The ConnectorWinter 2004-05

newsletter for graduates, students, faculty and friends of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

Sangeeta N. Bhatia, PhD’97, MD ’99 returns this springto HST as Associate Professorof Health Sciences and Tech-nology and Associate Professorof Electrical Engineering andComputer Science at MIT.

She joins other HST fac-ulty and researchers in expand-ing one of the Division’s thrustareas of functional and regen-erative biomedical technolo-gies.

Bhatia’s research in theLaboratory for Multiscale Re-generative Technologies (LMRT) will focus onthe applications of micro- and nanotechnologyto tissue repair and regeneration. She studiesthe interactions between hepatocytes and theirmicroenvironment to improve cellular thera-pies for liver disease, develops enabling toolsto systematically study the fate of stem cells,and designs multifunctional nanoparticles forcancer applications.

“I’m thrilled to be coming back to HST

Bhatia returns to HST as professorto reconnect with old friendsand colleagues, and I look for-ward to the rich intellectualenvironment Boston has to of-fer,” she said. “The opportu-nity to interact both with stu-dents, faculty, and staff fromboth sides of the river makesthis appointment especiallyexciting.”

Previously, she was Asso-ciate Professor in the Depart-ment of Bioengineering at theUniversity of California–SanDiego, as well as Associate Ad-

junct Professor, Department of Medicine,Division of Gastroenterology, UCSD.

“Sangeeta brings exceptional talent, ex-perience and dedication—as teacher, mentor,researcher, and all-round leader—to our fac-ulty,” said HST Director Martha L. Gray, PhD’86. “As an alumna, she represents everythingwe strive for in HST’s academic programs.We’re very excited to have her return as a col-

Sangeeta BhatiaSangeeta BhatiaSangeeta BhatiaSangeeta BhatiaSangeeta Bhatia

I M P O R T A N T

DATESHST Forum

Thursday | March 31, 20052 ~ 5:30 p.m.followed by cocktail receptionlocation TBA

HST GraduationMonday | June 6, 200511 a.m. ~ 3 p.m.Harvard Club, Boston

35th AnniversaryCelebration

September 23~25, 2005Cambridge/Boston

HST and the Food and Drug Adminis-tration (FDA) launched a new five-year part-nership which will encompass a range of col-laborative activities. One example of this col-laboration was a joint conference on October19 in Rockville, Md., on Adaptive Clinical TrialDesign: Ready for Primetime?

The planning of the conference had beenled by Howard Golub, MD ’83 and SusanEllenberg of the FDA. More than 325 peoplefilled the auditorium, where conference lead-ers gathered leading stakeholders in the fieldto address the key issues involved in this area.Scientists from academia and industry, alongwith FDA scientists and staff, were well repre-sented.

The major issues under discussion wereconcepts of adaptive methods and implemen-tation of solutions to unanticipated interimresults during clinical trials.

This conference was developed in orderto explore the role of adaptive design in re-ducing costs of development and trials. Adap-

FDA and HST launch new partnership

Speakers at the conference included Speakers at the conference included Speakers at the conference included Speakers at the conference included Speakers at the conference included (from left)(from left)(from left)(from left)(from left) Christy Chuang-Stein, Christy Chuang-Stein, Christy Chuang-Stein, Christy Chuang-Stein, Christy Chuang-Stein, Senior Director of StatisticalSenior Director of StatisticalSenior Director of StatisticalSenior Director of StatisticalSenior Director of StatisticalResearch and Consulting Center, Pfizer, Inc.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Director of Statistics andResearch and Consulting Center, Pfizer, Inc.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Director of Statistics andResearch and Consulting Center, Pfizer, Inc.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Director of Statistics andResearch and Consulting Center, Pfizer, Inc.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Director of Statistics andResearch and Consulting Center, Pfizer, Inc.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Director of Statistics andConsulting Unit of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, Boston University; Thomas R.Consulting Unit of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, Boston University; Thomas R.Consulting Unit of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, Boston University; Thomas R.Consulting Unit of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, Boston University; Thomas R.Consulting Unit of the Mathematics and Statistics Department, Boston University; Thomas R.Fleming, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of PublicFleming, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of PublicFleming, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of PublicFleming, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of PublicFleming, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of PublicHealth; Hsien-Ming James Hung, mathematical statistician, Center for Drug Evaluation andHealth; Hsien-Ming James Hung, mathematical statistician, Center for Drug Evaluation andHealth; Hsien-Ming James Hung, mathematical statistician, Center for Drug Evaluation andHealth; Hsien-Ming James Hung, mathematical statistician, Center for Drug Evaluation andHealth; Hsien-Ming James Hung, mathematical statistician, Center for Drug Evaluation andResearch, FDA; and Jay Siegel, President of Research and Development, Centocor, Inc.Research, FDA; and Jay Siegel, President of Research and Development, Centocor, Inc.Research, FDA; and Jay Siegel, President of Research and Development, Centocor, Inc.Research, FDA; and Jay Siegel, President of Research and Development, Centocor, Inc.Research, FDA; and Jay Siegel, President of Research and Development, Centocor, Inc.(continues on page 11)

photo credit

(continues on page 10)

2 Winter 2004-05

HST News

In the Fall 2004 issue, The Connectorerred in stating Professor KennethStevens’ age; he turned 80 last year.

The ConnectorEditor: Walter H. Abelmann, MD

Managing Editor/Designer: Becky Sun

Editorial Assistant: Carol A. Campbell

Contact Information:Harvard-MIT Division ofHealth Sciences and Technology77 Massachusetts Ave., E25-519Cambridge, MA 02139-4307P: (617) 253-4418 F: (617) 253-7498E: cac@mit.edu http://hst.mit.edu

Editorial Board:Patricia A. CunninghamSang Kim (MD ’05)Andrew D. Levin (MEMP)Pamela McGillCatherine ModicaKonstantina Stankovic, PhD ’98, MD ’99Betsy TarlinJames C. Weaver, PhD

Ex officioJoseph V. Bonventre, MD ’76, PhDMartha L. Gray, PhD ’86

The Connector is a quarterly publication of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.The staff and board of The Connector would like to thank the HST alumni, faculty, staff, and students whocontributed to this issue. Please send reports of your recent activities and personal news to the aboveaddress or email. Previous issues of The Connector can be found at http://hst.mit.edu.

Volume 19 • Number 1

ERRATUMERRATUMERRATUMERRATUMERRATUM

HST poster sessions aren’t just for stu-dents. The first HST Faculty Poster Sessionwas held on November 16 in the ElementsCafe at HMS’ new research building on Av-enue Louis Pasteur. Planned to be an annualevent, these sessions are designed to promoteinteractions with students looking for research

laboratories. In addition to HST faculty andresearch staff, local HST alumni were also in-vited to present their research. The 43 postersillustrated the breadth and depth of HST re-search. More than 130 guests viewed the post-ers, including members of the HST AdvisoryCouncil, which had met earlier that afternoon.

Faculty posters highlightresearch opportunities

HST faculty member Martha Bulyk, PhD shows MD-PhD student Kai-How Farh her poster onHST faculty member Martha Bulyk, PhD shows MD-PhD student Kai-How Farh her poster onHST faculty member Martha Bulyk, PhD shows MD-PhD student Kai-How Farh her poster onHST faculty member Martha Bulyk, PhD shows MD-PhD student Kai-How Farh her poster onHST faculty member Martha Bulyk, PhD shows MD-PhD student Kai-How Farh her poster onExperimental and Computational Functional Genomics Approaches for Studying TranscriptionalExperimental and Computational Functional Genomics Approaches for Studying TranscriptionalExperimental and Computational Functional Genomics Approaches for Studying TranscriptionalExperimental and Computational Functional Genomics Approaches for Studying TranscriptionalExperimental and Computational Functional Genomics Approaches for Studying TranscriptionalRegulatory Networks.Regulatory Networks.Regulatory Networks.Regulatory Networks.Regulatory Networks.

