New clues for breast cancer therapies
University of Iowa researchers have discovered a gene that plays a crucial role in the ability of breast cancer cells to respond to estrogen. The finding may lead to improved therapies for hormone-responsive breast cancer and help explain differences in the effectiveness of current treatments. Led by Ronald Weigel, MD, PhD, professor and head of surgery, the study reveals a central role for transcription factor AP2C (TFAP2C) in controlling multiple pathways of estrogen signaling. The findings are published in the Sept. 15, 2007 issue of Cancer Research.

Found: First gene for scoliosis
Two University of Iowa researchers were among a team of scientists that discovered the first gene associated with idiopathic scoliosis (IS), the most common spinal deformity in children. IS causes abnormal curvature of the spine and affects about 3 percent of children ages 10 to 16. Although the condition has been recognized for centuries and is known to run in families, the causes have remained a mystery. “Finding this gene is an exciting first step but other genes are likely to be involved, and this gene may not be linked to scoliosis in all families,” said Jose Morcuende, MD, PhD, UI associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation. The collaborative study was led by researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Texas, and the results were published in the May issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

TRIALS OPEN TO PATIENTS              

Atrial fibrillation
People ages 18 to 80 who have atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm) may be eligible to participate in a research study of an anti-clotting medication for reducing the risk of blood clots that can lead to stroke. The study will compare an experimental anti-clotting medication with the currently used medication, warfarin. Compensation for travel and parking.

PRINCIPAL UI INVESTIGATOR: Jennifer Robinson, MD

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call the UI Lipid Research Clinic toll free at 800-887-6917 or 319-384-5046.

Emphysema relief
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics recently joined leading clinical research centers investigating airway bypass, a minimally invasive procedure that creates new pathways in the lung for trapped air to escape and in turn, relieves emphysema symptoms including shortness of breath. The investigational treatment may significantly improve the quality of life for people with advanced widespread emphysema.

LEAD UI INVESTIGATOR: Geoffrey McLennan, MD

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call UI Health Access and ask for Kimberly Sprenger, RN, call 319-353-8862, or send e-mail to kimberly-sprenger@uiowa.edu.

From Bench to Bedside

A University of Iowa Health Care research team investigating the effects of pathological gambling concludes that children of pathological gamblers are more likely to become pathological gamblers themselves. Furthermore, pathological gamblers and their families are a) more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; b) more likely to have financial problems and abuse their partners; c) rampantly committing child abuse and neglect. The UI team emphasized the importance of intervention with children in order to interrupt the generational cycle.

UI researchers have discovered a specific repair mechanism in heart muscle and identified a protein called dysferlin that is critical for resealing heart muscle cell membranes. The study also showed that loss of dysferlin causes cardiomyopathy in mice … damage that is exaggerated by vigorous exercise or inherent muscle weakness caused by a muscular dystrophy defect.

Research by UI investigators is providing valuable knowledge about adenoviruses, a family of viruses responsible for maladies such as respiratory illness, gastroenteritis, and cystitis. Their research uses a new molecular technique that reduces the time it takes to identify adenovirus types from weeks to two days. Recent data reveals that such typing has great value in understanding adenovirus outbreaks in communities, hospitals, and especially long-term care facilities, where new strains have proven deadly.