Cornell puts its life-sciences research on display in New York City

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

To gain understanding of the impact of Cornell's New Life Sciences Initiative, about 500 university alumni and friends gathered March 19 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City at a special forum, "The Power and Promise of Life Sciences."

The university's goal was to explain the promise of life-sciences research, which addresses some of the world's toughest problems in health, medicine, agriculture, food safety, the environment and other fields. Two more forums are scheduled for Washington, D.C., in April and Boston in May. They are being organized by James Mazza, Cornell Alumni Affairs special projects campaign director, with the intention of demonstrating Cornell's prowess in interdisciplinary life-sciences research.

From left, Paul Soloway, associate professor of nutritional science, Donald Bartel, professor of engineering, and Antje Baeumner, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering, discuss their research at "The Power and Promise of Life Sciences" forum in New York City, March 19. Blaine P. Friedlander Jr./Cornell News Service

Welcoming alumni to the New York City forum, President Hunter Rawlings said the revolution in the life sciences is not a passing fad but an intellectual revolution of major proportions, with far-reaching implications. Rawlings detailed many examples of cutting-edge life sciences research, ranging from the Cornell Proteomics Program and the Cornell Theory Center to agricultural research.

He cited Gene Network Sciences, a company founded by doctoral candidate Colin Hill and doctoral alumna Iya Khalil, that takes a pioneering approach -- called "systems biology"-- for drug discovery that goes beyond simply identifying the function of individual genes. The company, he said, is melding engineering, computer science and biology to determine how cells actually work, thus improving the chances for drug discovery.

Next, a panel of Cornell researchers participated in a session, "Revolutionizing Research: Where Human Health, Engineering and Bioterrorism Meet." Panelists included Antje J. Baeumner, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering; Donald L. Bartel, the Willis H. Carrier Professor in engineering; and Paul D. Soloway '79, associate professor of nutritional science.

Baeumner explained that her research uses biological methods of pathogen detection. "We are making systems that would quickly give you an answer" about whether an environment is safe, she said. Her research group, she said, has developed a test that can detect the presence of heavy metals, chemicals or pathogens. Describing the detection methods, she said, "Nature gives us a magnificent biological toolbox."

Baeumner's group, however, has developed detectors that can pinpoint only one pathogen at a time. Soon, she explained, her laboratory might have a detector that can analyze the several types of dengue fever virus. The same kind of detector, she said, could possibly be tailored to simultaneously find multiple pathogens such as E. coli, cryptosporidium and anthrax.

Pathogen-detection systems currently look much like home pregnancy tests, but Baeumner told the group that the pathogen tests could look radically different in the future. They could have a digital read-out, telling the user the pathogen's strength. "It will have a look very similar to a PDA [personal digital assistant]," she said.

Bartel, in a presentation titled "Attacking Arthritis," outlined the nature of debilitating musculo-skeletal disease and how Cornell research is helping modern medicine resolve these problems. He noted that arthritis affects one-eighth of the people in the United States, including half of the people over age 65. Another debilitating disease, osteoporosis, affects 25 million people in various degrees, he said. Both diseases are problems that are growing in seriousness because by 2030 there will about 70 million adults over 65 in the United States.

Bartel researches the latest in materials and designs for knee- and elbow-joint implants. He explained how he uses joint simulation and computer models for testing the devices to determine durability. Improved designs for all kinds of medical devices are rapidly being developed, he said, and he suggested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration follow suit by evaluating these improvements more quickly, so that devices can be brought to market faster.

Paul Soloway, Cornell associate professor of nutritional sciences, described the importance of using mice in life-sciences research because they share 99 percent of their 35,000 genes with humans. "Genes are like artists, they exist to express themselves," he said. Mouse genes are readily manipulated, and from them science can learn to resolve some of humanity's toughest diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases, he added.

Some genetically mutant mice, Soloway said, are a thousand times more resistant to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes cystic fibrosis, than are normal mice. These mutant mice survive tough lung problems, and their resistant genes have been located, providing researchers with a target for treating cystic fibrosis.

"That's why the mighty Mus musculus is one of my favorites" among genetically mutant mice, said Soloway with a grin.

Following the presentations, Kraig Adler, vice provost for life sciences, served as moderator for questions from the audience.

A second panel featuring alumni L. John Wilkerson and David R. Fischell was moderated by alumnus George Scangos, president and chief executive of Exelixis Inc., a genomics-based drug-discovery company. Wilkerson is general partner of Galen Associates, a venture capital group that invests in small- to mid-sized health and medical companies. He said that although the health care industry is growing, health care "business models are broken and models are being reinvented."

Fischell is president of NeuroPace, a company that is developing a neuro-pacemaker for the brain to prevent epileptic seizures. Fischell also discussed how one of his companies is working with angioplasty stents, wire-mesh tubes that keep blood vessels open. He said his company has discovered that the drug sirolimus (Rapamune), an immunosuppressive agent, can substantially decrease the chances of stent failure in coronary patients.

In his keynote address, which concluded the forum, Nobel laureate Harold Varmus, president and chief executive officer of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, described his typical work week and how it mirrors the current frenetic pace of life-sciences research.

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