January 30, 2013 – 4:01 pm
UC Irvine biologists, chemists and computer scientists have identified an elusive pocket on the surface of the p53 protein that can be targeted by cancer-fighting drugs. The finding heralds a new treatment approach, as mutant forms of this protein are implicated in nearly 40 percent of diagnosed cases of cancer, which kills more than half a million Americans each year.
In an open-source study published online this week in Nature Communications, the UC Irvine researchers describe how they employed a computational method to capture the various shapes of the p53 protein. In its regular form, p53 helps repair damaged DNA in cells or triggers cell death if the damage is too great; it has been called the “guardian of the genome.”
Read More >> UC Irvine team finds new target for treating wide spectrum of cancers
January 28, 2013 – 12:10 pm
Dr. Maxime Cannesson
Two UC Irvine anesthesiologists have received fellowships from the University of California’s Center for Health Quality and Innovation to support projects designed to improve the quality and value of care delivered by UC Health.
Maxime Cannesson, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, and Shermeen Vakharia, M.B.B.S., clinical professor and vice chair for quality and patient safety, are among 10 fellows selected from 36 applicants by UC faculty and staff. Applicants were evaluated on their leadership potential, mentorship opportunity available at the campus for the applicant, and the strength and strategic relevance of the proposed project.
Cannesson’s UC Health Fellowship will allow him to develop an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program at UC Irvine that can then be adapted at all UC medical centers. The program includes evidence-based best practices delivered by a multi-disciplinary team intended to improve patient recovery following high-risk surgery. Participating sites report significantly improved patient experience, clinical outcomes, healthcare team collaboration, and reduction in length of stay and lower risk of hospital-acquired infections.
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January 24, 2013 – 2:50 pm
More than 60 UC Irvine Health physicians are listed as Physicians of Excellence in the January 2013 issue of Orange Coast magazine. The Physicians of Excellence are selected by the Orange County Medical Association, a voluntary physician member organization that exists to promote the art and science of medicine, the protection of public health, and the betterment of the medical profession.
UC Irvine’s doctors practice at UC Irvine Medical Center, in Orange; Gottschalk Medical Plaza, in Irvine; and numerous other offices and health centers around the county.
To be eligible, physicians were required to be certified by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, a member board of the American Board of Osteopathic Medical Specialties, or an equivalency board recognized by the Medical Board of California or Osteopathic Medical Board of California; be in good standing with the Medical Board of California or Osteopathic Medical Board of California; maintain a primary practice in Orange County for the last five years; and be in practice within his/her specialty for the last five years. Additionally, physicians were required to meet at least two of the following criteria: physician leadership; teaching/mentoring; medical research/scientific advances; and humanitarian service.
See the list of UC Irvine’s Physicians of Excellence >>
January 24, 2013 – 12:03 pm
UC Irvine neuroscientists have developed a way to stop epileptic seizures with fiber-optic light signals, heralding a novel opportunity to treat the most severe manifestations of the brain disorder.
Using a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy, Ivan Soltesz, Chancellor’s Professor and chair of anatomy & neurobiology, and colleagues created an EEG-based computer system that activates hair-thin optical strands implanted in the brain when it detects a real-time seizure.
These fibers subsequently “turn on” specially expressed, light-sensitive proteins called opsins, which can either stimulate or inhibit specific neurons in select brain regions during seizures, depending on the type of opsin.
“This approach is useful for understanding how seizures occur and how they can be stopped experimentally,” Soltesz said. “In addition, clinical efforts that affect a minimum number of cells and only at the time of a seizure may someday overcome many of the side effects and limitations of currently available treatment options.”
Read More >> UC Irvine neuroscientists create fiber-optic method of arresting epileptic seizures
January 22, 2013 – 10:09 am
Paolo Sassone-Corsi is one of the world’s leading researchers on the genetics of circadian rhythms.
UC Irvine-led studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms – also known as the body clock – modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer.
UC Irvine’s Paolo Sassone-Corsi, one of the world’s leading researchers on the genetics of circadian rhythms, led the studies and worked with international groups of scientists. Their results are detailed in two companion pieces appearing this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
“Circadian rhythms of 24 hours govern fundamental physiological functions in almost all organisms,” said Sassone-Corsi, the Donald Bren Professor of Biological Chemistry. “The circadian clocks are intrinsic time-tracking systems in our bodies that anticipate environmental changes and adapt themselves to the appropriate time of day. Disruption of these rhythms can profoundly influence human health.”