Ralph Lindenfeld

With the recent death of George W.Thorn, MD on June 26, HST lost a very goodfriend and a very strong supporter. He was 97.

Thorn was the Hersey Professor of theTheory and Practice of Physics at HMS, Chair-man of the Department of Medicine, andPhysician-in-Chief of the Brigham andWomen’s Hospital from 1942 to 1972.

He was an expert on the physiology anddiseases of the adrenal cortex, and he encour-aged the development of a program in organtransplantation that resulted in the first suc-cessful kidney transplant. In addition to hisleadership of a major department of medicine,he was a key figure in the development of theHoward Hughes Medical Institute. In recog-nition of his important contributions to medi-cine and science, he was awarded the PublicWelfare Medal—the National Academy ofSciences’ highest honor—in 1997.

A life member of the MIT Corporation,Thorn served as an important bridge betweenMIT and HMS. He was an enthusiastic sup-porter of the proposal to establish the Har-vard-MIT Program, and later HST, and wastireless in raising funds for the Division. Hiscontributions to HST are memorialized in theseminar room that bears his name on the firstfloor of the Whitaker College Building.

— Irving M. London, MD

RememberingGeorge Thorn

courtesy of HM

S

The Connector 3

HST NewsAPPOINTMENTS

HST affiliated faculty Donald E. Ingber,MD, PhD has been appointed as the firstJudah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biologyat HMS and Children’s Hospital.

Elazer R. Edelman, MD ’83, PhD ’84,the Thomas D. and Virginia Cabot Professorof Health Sciences and Technology, now has asecond appointment as Professor of Medicineat HMS and BWH.

HST faculty Isaac S. Kohane MD, PhDhas been appointed the Lawrence J. HendersonAssociate Professor of Health Sciences andTechnology at HMS and Children’s Hospital.

He is Director of the HST InformaticsProgram at Children’s Hospital and also of theBioinformatics and Integrative GenomicsTraining Program.

Kohane leads multiple collaborations inthe elucidation of regulatory networks of genesand the interaction between genotype and phe-notype, using a variety of bioinformatics tech-niques. His work involves applications in tu-morigenesis, type 2 diabetes, neurodevelop-ment, neuro-endocrinology and transplanta-tion biology.

PROMOTIONSHST faculty member R. Rox Anderson,

MD ’84 has been appointed Professor of Der-matology at HMS and MGH. Anderson iscourse head of HST 853 and HST 855: Bio-medical Enterprise Clinical Experience, I andII. Director of MGH’s Laser Center and headof a research group at the Wellman Laborato-ries of Photomedicine, Anderson has been apioneer in the field of medical lasers for morethan 20 years.

HST affiliated faculty Charles Hatem,MD has been promoted to Professor of Medi-cine at HMS and BIDMC. Hatem has been aprimary care physician at Mount Auburn Hos-pital since 1971, where he also served as Di-rector of Medical Education. For many years,he has been associated with HST 201/202: In-troduction to Clinical Medicine and MedicalEngineering.

Judy Lieberman, MD ’81, PhD has beenpromoted to Professor of Pediatrics in the De-partment of Pediatrics at HMS and Children’sHospital. She has been Senior Investigator inthe Center for Blood Research, Institute forBiomedical Research since 1995, and Direc-tor of the Pathogenesis Program, HMS Divi-

sion of AIDS.Lieberman and her laboratory have

helped to develop AIDS research in China.They have trained the National Center forAIDS Prevention and Control in Beijing onmethods of cellular immunology and are col-laborating with them to perform immunologi-cal studies prerequisite for later vaccine stud-ies. Other current projects address the regula-tion of CD8 T cell function in HIV infection,the mechanism of cytotoxicity by CTL en-zymes and include translational studies ofRNA genes.

SHBT STUDENTS IN SYMPOSIAIn two symposia, on September 22 and

29, 20 first- and second-year students in theSpeech and Hearing Bioscience and Technol-ogy Program presented their research on a widerange of topics, comprising Speech/LanguageScience and Technology, Auditory Neuro-science, and Auditory Psychophysics.

BONVENTRE NAMED TOP MENTORIn an online survey of postdoctoral fel-

low by the AAAS in early 2004, HST Direc-tor Joseph V. Bonventre, MD ’76, PhD wasranked as one of three top mentors in the U.S.The 932 respondents listed mentoring, direc-tion and vision, funding and networking asmost important factors in their choice of men-tors. (Science, Sept. 17, 2004, p. 1806.)

The White House announcedon September 9 that Stuart A.Forman, MD, PhD ’89 was one ofthe recipients of the 2003 Presiden-tial Early Career Award for Scientistsand Engineers (PECASE). He wasnominated by the Department ofHealth and Human Services.PECASE honors the most promis-ing beginning researchers in the na-tion. Forman is Associate Professorof Anaesthesia at HMS and MGH,and his research deals with themechanisms of action of inhaled an-esthetics, such as etomidate. He alsoserves on a subcommittee for HSTadmissions.

George Q. Daley, MD, PhD ’91, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of BiologicalChemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS, Children’s Hospital and HST, is oneof the nine recipients of the First NIH Director’s Pioneer Awards. This new program isdesigned to “support individual scientists and thinkers with highly innovative ideas andapproaches to contemporary challenges in biomedical research.” NIH will provide$500,000 in direct costs per year for five years.

Daley’s laboratory studies the development and differentiation of stem cells, withemphasis upon the derivation of functional hematopoetic and germ cell elements fromES cells, as well as the genetic mechanisms that predispose to malignancy. Daley teachesin HST 140: Molecular Medicine.

Judah M. Folkman, MD, HST affiliated faculty and the Julia Dyckman AndrusProfessor of Pediatric Surgery at HMS and Children’s Hospital, received the 2004 Princeof Asturias Award for technical and scientific research. The prize was awarded last au-tumn in Oviedo, Spain.

Subra Suresh, ScD, HST affiliated faculty and the Ford Professor of Engineeringand Head of the Department of Material Science and Engineering at MIT, has beenelected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

AWARDSAWARDSAWARDSAWARDSAWARDS

Stuart Forman and his wife, Ellie Hitzrot, at theStuart Forman and his wife, Ellie Hitzrot, at theStuart Forman and his wife, Ellie Hitzrot, at theStuart Forman and his wife, Ellie Hitzrot, at theStuart Forman and his wife, Ellie Hitzrot, at thereception following the PECASE ceremony, whichreception following the PECASE ceremony, whichreception following the PECASE ceremony, whichreception following the PECASE ceremony, whichreception following the PECASE ceremony, whichtook place at the Indian Treaty Room in thetook place at the Indian Treaty Room in thetook place at the Indian Treaty Room in thetook place at the Indian Treaty Room in thetook place at the Indian Treaty Room in theEisenhower Executive Office Building.Eisenhower Executive Office Building.Eisenhower Executive Office Building.Eisenhower Executive Office Building.Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

4 Winter 2004-05

HST News

Finding a lab job. Thinking about bioterrorism. Analyzingethical issues in bioscience. Keeping perspective in a busy academicor professional life. These are but a few of the many topics exploredat the monthly meetings of BioMatrix, the HST-sponsoredmentoring community for MIT undergrads and MIT and Harvard

graduate and medical stu-dents.

