our population, diabetes,
especially Type II, has vaulted to the top tier of national health concerns.
Yet novel tools and techniques are allowing researchers to unravel complex
signalling networks in the body and clarify the function of proteins that date
from the earliest days of our species. Dr. Barbara Kahn is a leading
researcher of obesity and diabetes, whose work has led to her investigations of
the metabolic role of adipose tissue.
Date: Sept. 10, 2008 • 5:30-7pm
Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston
Open to Public? YES
Lewis Cantley MD, BIDMC "Targeting PI 3-Kinase in Cancer"
Understanding defects in the biochemical pathways that regulate mammalian cell growth and survival may be the key to combatting urgent human diseases from diabetes and cancer. One such pathway is PI-3 Kinase. Ten years of research on how this enzyme is activated, and its downstream lipid products, have revealed its role in oncogene-mediated cell transformation - the development of cancer in the body. Dr. Lewis Cantley has been recognized around the world for his research on signal transduction and lipids. Join us to learn about his discovery of PI-3 Kinase and its implications for the prevention and clinical care of cancer.
Date: Oct. 2, 2008 • 5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
Jeffrey Leiden MD PhD, Clarus Ventures LLC "The Future of Biomedical Innovation: Problems, Promise & Changing Paradigms"
In this decade, biology has certainly benefited from new tools and discoveries, yet translating research into clinical application remains neither easy nor inevitable. Future progress may require an understanding of industry as well as academia. Dr. Jeffrey Leiden began his career researching gene therapy for cardiovascular disease at the University of Chicago, HMS and HSPH. As President and COO of the Pharmaceutical Products Group of Abbot Laboratories, he presided over a period of growth and successful collaboration with Biotech companies such as Millenium, Icagen, and Idun. His current role places him at the center of the search for innovation in medical science.
Date: Nov. 13, 2008 • 5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
John Gallin MD, Director, NIH Clinical Center "Solving the Inflammation Puzzle One Patient at a Time"
Dr. John Gallin has been the Director of the NIH Clinical Center since 1994. The NIH Clinical Center is a comprises both the Magnuson Clinical Center and the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, completed in 2005. Dr. Gallin developed the vision for the Clinical Research Center and oversees the movement of basic science findings from its NIH laboratories into clinical medicine. He is also a pioneer in training, having developed a formal clinical/translational research training course and designed its textbook, the first of its type in the world. Dr. Gallin maintains an active research presence as well, focusing his NIAID laboratory on Chronic Granulomatosis. In addition he has written 290 articles and edited 2 textbooks on phagocytes and the role they can play in human illness. Dr. Gallin has written 290 articles and edited 2 textbooks. Date: Dec. 4, 2008 • 5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
Michael Sporn MD, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology and of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School "Chemoprevention: Development of New Drugs for Prevention of Disease"
NEWS YOU CAN USE - 12/10/08Medical scientists have long dreamed of preventive treatments that would render fatal diseases such as cancer into manageable chronic disorders. The Sporn Laboratory has an integrated program that includes bench studies on the molecular mechanism of action of chemopreventive drugs, as well as actual testing of these agents for prevention of cancer and other diseases. Dr. Michael Sporn and his team are evaluating several new drugs with revolutionary potential, including phase I clinical trials on synthetic triterpenoids pioneered by Dr. Sporn's group. Please join us for refreshments and fascinating discussion.
Date: Jan. 14, 2009 • 5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
David Shaywitz MD PhD, Healthcare Practice, The Boston Consulting Group
"Found in Translation: Challenges and Opportunities in Translational Research"
The translation of promising science into
clinical application is a
vital yet remarkably difficult process which presents formidable scientific,
organizational, and policy challenges. A graduate of the HST and MD/PhD programs at
Harvard and MIT, Dr. David Shaywitz
has a longstanding interest in driving promising science into clinical
application, and has viewed translational research hurdles from the perspectives
of both academia and industry. He discusses the
challenges of translational research in a range of scientific and popular publications.
Dr. Shaywitz is presently a member
of the Healthcare Practice of the Boston Consulting Group, a management
consulting firm that develops business strategy for leading companies,
foundations, and governmental organizations around the world. He
co-founded the
Harvard PASTEUR Program in 1999 to promote clinical and
translational research to medical and interested graduate students. Some of his writings may be found in our media archive section.
Date: Feb. 18, 2009 • 5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 209, Tosteson Medical Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
Alfred Sommer MD MHS, Professor of Epidemiology, International Health, and Opthalmology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind - and Persistence (with apologies to Louis Pasteur)"
Working abroad in the 1970's, Dr. Sommer analyzed data from over 5000 patients with Nightblindness and hypothesized that vitamin A deficiency could be responsible for rendering children with the vision disorder fatally susceptible to normally mild illnesses such as measles and diarrhea. His perseverance in putting his hypothesis to test in successively larger population trials was eventually rewarded by astounding results - four cents worth of vitamin A per day reduces childhood mortality by a third, saving millions of children each year in the developing world. The World Bank has judged this one of the most cost-effective medical interventions of all time. For his work Dr. Sommer has received numerous awards including the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research, the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, and the Duke Elder International Gold Medial for Contributions to Ophthalmology. Please join us for Dr. Sommer's reflections on his research, the interface between public health and clinical medicine, and thoughts about building academic careers. Refreshments will be available.
Date: Sept. 10, 2009 •
5:30-7pm Location: Harvard Medical School rm 250, Tosteson Medical
Education Center (MEC), 260 Longwood Ave. Boston Open to Public? YES
The key to a successful student research experience is early planning. Whether you are committed or simply curious, PASTEUR advising is available by appointment in our MEC office. Learn more>>