He added that up to 15 percent of people’s genes are regulated by the day-night pattern of circadian rhythms.
Read More >> Circadian rhythms can be modified for potential treatment of disorders
January 11, 2013 – 3:34 pm
Teenagers get a taste of medical school in UC Irvine’s Summer Premed Program.
The UC Irvine School of Medicine is proud to offer a menu of summer enrichment programs aimed at motivating talented high school students to pursue careers in healthcare and research.
In addition to fostering the interest of youth in healthcare and science innovation, the programs empower medical students and pre-professional students who are accepted as program coaches to become lifelong teachers and leaders. Our programs have grown from 30 high school students in 2010 to more than 150 in 2012.
The application is competitive and scholarships are provided to 25 percent of students from underserved backgrounds.
More Information >> Health & Science Summer Enrichment Programs.
Read More >> New summer program shows area teens what it takes to get an M.D.
January 9, 2013 – 3:45 pm
Jason Wong, M.D.
UC Irvine’s Jason Wong, M.D., has been recognized as an Educator of the Year by the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology, in partnership with the American Society for Radiation Oncology. Wong is Assistant Clinical Professor, UC Irvine Department of Radiation Oncology and treats patients at UC Irvine’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Wong came to UC Irvine in 2009. He earned his medical degree from Queen’s University School of Medicine, Ontario, Canada and conducted his residency in radiation oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto. Wong’s fellowship was at Swedish Medical Center, Seattle.
Dr. Wong treats a variety of malignancies with radiation therapy and is also the program director for UC Irvine’s radiation oncology residency program.
ARRO sponsors the annual Educator of the Year Award to identify and recognize outstanding teachers and mentors of radiation oncology residents. Residents from all radiation oncology programs were given the opportunity to select one faculty member from their program for the award. The choice of faculty members is not limited to clinical staff and is open to physicists, biologists or other faculty, if appropriate.
Forty-nine educators from across the country were selected this year.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society’s mission is to advance the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results, and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic health care environment.
January 8, 2013 – 5:42 pm
Dr. Jason Zell
UC Irvine’s Dr. Jason Zell is among 12 physicians from across the country to receive a Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award from the National Cancer Institute. The award recognizes exceptional cancer investigators for their contributions to the advancement of clinical research through collaborative team science.
Zell is a medical oncologist, an assistant professor of medicine and co-leader of the Colon Cancer Disease-Oriented Team at UC Irvine’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 41 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers and the only one in Orange County. The cancer team brings together basic scientists, epidemiologists, and subspecialty-based clinicians all focused on the treatment, control and prevention of colorectal cancer.
“I am greatly honored to receive this award from the National Cancer Institute,” said Zell “Through this award, the NCI has recognized the outstanding ‘team science’ conducted at UC Irvine’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
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January 8, 2013 – 6:28 am
Dr. Kerry Burnight and Dr. Phil McGraw
UC Irvine gerontologist Kerry Burnight, PhD, discusses elder abuse and prevention on the January 8, 2013, edition of the Dr. Phil show, airing on CBS.
The program, which calls elder abuse a hidden problem, cites statistics showing that more than five million older Americans experience abuse or neglect annually in the United States. It also notes that 23 cases go unreported for every case that reaches authorities.
“Elder abuse cuts across all races, gender, ethnic and religious groups and occurs in every part of this country,” Burnight says. “It is inflicted in homes and facilities, and causes untold suffering.“
Read More >> Dr. Phil takes on elder abuse with help from UC Irvine
January 7, 2013 – 8:02 pm
Neuroscientist Larry Cahill poses for a portrait with a model brain Friday afternoon in his laboratory at UC Irvine. DREW A. KELLEY, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
IN THE NEWS: The Orange County Register interviewed UC Irvine neuroscientist Larry Cahill in advance of his talk about research into differences found in the male and female brain:
Women should get angry when they read this story, and men should as well, says Larry Cahill, a neuroscientist at UC Irvine who studies what he considers to be the profound differences between the brains of men and women.
But Cahill, who delivers a talk on his research at UCI on Wednesday, hopes the anger won’t come in its usual form: over misguided arguments about whether men or women are more intelligent.
No evidence exists for gender-based, biological impediments to academic achievement, he says – although he thinks there might be biological contributions to success in some fields.
Instead, Cahill hopes to provoke a reassessment among his colleagues, and anger among the general public, about medical science’s failure to take gender-based brain differences seriously.
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