Now in its fifth year,BioMatrix recently “gradu-ated” its first cohort of MITstudents who joined the pro-gram in their freshman year,became its leaders during

their undergraduate careers, and are now launched into researchcareers and medical and doctoral programs. Some of those studentshave enrolled in HST and will keep their membership in BioMatrix,becoming mentors to a new generation of undergraduates whilecontinuing to develop their own relationships with the professionalmembers of the community.

As it grows, BioMatrix will attract new members each year,

Mentoring program prospers in 5th yearfrom MIT freshmen to well-established researchers and industryprofessionals. Members’ dinners draw groups of 75 to 100 attend-ees each month.

So far this year, BioMatrix sponsored programs on interview-ing skill, learning to market a product idea, and how health carefinancing affects health care delivery. And the spring semester prom-ises to be just as exciting, with topics ranging from opportunitiesfor community service in medicine and the biosciences, whether topursue a PhD or an MD path, and a look at mind-body medicinewith a keynote address by Herbert Benson, MD.

Now an established part of the HST, MIT and HMS land-scapes, BioMatrix anticipates continued years of interesting pro-gramming and growing mentoring relationships among students,faculty, clinicians, and other professionals.

This unique program has many supporters. BioMatrix is aidedby generous individual support this year from Anthony Williams,Esq., a member of the HST Advisory Board. Institutional supportcomes from the offices of MIT’s Deans for Student Life, GraduateStudents, and Undergraduate Education.

— Catherine Modica

As the earliest generation of HST alumni prospered in work andfamily, it was bound to happen: a legacy. The child of an HST alumnushas entered an HST program.

Hiu-Fai Fong is the daughter of Chin-To Fong, MD ’81. She is asecond-year MD student. He is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Bio-chemistry & Biophysics, and Dentistry at the University of RochesterSchool of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD).

During a recent visit with his daughter during Thanksgiving break,Dr. Fong spoke very fondly of his medical student tenure at HST in thelate ’70s and early ’80s. He recalled that the first two years of the HSTMD program were very challenging and yet protective. He found thefirst year of clinical training to be a bit of a culture shock, and is pleasedthat his daughter has had the opportunity to get more involved withpatients earlier in her HST career than he did.

He said, however, that the legacy of the HST MD program—afirm grounding in the basic and quantitative sciences underpinningmedicine—has served him very well in his career. He directs two coursesat the University of Rochester: a genetics and biochemistry course forfirst-year students, and the two-week “back to basic science” portion ofthe Women and Children’s block at URSMD.

He credits HST with his decision to stay involved with geneticsciences, which in turn has helped him direct these multi-disciplinary,basic science-oriented courses.

Ms. Fong has also enjoyed the unique opportunities presented byan HST education, combining rigorous training in the basic medicalsciences with an in-depth research experience in neuro-imaging ofHuntington’s Disease.

She said that her father certainly has influenced her in her choice

of school and career.“My dad has always said that his HST education has benefited

him as a clinician, scientist, and teacher by imparting him with a way ofthinking about and tackling problems in various settings,” she said.“His enthusiasm about the program certainly encouraged me to chooseHST.”

As HST’s 35th anniversary approaches, the Division hopes morefamily dynasties like the Fongs will develop and flourish in our pro-grams!

— Patricia A. Cunningham

Child of alumnus enters MD program

Hiu-Fai Fong (MD ’07) with her father, Chin-To Fong, MD ’81Hiu-Fai Fong (MD ’07) with her father, Chin-To Fong, MD ’81Hiu-Fai Fong (MD ’07) with her father, Chin-To Fong, MD ’81Hiu-Fai Fong (MD ’07) with her father, Chin-To Fong, MD ’81Hiu-Fai Fong (MD ’07) with her father, Chin-To Fong, MD ’81

Andrew

D. Levin (M

EMP)

The Connector 5

PATRON

Edward J. Cheal, PhD ’86Joseph A. Ciffolillo*Genetix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Robert F. HigginsThe Philippe Foundation, Inc.

FOUNDERJohn AbelePeter C. FarrellFidelity Investments Charitable

FoundationRobert S. Langer, Jr., Sc.D.*Daniel C. Shannon, MD*Joshua Tolkoff*

FRIENDMarvin L. Appel, MD ’91, PhD

’92*Michael T. Bailin, MD ’84*Joseph V. Bonventre, MD ’76,

PhD*Charles R. Bridges, MD ’81Dennis W. Choi, MD ’78, PhDElisabeth J. Cohen, MD ’75*Catherine M. Corrigan, PhD

’96*Natacha DePaola, PhD ’91*Dan J. Fintel, MD ’79Ansbert S. GadickeDavid E. Goodman, MD ’93Scott D. Greenwald, PhD ’90Pedro E. Huertas, MD ’93, PhDBruce LehmanIrving M. London, MD*MassMedic, Inc.David F. Pincus, MD ’81John F. Romanelli, MD ’87Carl E. Rosow, MD, PhDRobert H. Rubin, MD*George E. Sarris, MD ’82Frederick J. Schoen, MD, PhDSwee Lian Tan, MD ’88Richard J. Thomas*Jack Tsao, MD ’97*Jonathan L. WeilRichard J. Wurtman, MDJerrold Zindler*

SPONSORBrian J. Benda, PhD ’98Howard Bernstein, MD ’89,

PhD*Stephen B. Calderwood, MD

’75*Ching-Yen Joseph Chang, MD

’89Bart Chernow, MD*Nai-Kong V. Cheung, MD ’78,

PhDJay H. Chung, MD ’88George Q. Daley, MD ’91, PhD*Andrew Feldmann, PhD ’83Dennis M. Freeman, PhD*Prof. M. A. GreenfieldRoger J. Hajjar, MD ’90John J. Halperin, MD ’75Richard HuntYoung-Jo Kim, MD ’94, PhDAlbert I. Ko, MD ’91Joseph B. Nadol, Jr., MDJagesh V. Shah, PhD ’99

SUPPORTERDavid A. Benaron, MD ’86Deborah Burstein, PhD ’86Gilbert Chu, MD ’80Alan D. D’Andrea, MD ’83Allison J. Doupe, MD ’84Deborah A. Faryniarz, MD ’95Dan J. Fintel, MD ’79John V. Frangioni, MD ’94, PhDRobert B. Geller, MD ’83Scot C. Graham, MD ’92William C. Hahn, MD ’92, PhDNorman Jacobs*Rebecca J. Leong, MD ’88Udaya K. Liyanage, MD ’99Frederick L. Mansfield, MD ’76*Hilarie McKinstryRobert C. McKinstry III, MD

’92, PhD*Richard N. Mitchell, MD, PhDAbraham N. Morse, MD ’93Ira S. Nash, MD ’84*Christopher B. Reid, MD ’00,

PhDElliot J. RiegelhauptIvan C. Rokos, MD ’92David A. Roth, MD ’87Bo E. H. Saxberg, MD ’88*Anthony F. Shields, MD ’79*

Susan F. Steinberg, MD ’76Steven M. Stufflebeam, MD ’94Betsy Tarlin*

CONTRIBUTORWalter H. Abelmann, MD*Donald A. AntonioliPatricia R. Bachiller, MD ’01Michael T. Bailin, MD ’84Camille L. Bedrosian, MD ’83*Marie-José Bélanger, PhD ’00Scott I. Berkenblit, MD ’96,

PhD ’96BioMod SurfacesStephen A. Boppart, MD ’00,

PhD ’98*Nancy J. Brown, MD ’86Stephen K. Burley, MD ’87Martin C. Carey, MD, DSc*David V. Chand, MD ’00Hovig V. Chitilian, MD ’00Neil D. ClarkeChester H. Conrad, MD ’77Douglas A. Cotanche, PhDAnn W. Crosson, MD and Abul

