People & Places
Masashi Yanagisawa Wins Bristol-Myers Squibb Cardiovascular Research Award
Recognized for Endothelin Discoveries; Hormones That Regulate Vascular Tone,
Implicated in Illnesses
APS Members Receive Fulbright Scholarship
APS Member Hershel Raff Elected to Endocrine Society Council
Masashi Yanagisawa Wins Bristol-Myers Squibb Cardiovascular Research Award
Recognized for Endothelin Discoveries; Hormones That Regulate Vascular Tone,
Implicated in Illnesses
Masashi Yanagisawa, who holds the Patrick E. Haggerty Distinguished Chair in
Biomedical Science at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at
Dallas and is professor of molecular genetics and an investigator at the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, was named winner of the Thirteenth Annual
Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cardiovascular
Research. Yanagisawa is being recognized for his discoveries related to
endothelins, a group of hormones that affect vascular tone and have important
implications for the treatment of heart and renal failure, pulmonary
hypertension, ischemic strokes and other disorders.
In 1988, at the age of 28, while still a doctoral candidate, Yanagisawa
published his pivotal work on the identification, isolation, cloning and early
characterization of the pharmacology of endothelin, a hormone whose discovery
has resulted in an explosion of science in the area of vascular biology.
Endothelin is a peptide hormone that regulates vascular tone. Elevated
endothelin levels can lead to increased vascular resistance in diseases like
congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, acute renal failure and
ischemic stroke. His work has led to the development of endothelin receptor
antagonists that may be used in each of these conditions. Since that initial
discovery, he has continued to explore and define the field, identifying
endothelin receptors, cloning the first such receptor, as well as identifying
the proteases that convert proendothelin to endothelin.
By using mouse knockout technology, Yanagisawa has also been successful in
establishing unexpected roles for endothelin in embryonic development. The
neural crest is a strip of cells that differentiate into many cell types within
the embryo. Yanagisawa demonstrated that endothelin is required for their
differentiation into the jaw, pharynx and nerve cells in the gut. Most recently,
he has turned his attention to a family of neuropeptides called orexins that are
involved in the regulation of sleep and appetite.
“As a young medical graduate student at Tsukuba University, Dr. Yanagisawa
excited the scientific world with his novel and creative approaches to
identifying new hormones that led to his discovery of the endothelins,” says
Richard E. Gregg, vice president, Clinical Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb.
“Since that time, an entire field of medical research has developed around his
original discoveries. And, during that time, he has led the field at every
stage. He has continued to be extremely creative in his research related to
vascular biology and more recently has branched out into discovering and
characterizing new protein hormones in the brain.
“Today, the first endothelin receptor antagonist drug is in use and many others
are in the drug development pipeline. In addition, companies are at work on
inhibitors of endothelin converting enzymes. Dr. Yanagisawa is truly a gifted,
imaginative and dedicated researcher who, at each step in his career, has been
on the cutting edge of innovation, always creatively journeying beyond the
current frontier to one just beyond the horizon. His colleagues have long
recognized both his brilliance and his abilities, and now this award provides
further recognition of his scientific contributions.”
Yanagisawa received his MD degree, summa cum laude, in 1985, and his PhD in
Medical Sciences in 1988, both from the University of Tsukuba. He began his
academic career as an assistant professor of pharmacology at the Institute of
Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Tsukuba in 1989, moving to his
current institution in Texas in 1991, initially as an associate professor of
molecular genetics and an associate investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute. Of some 200 publications, he is best known for his publication of the
initial endothelin findings in Nature in 1988 and then, for an unprecedented set
of three papers on the unexpected developmental roles of endothelins and
endothelin receptors, published in a single issue of Cell in 1994.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Biomedical Research Grants Program, under
which the Distinguished Achievement Award is presented, was initiated in 1977.
It marked its 25th anniversary in 2002 and has surpassed $100 million in
no-strings-attached funding in six biomedical research areas: cancer,
cardiovascular, infectious disease, metabolic disease, neuroscience and
nutrition. The Award, a $50,000 cash prize and a silver commemorative medallion,
is awarded annually in each of the six therapeutic areas. The recipient is
selected by peer review. Yanagisawa will officially receive the cardiovascular
award at the annual Bristol-Myers Squibb Distinguished Achievement Awards dinner
on October 16, 2003, in New York City.
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care products
company whose mission is to extend and enhance human life.
APS Members Receive Fulbright Scholarship
Two APS members were among the 850 American academics, professionals, and independent scholars who received awards under the Fulbright Scholars Program to lecture, consult, or conduct research abroad in 2002-3. Robert Wondergem, Qullen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, will be fulfilling his award in Belgium. Geula Gibori, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, will be fulfilling her award in France.
Marshall Montrose has been named interim chair of the
Indiana University Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology. The
appointment became effective May 12.
He succeeds Rodney Rhoades who stepped down as chair but will remain on the
full-time faculty until June 30 when he retires.
Rhoades has served as department chair (previously known as
the Department of Physiology and Biophysics) since 1981. He also has been
director of the Indianapolis Center for Advanced Research: Applied Biophysics
for Medicine since 1990.
