2010: The Year in Science

On October 29, 2010, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM (Califor-nia Institute for Regenerative Medicine) and Stem Cell Research at USC. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined USC President C.L. Max Ni-kias and the Dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine Carmen A. Puliafito to host the occasion. Several USC representatives believed this ceremony was a turning point in the science field for the Health Sciences Cam-pus and the Keck School of Medicine. It was history in the making. Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center and Stem Cell Research are organizations in which specialists such as molecular biologists, developmental and cell biologists, neurobiologists, immunologists, and cancer researchers study the development of stem cells to dis-cover cures for diseases related to tissue injury. These science professionals are devoted to research about dif-ferent organs and tissues found throughout the body. Their main goals are to discover cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, AIDS, and Parkinson’s disease. The opening of the Eli and Edythe Broad

CIRM center meant that eighteen of the best scien-tists involved in this area, along with their research teams, would set out to make a difference through their science discoveries. Eli and Edythe Broad, the or-ganizations main donors, decided to give a large sum of money, $30 million, towards the growth and expan-sion of such foundations. Eli Broad states, “There’s no question that stem cell research has the potential to revolutionize medicine.” He, like many other elected public officials, considers that the opening of these or-ganizations is a step up for the state and in the near future, such science discoveries will impact the world.

A Step Up in ScienceAmy Guerra

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joins USC for the opening of the Eli and Edythe Broad California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Photograph from usc.edu.

Presidential Scientistby Sarah Soliman

STAR Director Dr. Brinton receives the Presidential Citizen’s Medal from Presi-dent Obama. Photograph from usc.edu.

During the summer of 2010, Dr. Rober-ta Diaz Brinton, creator and director of the USC Science, Technology, and Re-search (STAR) Program at Bravo Medi-cal Magnet High School, received the prestigious Presidential Citizen’s Medal from President Barack Obama. Twelve other honorees, selected from a vast pool of over six thousand applicants, also visited the White House on August 4 to receive similar recognition for their “exemplary deeds of service.” President Obama commented, “What unites these citizens—what makes them special—is the determination they share to find a wrong and right it, to see a need and meet it…to recognize when others are suffering, and take it upon themselves to

make a difference.” The impact of the STAR Pro-gram seems immeasurable. According to Emmi Oji, who participated in the STAR Program during high school and currently practices medicine as a physi-cian, “As a STAR student, I learned to work not according to the clock, but ac-cording to what needed to be done to succeed. I recall asking myself why I was in a research laboratory working on assays until 3 a.m., while my fellow high school students were playing or sleeping. However, I learned that a very important part of being a caring…phy-sician is working without a timetable until the work is complete.”

Around the World

by Amy Guerra A massive, catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earth-quake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. It was the worst earthquake the country had seen in about 200 years. Damage resulted in no phone service, build-ings collapsing, and millions of Haiti residents dead, or left injured and homeless. Haitians were not pre-pared and needed assistance to recover from this tragedy. Once notified about the scale of damage done in Haiti, a team of forty-two faculty members from the Keck School of Medicine, the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, and Children’s Hospi-tal Los Angeles volunteered to help injured victims. The team consisted of trauma professionals, includ-ing trauma and orthopedic surgeons, anesthetists, emergency medicine and intensive care unit special-ists, and nurses and physician assistants. A trauma team from LAC+USC was in Port au Prince, the country’s capital, approximately 72 hours after the earthquake occurred. The Keck School later joined to assist them by participating in establishing a health care system in Haiti. Trauma specialists performed surgery on dangerously in-jured victims. Henri Ford, Keck School Vice Dean for Medical Education and Chief of Surgery reported, “I helped a 6-year-old boy who had a pelvic fracture and a ruptured bladder after a brick wall fell on his lower abdomen. I escorted him to the ship by helicopter and performed a laparotomy (abdominal surgery).” An-other severe case dealt with a young girl who had

head trauma. A roof had collapsed on her and a piece of brick pierced in her skull. Others were slowly dy-ing due to the lack of vital resources, such as water, food, and shelter. Violence increased as earthquake victims became desperate for such resources. Numer-ous Haitians were severely injured, but were immedi-ately assisted to recovery. The medical team was placed in a situation most people have never imagined. They performed their courageous acts of surgery in field hospitals and aircraft. The environment that surrounded them was a massive disaster. Although the medical volun-teers were in such conditions they all were there for one, and only one, cause. They wanted to help and make a difference in the lives of those who felt help-less. The forty-two members involved in helping to assist victims from Haiti’s earthquake are, without a doubt, admirable individuals. All they did to help in saving lives gave a spark of hope to Haitian residents for brighter futures.

Photograph from Yahoo! News.

Haiti: Making a Difference

From left: Ramon Cestero, Kara Hammons, Howard Belzberg, and Andrew Tang Photo: Brook Photography

Keep up with the team members and their experiences in Haiti at their blog: www.uschaiti.com.Photo: USC

Team members include:Howard Belzberg, critical careDavid Dromsky, orthopedic surgeryKaren Embrey, anesthesiologyKara Hammons, emergency medicineMira Lenzini, physician assistantEdward Newton, emergency medicineAndrew Tang, trauma and surgical critical careClaudel Thamas, surgical ICU

Winning the Future

In 2010, Invetech and Organovo, compa-nies based in San Diego, developed what in essence functions as a dot-matrix printer for human organs. Now, consumers can not only purchase spare parts for their automobiles, but produce copies of teeth, livers, and kidneys from samples of their own cells, decreasing the risk of tissue rejection. The device uses two printheads, one that sprays gel, which sketches out the shape of the organ, and another, which fills in this outline with living cells; it also utilizes a printing tip, which facilitates the position-ing of cells with microscopic precision.

In 2010, President Obama challenged U.S. citizens to “flex…power.” With its latest invention, the Swedish nonprofit organization Interactive Institute posed the question: what if you could actually see the electricity flowing into your ma-chines? In this cord, also called the “Power-Aware Cord,” sci-entists embedded wires around a cable that pulse an amount of light directly proportionate to the amount of electricity passing through them. The blue light spins in tighter, brighter, and fast-er spirals as the current intensifies, which studies reveal actually does encourage energy conservancy amongst users of electronic devices. This discovery also shed light on an interesting fact: when radios broadcast drumbeats and bass riffs, their electricity consumption abruptly increases.

When considering cans, many minds jump to im-ages of Lysol, Raid, and perhaps hairspray. Has anyone considered spray-on fabric? Fabrican, a company in Eng-land, indubitably delved into the possibility. It recently invented a formula that bonds and liquefies fibers so that cloth can be sprayed straight from a can or spray gun onto a body or dress form. The solvent evaporates and the fi-bers bond, forming a snug-fitting garment. The first run-way show of spray-on clothes was hosted in 2010. While it appears like one of many transient trends from high-end fashion, this technology may actually be utilized for many household and medical applications.

Image: Time magazine

3-D Bioprinter

Spray-On Fabric

Power-Aware Cord

Image: Time magazine

Image: Time magazine

by Sarah Soliman