K. Abbas, MDDavid E. Cummings, MD ’87*Saumya Das, MD ’00Toren Finkel, MD ’86Stuart A. Forman, MD ’89, PhDAnthony C. Forster, MD ’96*Lawrence H. Frame, MD ’75Steven J. Frucht, MD ’93Steve H. Fung, MD ’00Lee Gehrke, PhDRaymond J. Gibbons, MD ’76Thomas M. Glaser, MD ’91Mark A. Goldberg, MD ’81*Gilad S. Gordon, MD ’83*Oren Grad, MD ’84*Julie E. Greenberg, PhD ’90Jin S. Hahn, MD ’82Charles J. Hatem, MDJohn F. Hiehle, Jr., MD ’87Kenneth S. Hu, MD ’94*Mary Y. Hu, MD ’02Edith HurneyGeorge A. Jacoby, MDBrian E. Jaski, MD ’79Farish A. Jenkins, Jr., PhDSterling C. Johnston, MD ’92Zvi Ladin, PhD ’85Marielena Lara, MD ’88

IRVING M. LONDON SOCIETY

Contributors to the

The Irving M. London Society was launched in the fall of 2000 to honor the founder of HST and to provide a new way formembers of the HST family to contribute unrestricted financial support for the Division. The number of unrestricteddonors has increased nearly 400 percent since the Society began, and the amount of unrestricted dollars to the Division hasincreased nearly ten-fold during the same period. It is with great appreciation that we recognize the following contributionsof $100 or more to the Society, made between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004.

Elaine Lee, PhD ’95Leann M. Lesperance, MD ’95,

PhD ’93Nancy Uan-Tsin Lin, MD ’99Steven E. Locke, MDMing Lu, MD, PhD ’99Elana Bracha Lubit, MD ’90Mathai Mammen, MD ’98*Norman A. Mazer, MD ’78,

PhDMatthew L. Meyerson, MD ’93George J. Murakawa, MD ’92Annabelle A. Okada, MD ’88*Stephen T. Onesti, MD ’86Kimberly OzakiEvan R. Reiter, MD ’93Patrick O. Riley, PhD ’88Michael K. Samoszuk, MD ’79Jeremiah M. Scharf, MD ’01Jay J. Schnitzer, MD ’83, PhDJeffrey E. Sell, MD ’80Arnold Hoo Seto, MD ’01Timothy D. Shafman, MD ’89Stelios M. Smirnakis, MD ’97,

PhDEliot R. Spindel, MD, PhD ’82Eric H. Stern, MD ’76*David M. Steinhaus, MD ’77Kenneth N. Stevens, ScD*Jenny Ying Xin Sun, MD ’03Cynthia Sung, PhD ’89Trudy M. Van Houten, PhDJoseph T. Walsh, Jr., PhD ’88Bradford B. Walters, MD ’79Ioannis V. Yannas, PhD ’00Seung-Schik Yoo, PhD ’00Steven H. Zeisel, MD ’75Kang Zhang, MD ’95*

MATCHING GIFTSBecton Dickinson & Co.Johnson & Johnson

We regret if we inadvertentlyomitted any names from this list.If you note any omissions orcorrections, please contact BetsyTarlin at btarlin@mit.edu or(617) 258-8759.* Founding Member

6 Winter 2004-05

n 1898, HenryLündgren made thetrip from Finland toSan Francisco by ship

to escape enforced servicein the Russian Army.

Upon arrival in theNew World, he dubbedhimself “Newman,” as hewas beginning his life afreshin the U.S. and the possi-bilities seemed boundless.

That same spirit ofadventure and optimismdirects the life and work ofhis great granddaughter,Dava Newman. She, too,has set her sights on a newworld—Mars—and whatshe does along the way isjust as important as gettingthere.

An HST affiliated fac-ulty member, Newman is afull professor in the Depart-ment of Aeronautics andAstronautics and Engineer-ing Systems and Director ofMIT’s Technology andPolicy Program. Like sev-eral generations of NASA researchers since the 1970s, her challenge isto develop technology that helps take us farther into space, specificallyto Mars, considered the inevitable next step beyond the moon.

For some time now, aerospace engineers have had the technologyto get astronauts to Mars within six to 12 months.

“Getting there, for the most part, is not the problem,” Newmansays. “What happens to the human body along the way is.”

Humans do not endure the harsh conditions of deep space travelvery well. Space shuttle missions are generally short and consideredsafe. All in low Earth orbit (LEO), these missions expose astronauts toa microgravity (weightlessness) environment that is tolerable for shortperiods, thanks to advances in technology.

As in-flight studies like Newman’s have shown, however, spend-

ing longer periods of timein space—particularly be-yond LEO— poses a hostof devastating problems.Muscles atrophy, and bonedensity is reduced at analarming rate—up to twopercent each month. Pro-longed exposure to radia-tion alters DNA and couldlead to sterilization andother mutations. Our senseof up and down, so solid onearth, fades into meaning-lessness without visual andtactile cues. Sleep and sen-sory deprivation createmental and physical stress,even stress on the immunesystem.

If the newPrometheus Project provessuccessful in developingatomic propulsion, thatsix-month to one-year tripcould be cut down to twomonths by 2011. This re-duction in travel timecould have enormous con-sequences for human

health in space.Newman’s research involves many disciplines and investigative

tools. In general, she takes a quantitative approach to studying the me-chanics and energy requirements involved in human adaptation to arange of gravitational environments, collecting data through simula-tion and modeling or from experiments in space, such as those she hasconducted with Russian cosmonauts aboard Mir.

One of Newman’s major research projects is the development ofwhat she calls the Bio-Suit System, a spray-on spacesuit, funded by theNASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. Unlike the heavy suits cur-rently used to protect astronauts in LEO, a suit capable of taking spacetravelers to Mars would need to be far lighter and more resistant toradiation and temperature extremes. Newman’s ideal suit would not

I

Dava Newman uses a life-size robot, whom she’s dubbed M. Tallchief, to helpDava Newman uses a life-size robot, whom she’s dubbed M. Tallchief, to helpDava Newman uses a life-size robot, whom she’s dubbed M. Tallchief, to helpDava Newman uses a life-size robot, whom she’s dubbed M. Tallchief, to helpDava Newman uses a life-size robot, whom she’s dubbed M. Tallchief, to helpdetermine the physics of movement in zero gravity.determine the physics of movement in zero gravity.determine the physics of movement in zero gravity.determine the physics of movement in zero gravity.determine the physics of movement in zero gravity.

Suitable

MARSfor

William

Litant/SRS C

omm

unications

by Marsha Warren

The Connector 7

only maximize protection, it would also facilitate mobility, providingresistance or assistance to muscles as needed, and possibly doubling asa form of exercise.

In the Man-Vehicle Lab at MIT, Newman runs experiments on alife-sized robot (on loan from NASA) she’s named M. Tallchief, whichis capable of simulating human body positions and movements. Mea-suring the physics of body movements in simulated gravity, whetherthose of a robot or a human subject, moves her steadily closer to deter-mining how the human body performs in various gravitational fieldsand what the Bio-Suit System would need to provide.

Newman’s work with robotics has also contributed some poten-tially valuable information for life on Earth, especially in orthotics andgerontology. She collaborates with HST faculty member Hugh Herr,and Joe Coughlin, director of MIT’s Age Lab, to simulate the gait ofthe elderly on Earth, a process that could provide insight on how todesign assistive clothing or ambulatory devices.