Rhoades joined the IUSM faculty in 1976. He previously had been a research
scientist at the National Heart and Lung Institute, acting director of the
Environmental Science Center (part of the Institute for Science and Engineering)
and on faculty at Pennsylvania State University.
Montrose received his doctorate from the University of
Rochester. He joined the IUSM faculty in 1998 after 10 years on faculty at The
Johns Hopkins University medical school.
APS Member Hershel Raff Elected to Endocrine Society Council
The Endocrine Society announces the election of seven new
officers to fill vacancies and new positions in its Council. The newly elected
Council members are Anthony Means, (President-elect), Hershel Raff,
(Secretary-Treasurer Elect), John H. Nilson, (Vice President, Basic Scientist),
Janet E. Hall, (Vice President, Clinical Scientist), Carolyn B. Becker, (Vice
President, Physician-in-Practice), Daniel J. Drucker, (Member At-Large).
Each member of The Endocrine Society’s Council serves a one-year term.
Raff is Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Medical
College of Wisconsin and the Director of the Endocrine Research Laboratory at
St. Luke’s Medical Center. He received his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University
in 1981 and did a postdoctoral fellowship in Endocrinology at UCSF. Raff is
currently on the Publication Committee of the American Physiological Society and
he has served as Associate Editor of Endocrine News and the American Journal of
Physiology. Additionally, Raff is Chair of The Endocrine Society’s Development
Committee and a member of the Finance Committee as well as the ENDO 2003 Task
Force on Cardiovascular Theme committees.
John A. Armour has joined the Department of Pharmacology, University of
Montreal, Montreal, Canada. Armour was formerly associated with the Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
Stephen M. Black has affiliated with St. Patrick Hospital International Heart
Institute, Missoula, MT. Black was previously associated with Northwestern
University Medical School as Research Director of Neonatology, Chicago, IL.
Arend Bonen recently joined the Department of Human Biology and Nutritional
Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Bonen had been
affiliated with the Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada.
Shaoyou Chu has associated with the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics,
University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX. Chu recently
moved from the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Dave C. Clarke is presently affiliated with the Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Clarke was previously
associated with the Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada.
Malcolm Cox has accepted the position of Dean for Medical Education, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, MA. Prior to his present assignment, Cox was the
Associate Dean, Department of Academic Programs, University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
Scott Earley recently joined the Department of Pharmacology, University of
Vermont, Burlington, VT. Earley was formerly with the Department of Cell
Biology and Physiology, University of New Mexico Health Science Center,
Albuquerque, NM.
Joseph S. Handler has affiliated with the Cell and Molecular Biology Section,
NIH/NHLBI, Bethesda, MD. Handler had been Director of the Division of
Nephrology, and Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Jeffrey Michael Hausdorff has joined the Movement Disorders Unit, Tel Aviv
Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. Hausdorff was previously associated
with the Department of Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Boston, MA.
Yasuo Kawakami was formerly associated with the Department of Life Science,
University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Currently, Kawakami has affiliated with the
Department of Sports Science, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan.
Douglas B. Light recently joined the Department of Biology, Lake Forest College,
Lake Forest, IL. Light was previously affiliated with the Department of Biology,
Ripon College, Ripon, WI.
Mingyue Liu has affiliated with the Department of Anesthesiology, Oregon Health
& Science University, Portland, OR. Prior to his new position, Liu was
associated with the Department of Anesthesiology, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Alejandro Lomniczi has joined the Department of Neuroscience, Oregon Health
Sciences University, Beaverton, OR as a Physiology Instructor. Lomniczi was
formerly with the Department of Neuroendocrinology, Center for the Study of
Pharmacology and Botany, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Jennifer Lucitti is presently associated with the Children’s Hospital of
Pittsburgh, Rangos Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Formerly, Lucitti was with
the Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM.
Malcolm A. Lyons has accepted a position with the School of Biotechnology and
Biomolecular Sciences, University of South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Lyons had
been a postdoctoral fellow with the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME.
Stuart Brett Mazzanoe is currently a CJ Martin Fellow with the Howard Florey
Institute, University of Melborne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Prior to his
new assignment, Mazzanoe was with the Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University Asthma and Allergy Center, Baltimore, MD.
Christopher Louis Mendias has become affiliated with the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI. Mendias was previously associated with the Department of
Physiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Andrew J. Messaros has accepted a position of Professor, Department of Biology,
Ave Maria College, Ypsilanti, MI. Messaros was formerly associated with the
Department of Exercise Science, West Virginia University School of Medicine,
Morgantown, WV.
Julia Ann Moffitt has joined the Guidant Corporation in St. Paul, MN, as a
Senior Research Scientist. Moffitt had previously been associated with the
Department of Biology, Wartburg College, Waverly, IA.
Michael B. Reid is presently affiliated with the Department of Physiology,
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Reid was formerly with the Department of
Medicine Pulmonary Section, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Seung Kyoon Woo recently joined the Division of Nephrology, University of
Maryland, Baltimore, MD, as Assistant Professor of Medicine. Before his new
assignment, Woo had been affiliated with the Department of Medicine, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
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