As is so often the case in exploring new scientific terrain, Newmanhas sometimes had to create her own tools. Her inventions range froma human-rated underwater treadmill—for measuring force during lop-ing in simulated lunar and Martian gravities—to spaceflight data ac-quisition hardware with force and torque load sensors for measuringastronaut microgravity performance. Much of Newman’s research andmany of her inventions have been accomplished by working with otherscientists, particularly the Russians, who have more experience withlong-term spaceflight than anyone. While the quest for space has typi-cally been the province of men, women like Newman are changing allthat, paving new ground for science and for women who might chooseto follow a similar path.

Although scientific trailblazing consumes most of her energy,Newman has many other interests.

Basketball was one of her first passions, and one that gave hermuch of the drive needed to make the long haul through graduate

school and the tenure track process at MIT. Newman, who is athleticand fit at 40, is also only 5-foot 4-inches tall and would seem an un-likely Division One basketball player at Notre Dame, or a Junior Olym-pian skier. At Notre Dame her quickness, savvy thinking and determi-nation were strong complements to her intelligence and sense of socialresponsibility, the latter of which seemed to grow ever stronger as sheachieved personal success. Along with long-time basketball friendStephanie Rivera, Newman established a sports foundation to supporthigh school girls in their passion for sports while emphasizing the ben-efits of a college education.

Encouragement of women students is something for whichNewman is well-known at MIT. As a student, teacher and researcher,she has experienced the kinds of challenges that women often face inthe fields of science and engineering. While at Notre Dame, she andher best friend, Cathy Flick, were the only women in an aerospaceengineering class of approximately 40 men. When she arrived at MITin 1986 for her master’s degree in the Aeronautics and AstronauticsDepartment, the ratio was not much better. But in typical Newmanfashion, her eyes were steadfastly set on the road ahead and she wel-comed the opportunities. As a graduate student, Newman fed her eclecticinterests, majoring in aeronautics and astronautics and technology andpolicy, while taking several HST courses along the way. She also volun-teered as an assistant coach for the MIT women’s basketball team andthe MIT ski racing team. By the time she was ready to pursue a PhD,her energies and passions had become tightly enmeshed with the mar-velous potential of biomedical engineering, both in space and here onEarth.

While in graduate school, Newman had been inspired by thecaliber of HST students; today that continues to be the case. For fiveyears, Newman has taught HST.515J: Aerospace Biomedical and LifeSupport Engineering, a graduate-level course she developed for HSTthrough an educational grant from the National Space BiomedicalResearch Institute. Newman was awarded one of the first Taplin awardsfor this contribution toward strengthening and extending HST’s edu-cational programs. Since then, her reputation as an innovative, caringteacher has continued to grow among students and colleagues alike.In 2000, Newman was selected as the first pre-tenured MargaretMacVicar Faculty Fellow, an appointment that recognizes the inno-vation and excellence she shares with the MIT community in under-graduate teaching.

Although her work is geared toward preparing humans for Mars,Newman is ambivalent about actually going.

“For the exploration aspect, yes, but for the isolation aspect, no,”Newman says. “Truthfully, I’d love for one of my students to make thetrip. I love my research and my teaching, and Gui.” Guillermo Trotti isher long-time partner with whom she shares a love of sailing and innu-merable other affinities.

“Two years of training plus another two in space is a long time tobe away from one’s love and this beautiful planet we call home,” shesays. “I am right where I want to be.”

In the end, making it to Mars herself seems irrelevant; the impor-tant thing is that the journey she has taken will make that trip possiblefor others. Great-grandfather Newman would undoubtedly be proud.

Marsha Warren, Manager of the HST-MIT Sloan Biomedical EnterpriseProgram, became acquainted with Dava Newman primarily through theirrespective work with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.

Faculty Profile

One of Newman’s main research projects is to reinvent the spacesuit.One of Newman’s main research projects is to reinvent the spacesuit.One of Newman’s main research projects is to reinvent the spacesuit.One of Newman’s main research projects is to reinvent the spacesuit.One of Newman’s main research projects is to reinvent the spacesuit.This Bio-Suit is not only lighter and more flexible than today’s gear,This Bio-Suit is not only lighter and more flexible than today’s gear,This Bio-Suit is not only lighter and more flexible than today’s gear,This Bio-Suit is not only lighter and more flexible than today’s gear,This Bio-Suit is not only lighter and more flexible than today’s gear,but it is also sprayed on.but it is also sprayed on.but it is also sprayed on.but it is also sprayed on.but it is also sprayed on.

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8 Winter 2004-05

Research NewsEVOLUTION: COMPETITIONBETWEEN MODEL PROTOCOLS

MD-PhD student Irene A. Chen is firstauthor of a publication yielding insight intothe emergence of Darwinian evolution at thecellular level. RNA—encapsulated in fatty acidvesicles—was found to exert an osmotic pres-sure on the vesicle membrane that drives theuptake of additional membrane components,leading to membrane growth at the expenseof relaxed isotonic vesicles, which shrink. (IAChen et al., Science 2004; 305: 1474-1476.)

TESTOSTERONE IMPLICATED INMORE RENAL INJURY FOR MALES

HST Director Joseph V. Bonventre, MD’76, PhD is senior author of a report entitled“Testosterone is Responsible for EnhancedSusceptibility of Males to Ischemic Renal In-jury.” The greater resistance of female mice toischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced renal in-jury has been interpreted as reflecting estro-gen-mediated protection against pathologicconditions. In this study the administrationof testosterone to female mice increased thekidneys’ susceptibility to ischemia, whereas cas-tration of male mice reduced the I/R-inducedkidney injury. Ovariectomy did not affect re-nal injury induced by ischemia in females.

These findings may contribute to theunraveling of the pathophysiology of toxemiaof pregnancy, which is accompanied by el-evated levels of testosterone. The results of thisstudy also have implications with regard totestosterone -containing therapies proposed asboosters of women’s sex drive. (KM Park etal., J Biol Chem 2004; 279: 52282-92.)

Bonventre is the Robert H. Ebert Pro-fessor of Health Sciences and Technology, Pro-fessor of Medicine at HMS at BWH, and theChief of the Renal Division at BWH.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE INPREGNANCY

Abraham N. Morse MD ’93, is co-au-thor of a retrospective multi-center study ofthe use of prescription drugs by pregnantwomen in the U.S. In the automated data-bases of eight HMOs, researchers analyzed152, 531 deliveries. In 64 percent of these, adrug other than dietary supplements was pre-scribed (2.4 percent category A, 50.4 percentcategory B, 37.8 percent category C, 4.8 per-cent category D, and 4.6 percent category Xof the FDA risk classification.) The data em-phasize the need to understand the effects ofprescription drugs on the developing fetus and

the pregnant woman. (SE Andrade et al., AmJ Obstet Gynecol 2004; 191: 398-407.)

Morse is a faculty member of the Depart-ment of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Uni-versity of Massachusetts Medical School inWorcester.

CANCER CELLS COMPRESSINTRATUMOR BLOOD VESSELS

Timothy P. Padera, PhD ’03 is first au-thor of a study demonstrating that proliferat-ing tumor cells in mice can cause intratumorvessels to collapse, impairing the delivery ofdrugs. Tumor-specific cytotoxic therapy mayreduce the compressive mechanical force, openvessels, increase perfusion, and thus improvethe delivery of drugs. (TP Padera et al., Na-ture 2004; 427: 695.)

Padera is a Clinical Fellow in RadiationOncology at HMS and MGH. Senior authoron this paper is Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, HST af-filiated faculty and the A. Werk Cook Professorof Radiation Oncology at HMS and MGH.

ARCHAEA IS A TREATABLE CAUSEOF PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Chronic periodontitis is a polymicrobialinfection present in 35 percent of U.S. adults.No one bacterium explains the majority ofcases. David A. Relman MD ’82 is senior au-thor of a report establishing the presence ofarchaea, a bacteria-like organism in the sub-gingival crevices of 36 percent of patients withperiodontitis. The abundance of anaerobic,methanogenic prokaryotes decreased at treat-able sites in association with clinical improve-ment. (PW Lepp et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA2004; 101: 6176-81.)

Relman is Associate Professor of Medicine(Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine)and of Microbiology and Immunology at theStanford University School of Medicine.

NITRIC OXIDE BENEFICIAL FORVENTRICULAR INFARCTION

Marc J. Semigran, MD ’83 is senior au-thor of a study of the effects of nitric oxideinhalation in 13 patients with right ventricu-lar infarction and cardiogenic shock. NO hadpreviously been shown to decrease pulmonaryvascular resistance in patients with pulmonaryhypertension. In this study, acute hemody-namic improvement was noted, comprisingsignificant decreases in right atrial and pulmo-nary arterial pressure and in pulmonary vas-cular resistance. Cardiac index and stroke vol-ume index increased significantly (I Inglessiset al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2004; 44: 793-8.)

Semigran is Assistant Professor of Medicine atHMS and MGH.

EARLY BREAST CANCER THERAPYFOR THE ELDERLY

Barbara L. Smith, MD ’83, PhD ’83 isa co-author of a comparison of lumpectomyplus tamoxifen with or without irradiation in636 women 70 years of age or older with clini-cal stage 1, estrogen-receptor-positive carci-noma of the breast. The only significant dif-ference was the rate of recurrence at five years:one percent in the group treated withtamoxifen and radiation, and four percent inthe group without radiation. (KS Hughes etal., N Engl J Med 2004; 351:971-7.)

Smith is Assistant Professor of Surgery atHMS and MGH, and Program Director of theMGH Gillette Center for Women’s Cancers.

NEW THERAPY FOR FIBROSISPaul Okunieff, MD ’82, the Philip

Rubin Professor of Radiation Oncology andChairman of the Department of RadiationOncology at the University of Rochester, NY,is first author of a study of 30 patients withlate, radiation-induced fibrosis treated withpentoxifylline. Active and passive range ofmotion, muscle strength, edema and pain gen-erally improved after eight weeks of treatment.Elevated pre-treatment fibroblast growth fac-tor 2 levels decreased. (P Okunieff et al., JClinical Oncol 2004; 22: 2207-13.)

THE CHALLENGES OFBIFURCATION STENTING

Yoram Richter, PhD ’03 is first authorand Elazer R. Edelman, MD ’83, PhD ’84 issenior author of a study addressing the causesof the common failure modes of bifurcationstenting. Bifurcations of the vascular tree arefrequent sites of atherosclerotic disease. Inter-vention at bifurcation sites has a high rate ofrestenosis. In order to permit analyses of mecha-nistic variables that might lead to poor clinicalresults, a porcine animal model was used. Side-branch (SB) dilation adversely affected flowpatterns in the main branch (MB) and, as a re-sult, the long-term MB patentcy of stents im-planted in pig arteries. Critical to this effect ischronic MB remodeling that seems to compen-sate for an occluded SB. Acute leukocyte recruit-ment was directly influenced by changes in flowpatterns, suggesting a link between flow distur-bances and leukocyte recruitment, and intimalhyperplasia. Many of the common failures ofbifurcation stenting are thus explained. (Y Rich-ter et al., J Clin Invest 2004; 113: 160-7-14.)

The Connector 9

Research NewsANTIVASCULAR EFFECTS OFBEVACIZUMAB

Rakesh Jain, PhD, HST affiliated fac-ulty and the A. Werk Cook Professor of Ra-diation Oncology at HMS and MGH, is se-nior author of a recent study of the mecha-nism of the antivascular effects of bevacizumab,the specific antibody to the vascular endothe-lial growth factor (VEGF). In six patients withadvanced rectal adenocarcinoma, a single in-fusion of bevacizumab was found to decreasetumor perfusion, vascular volume, microvas-cular density, interstitial fluid pressure and thenumber of viable circulating endothelial andprogenitor cells. (CG Willett et al., Nat Med2004; 10: 145-7.) MEMP student Ricky T.Tong is a co-author.

ANIMAL MODEL OF DRUG-INDUCED WEIGHT GAIN

HST faculty member Richard J.Wurtman, MD, the Cecil H. Green Distin-guished Professor at MIT and Director of theMIT Clinical Research Center, as senior au-thor reports the creation of a rat model of anti-psychotic-induced weight gain. Anti-psychoticdrugs, such as olanzopine and cozapine, areknown to increase body weight in patients. Areliable animal model was created to permitstudy of the mechanism(s) of this weight gain.Data suggest that this weight gain is the resultof both increased food intake and reducedmotor activity. Enhanced feed efficiency—i.e.,increased grams of weight gain/grams of foodconsumed—is also thought to be attributableto decreased motor activity. (AA Arjona et al.,Behav Brain Res 2004; 152: 121-7.)

LEUKOCYTE RESPONSE TOLOW-DOSE ASPIRIN THERAPY

Charles N. Serhan, PhD, HST affiliatedfaculty and the Simon Gelman Professor ofAnesthesia at HMS and BWH, is senior au-thor of a study on a new method of monitor-ing an individual’s vascular leukocyte anti-in-flammatory response to aspirin therapy.

A randomized double-blind and placebo-controlled human clinical trial was conducted,involving 128 healthy subjects allocated toplacebo or to 81mg, 325mg, or 650 mg ofaspirin taken once daily for eight weeks, to testfor biosynthesis of novel anti-inflammatorymediators by aspirin, by means of interactionbetween endo-thelial cells and leukocytes. Suchmediation are classified as aspirin-triggered 15-epi-lipoxins. The formation of 15-epilipoxinA4 (ATL) as well as plasma thromboxane (TX)B2, as an indicator of platelet reactivity, was

assessed. Plasma ATL levels increased signifi-cantly in the low-dose aspirin group, whileTXB2 levels decreased significantly for alldoses. Thus, low-dosage aspirin has an anti-inflammatory effect. (N Chiang et al., ProcNatl Acad Sci USA 2004; 101: 15178-83.)

REDUCING FALSE BLOODPRESSURE ALARMS

Roger G. Mark, MD, PhD is senior au-thor of an article detailing the algorithm forreducing false alarms related to changes in ar-terial blood pressure (ABP) in intensive careunit monitoring. This algorithm reduced falsealarms from 26.8 percent to 0.5 percent ofABP alarms, while accepting 99.8 percent oftrue ABP alarms. This study was based upon atotal of 825 hours of data from 20 patients.Mark is the Distinguished Professor in HealthSciences and Technology and Professor of Elec-trical Engineering at MIT. (W Zong et al., MedBiol Eng Comput 2004; 42: 698-706.)

FORMATION OF CHOLESTEROLGALLSTONES ELUCIDATED

Martin C. Carey, MD, DSc, HST affili-ated faculty and Professor of Medicine at HMSand BWH, is senior author of a contributionto the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones.This study elucidates the role of ablation ofthe Cholecystokinin-1 receptor (CCK-1R)

gene in the production of cholesterol gall-stones. It is known that CCK modulates con-tractility of the gallbladder, the sphincter ofOddi, and the stomach. CCK-1R deficient micewere compared with WT mice. The knockoutmice, on either chow or lithogenic diet, mani-fested larger gallbladders, increased secretionof biliary cholesterol, and retardation of small-intestinal transit times, which results in in-creased absorption of cholesterol. The resultwas a significantly higher prevalence of cho-lesterol-gallstones in the knockout mice. (DQWang et al., J Clin Invest 2004; 114: 521-8.)

TRANSFERRIN NEEDED FOR EARLYDIFFERENTIATION OF T-CELLS

Nancy C. Andrews, MD, PhD, HSTaffiliated faculty, Dean for Basic Sciences andGraduate Studies at HMS, and the LelandFikes Professor of Pediatrics at HMS andChildren’s Hospital, is co-author of a study ex-tending the known function of transferrin be-yond its role as the major carrier of plasmairon and mediator of entry of iron into cells.The possible involvement of transferrin in thedifferentiation of T lymphocytes was investi-gated in hypotransferrinaemic mice. It wasdemonstrated that transferrin itself is essen-tial for normal early differentiation of T-cellsin vivo. (MF Macedo et al., Immunology 2004;112: 5.43-9.)

September 23 ~ 25, 2005 | Cambridge/Boston

■ Alumni/ae and faculty panels on academia, industry,government and clinical career choices and challenges

■ Poster sessions highlighting research in each ofHST’s program areas

■ HST directors past and present

■ Special lecture by Farish Jenkins

■ Dinner and dancing

For more details, or to be a part

of the planning effort, contact

Betsy Tarlin at btarlin@mit.edu

or (617) 258-8759

s a v e t h e d a t e35Celebrationth Anniversary

10 Winter 2004-05

Alumni News

Since the last issue of The Connector went to press, the efforts of Peter H. Diamandis, MD ’89to advance space tourism have literally soared to new heights, and have taken on lives of their own.

The $10 million Ansari X-Prize, firstannounced by Diamandis eight years ago, waswon October 4.

Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne flewabove 100 km on a sub-orbital trajectory forthe second time within five days. By reachingan altitude of 69.6 miles (112 km), pilot BrianBinnie won the X-Prize and broke the pilotedrocket-plane altitude record of 67.0 miles (108km), set by Joseph Walker in the X-15 in 1963.

“This accomplishment,” Diamandis said,

“represented a proof of concept, and a para-digm shift toward creation of a viable spacetourism industry. Our vision is to do for spacewhat Jacques Cousteau did for the ocean: makeit accessible to everybody.”

Shortly after Binnie’s landing, VirginCEO Richard Branson announced the creationof Virgin Galactic, a company that Bransonsays will take passengers on sub-orbital spaceflights in the next few years, initially for about$200,000 per person. Within days, Bransonannounced that 7,000 people had pledged topurchase tickets.

The day after the X-Prize was won, Rob-ert Bigelow, owner of Budget Suites of Americaand Bigelow Aerospace, announced his own$50 million “America’s Space Prize” for orbitalspaceflight. The prize is open only to U.S. ven-tures, and the winning team must carry five

astronauts to Earth orbit and back twice within60 days.

Diamandis is happy that Bigelow, NASA,and others are “picking up the prize concept,”but he believes that the requirements forAmerica’s Space Prize represent “too large anincremental step.”

Diamandis created the X-Prize Cup par-tially to fill that gap: each year starting in 2006,teams will gather for a 10-day space extrava-ganza in New Mexico to compete for prizes

and showcase their spaceships before the pub-lic. A prize for orbital spaceflight is also in theworks, but won’t be announced until the rightset of rules has been worked out.

Meanwhile, Diamandis’ Zero-GravityCorporation has put weightlessness within thereach of most Americans. Since the company’sparabolic flight service started in earnest, over600 passengers on 30 flights have experiencedweightlessness and the reduced gravity of themoon and Mars, blowing away the conserva-tive estimates Diamandis built into his busi-ness plan.

“HST gave me the flexibility to exploremy heartfelt passion,” he said. That passionled him to found two companies in his finalyear at HST, and has kept him working toadvance space tourism ever since.

— Christopher E. Carr (MEMP)

Vamsi Mootha, MD ’98 is one of the 23new MacArthur Fellows named in September.He will receive $500,000 in “no strings at-tached” support over the next five years. Fel-lows are selected for their originality, creativ-ity, and the potential to do more in the future.

Mootha is Assistant Professor in the Sys-tems Biology Department at HMS and MGH.He has completed a residency in medicine atBWH and a postdoctoral fellowship at theWhitehead and Broad Institutes.

The MacArthur Foundation writes ofMootha: “[He] is a clinician-researcher whoconverts the promise of new technologies suchas genomics and proteomics into tangible, im-portant insights regarding basic biological pro-cesses and the sources of human diseases. Hespecializes in the subcellular structures respon-sible for energy metabolism: the mitochondria.

“Recently, Mootha and colleagues haveisolated peptide fragments from these or-ganelles and identified them with mass spec-troscopy. By comparing the protein finger-prints with gene expression databases, morethan 100 previously unknown mitochondrialproteins were identified. He used a similar, co-ordinated approach to identify the gene thatcauses Leigh Syndrome French Canadian vari-ant, a fatal metabolic disease. In diseases re-sulting not from a single gene but the interac-tion of sets of genes, he introduced a compu-tational method for identifying patterns ofgene activity in specific diseases.”

Mootha winsMacArthur‘genius’ award

Vamsi MoothaVamsi MoothaVamsi MoothaVamsi MoothaVamsi Mootha

HST gave me the flexibilityHST gave me the flexibilityHST gave me the flexibilityHST gave me the flexibilityHST gave me the flexibilityto explore my heartfelt passion.to explore my heartfelt passion.to explore my heartfelt passion.to explore my heartfelt passion.to explore my heartfelt passion.

After X-Prize, Diamandissets sights on next steps

Ass

ocia

ted

Pres

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league to the HST community.”Bhatia’s 46 publications include two text-

books: Tissue Engineering with B. Palsson(2003) and Microfabrication in Tissue Engineer-ing and Bio-artificial Organs (1999). Her manyawards include the David and Lucile PackardFellowship (1999-2004), Y.C. Fung Young In-vestigator Award of the American Society of

Mechanical Engineers (2003), and an NSF Ca-reer Award (2002).

Bahtia’s husband, Jagesh V. Shah, PhD’99, is also returning to Boston. He will beAssistant Professor of Systems Biology, Medi-cine and HST at HMS. In addition, Shah willdirect the new Laboratory for Cellular SystemsBiology and Molecular Imaging in the RenalDivision at BWH.

Bhatia(continued from page 1)

The Connector 11

Alumni News1970s

Stephen B. Calderwood, MD ’75 hasbeen elected to Fellowship in the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Sciencefor fundamental and translational investiga-tions of the mechanics of enteric pathogen-esis, particularly in the interactions of thepathogen Vibrio cholerae with the human host.Calderwood is Professor of Medicine (Micro-biology and Molecular Genetics) at HMS andMGH.

Raymond J. Gibbons, MD ’76 is chair-man of the American Heart Association’s Com-mittee on Scientific Sessions. The annual meet-ing took place in New Orleans in November2004. He is Director of the Nuclear Cardiol-ogy Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Roches-ter, Minn.

1980s

Shaun R. Coughlin, MD ’82, PhD, Pro-fessor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecu-lar Pharmacology and Director of the Cardio-vascular Research Institute at University ofCalifornia–San Francisco, received the 14thannual Bristol-Myers-Squibb Freedom to Dis-cover Award for Distinguished Achievementin Cardiovascular Research. At a dinner in NewYork on October 14, he was recognized forhis discovery of the mechanism by whichthrombosis works on the cellular level.

Michael T. Bailin, MD ’84 has beennamed Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at theMiriam Hospital in Providence, R.I., a teach-ing affiliate of Brown University MedicalSchool. Until 2003, Bailin was Assistant Pro-fessor of Anesthesia at HMS and MGH, andthe Chief of Anesthesiology at Saint Vincent’sHospital in Worcester. An active HST alum-nus, he served on the HST advisors commit-tee and remains active as a premedical advisorat MIT.

1990s

Malvina B. Eydelman, MD ’91 is theExpert Medical Officer at FDA’s Division ofOphthalmic Devices in Rockville, Md. She isthe U.S. Delegate to the International Stan-dards Organization.

Konstantina (Tina) M. Stankovic, PhD’98, MD ’99 and husband, Alex Stankovic,PhD (MIT ’93) announce the birth of their

The Institute of Medicine haselected of 65 new members, includingtwo HST alumni:

• Shaun R. Coughlin, MD ’82,PhD, Director of the Cardiovas-cular Institute at the University ofCalifornia–San Francisco

• Robert L. Nussbaum, MD ’75,Chief of the Genetic-Disease-Re-search Branch, National HumanGenome Research Institute, Na-tional Institutes of Health

Active members elect new mem-bers from among candidates chosen formajor contributions to health and medi-cine, or to related fields such as socialand behavioral sciences, law, adminis-tration and economics.

second son, Gabriel, born October 27, 2004.He joins his older brother, Michael, age 2. TinaStankovic is a resident in otolaryngology–headand neck surgery at MEEI and also a memberof The Connector’s Editorial Board.

2000s

Vadim Backman, PhD ’01 has been se-lected as one of MIT’s Technology Reviewmagazine’s Top Young Investigators in theWorld for 2004. Vadim is Assistant Professorof Biomedical Engineering at NorthwesternUniversity. He and his group work on mini-mally invasive optical diagnosis and imagingof early cancer, as well as analysis of nano-andmicro-architecture of living tissue using lightscattering spectroscopy.

Diego E. Marra, MD ’01 writes, “I amcurrently in my third year of dermatology resi-dency here at MGH and absolutely loving it.I serve as a senior resident to the first-years,and it’s amazing to think how much I havegrown personally and professionally in the lasttwo years. I have also been able to continuepursuing some of the research interests thatmy time in the lab helped develop, specificallyin the fields of cutaneous oncology and an-giogenesis, and have been able to continuepublishing and presenting some of this workat both national and international meetings.

“On a personal note, I am now marriedto the woman who has made it possible forme to do all of these things. We had a smallceremony in June in Hanover, N.H., on anabsolutely beautiful afternoon just a day be-fore she graduated from Dartmouth with herMBA. In fact, we are still in that state of ‘new-lywed bliss,’ savoring the beautiful memoriesof that special day.”

Domenica Karavitaki, PhD ’02 writes,“Please join Kostas and me in welcoming intothis world our beloved son, Fotis Zafiriou. Hisname means “light” in Greek, and it is givento honor his late grandfather. Fotis was bornon September 28, 3.3 kg and 48.2 cm. We areall doing fine and adjusting into a wonderfulnew life.” Karavitaki is a Research Fellow inNeurobiology at HMS.

Ruilin Zhao, PhD ’02 is a second-yearstudent at the Wharton School of the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania. In the September 21 is-sue of Business Week, he talked about life atthe School of Business Administration.

Alumni elected to theInstitute of Medicine

tive clinical trial designs use interim analy-ses to modify components that add cost toany clinical trial, such as the number ofgroups of subjects, the number of subjectsper group and dose regimen. However,modifications must be introduced withoutcompromising the statistical integrity of thetrial.

Although the majority of leaders wereconfident that adaptive designs had the po-tential to add major value to clinical trials,

Scott Emerson, MD, PhD from the Uni-versity of Washington challenged thegroup to demonstrate conclusively thatadaptive designs were, indeed, a valuableadvance, and one that he should use inhis trials.

All conference presentations may befound on the conference web site at http://hst.mit.edu/act/. Proceedings from theconference will be published next year inthe journal Statistics in Medicine.

FDA Partnership(continued from page 1)

12 Winter 2004-05

The Harvard-MIT Division ofHealth Sciences and Technology77 Massachusetts Ave., E25-519Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

Non-ProfitOrganizationUS Postage

PAIDCambridge, MA

Permit No. 54016

As MIT transitions to a new president, wethought it would be appropriate to pausefor a moment to thank Chuck Vest for all that

he has done during his 14-year tenure as president of MIT and tosee how HST has grown and evolved during that time.

When Chuck came to MIT in 1990, HST had 284 studentsin four doctoral programs: Medical Sciences, Medical Engineeringand Medical Physics (MEMP), Radiological Sciences, and Speechand Hearing Sciences.

Today, HST has 432 students enrolled in eight graduate pro-grams. For the doctoral programs, Speech and Hearing has beenrenamed Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology; Radio-logical Sciences is now the Radiological Sciences Joint Program.

The four masters degree programs include the Biomedical En-terprise Program (BEP), a dual Masters degree program with theSloan School of Management; the Clinical Investigator TrainingProgram (CITP); the Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engi-neering (MEBE)—a fifth-year program for MIT undergraduateengineering students in collaboration with MIT’s Division of Bio-logical Engineering, and the BioMedical Informatics (MI) Program.

Over the past decade, we have striven to build a vibrant re-search enterprise. We have identified three major research focusareas for growth that capitalize on our multidisciplinary strengthsand are of critical importance to advances in biology and health.They are, specifically, Biomedical Imaging; Bioinformatics and In-tegrative Biology; and Regenerative and Functional BiomedicalTechnologies.

We selected these areas because they are poised to have con-siderable impact in efforts to improve human health over the nextdecades. Their success depends on interaction and collaborationamong engineering, science and medicine, and they complementand extend the central research portfolios of Harvard and MIT.

With Chuck’s help and support, we were able to secure a won-

derful $20 million gift from Thanassis and Marina Martinos toestablish HST’s Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Im-aging, a state-of-the-art facility that welcomes physicians and re-searchers from throughout the Harvard and MIT communities.We became part of several major national collaborations, includ-ing the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), a20-year, NASA-funded initiative to study biomedicine in space;and the Engineering Research Center (ERC), a $10 million NSF-funded consortium dedicated to developing new bioengineeringeducational technologies and curricula.

We have seen our students and alumni/ae win national awardsand recognition: David D. Ho, MD ’78 was chosen as the 1996Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” for his work in AIDS research.Dan DiLorenzo, SM ’99, MD ’99 was selected in 1999 as theLemelson Student Prize winner for invention and innovation. Thereare many, many more. We have seen HST alumni/ae launch compa-nies based on their research, such as NeuroMetrix, a company ShaiGozani, MD ’94 founded and took public this year. We have seenHST alumni/ae take center stage in government, such as the appoint-ment of Mark McClellan, MD ’89 as Commissioner of the FDA in2003 and Administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaidat the Department of Health and Human Services in 2004.

When Chuck Vest came to MIT in 1990, HST had only 10faculty members and 126 affiliated faculty. Since then, HST hasexpanded to 47 faculty and 165 affiliated faculty members.

The Vest years were very good years for HST, and we are deeplygrateful to Chuck for his untiring help and support. As we look tothe future, we are delighted to welcome a fellow life scientist to thehelm of MIT. Susan Hockfield, a distinguished neuroscientist, be-gan her tenure at MIT on December 6. We are confident that theHockfield years will coincide with more growth for HST, and wevery much look forward to introducing her to the HST family.

Best seasonal wishes,Martha and Joe

D i r e c t o r s ’n o t e s