HOTMagee-Womens NEWS FROM Research Institute

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MWRI Hosts British Prime Minister’s Wife

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ritish Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah, paid a visit to Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) while in Pittsburgh for the G20 Summit. On Sept. 25 she toured MWRI’s labs, learned about the research being conducted, and attended a reception hosted by law firm Reed Smith. Mrs. Brown’s interest in the groundbreaking pregnancy and neonatal research being conducted at MWRI was sparked by a conversation with philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry, who also attended the reception. Other guests included Gov. Ed Rendell and UPMC President Jeffrey Romoff. In 2001, the Browns lost their daughter, Jennifer, after she was delivered prematurely. Their efforts to understand and prevent such tragedies led to the establishment of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory in 2004. The lab-

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Winter 2009 Volume 4, Issue 4

oratory focuses on preventing deaths and long-term handicaps that can result from premature birth and other neonatal complications. Mrs. Brown is also founder and president of PiggyBankKids, a UK charity with the mission of “changing lives for babies and children.” The Jennifer Brown Research Fund is a project of PiggyBankKids. Mrs. Brown was so inspired by her MWRI trip that she blogged about it. Read the entry at http:// sarahbrowng20.wordpress.com/. “We were honored to host Mrs. Brown here, and share with her our vision and research achievements. We hope that Mrs. Brown’s visit will stimulate longstanding research collaborations between the Brown Research Laboratory at MWRI ,” says Yoel Sadovsky, MD.

MWRI Awarded $2.3 Million for Research Training Program

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he National Institute of Child Health The scholars will be selected from and Human Development awarded graduates of ob-gyn residencies or obMagee-Womens Research Institute gyn sub-specialty fellows in their fi(MWRI) a fivenal research year. year $2.3 million Hogge, “Through this program, we Allen grant to become a MD, and Yoel aim to propel the careers Sadovsky, MD, site for the Women’s Reproductive will oversee the of junior scholars into Health Research training program research independence...,” as program direc(WRHR) Career says Dr. Yoel Sadovsky. tor and research Development Prodirector, respecgram. The program is designed to prepare outstanding tively. “Through this program, we aim junior faculty in the field of obstetrics to propel the careers of junior scholars and gynecology for a productive in- into research independence, thereby vestigative career in reproductive biol- enriching our field with well-qualified ogy and medicine. The Magee-Womens reproductive biology physician-scienBasic and Translational Reproduc- tists and mentors,” Dr. Sadovsky says. tive Health Program, as MWRI’s site is called, will support six scholars Fourteen principal investigators have with two- to three-year fellowships. been selected as mentors for the WRHR scholars. They represent a diverse and ...Continued on Page 3.

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Visit http://institute.mwrif. org for all Work-in-Progress (WIP) Seminars All WIP seminars take place from 12 to 1 p.m. in the MWRI 1st Floor Conference Center Jan. 12 Work-in-Progress Seminar Alexander N. Yatsenko, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX Jan. 19 Work-in-Progress Seminar Kathrin Gassel, postdoctoral student of Dr. Kyle Orwig Mar. 2 Work-in-Progress Seminar Kathleen Darcy Mar. 16 Work-in-Progress Seminar Olga Basso, Staff Scientist, Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC Mar. 22 Work-in-Progress Seminar Henning Schneider, University of Bern, Switzerland View all events at www.mwrif.org.

What’s Inside > Letter from the Director Page 2 > Under the Microscope Page 4 > In the Press Page 5

Letter From the Director A

ll eyes were on Pittsburgh during the G20 Summit in September. A spotlight was shone on Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) when we hosted British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah, for a tour and reception. As noted in our cover story, MWRI shares a keen interest in pregnancy and neonatal research with Mrs. Brown and the members of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory in Edinburgh, Scotland. We hope that her visit will encourage collaboration between our two institutions. We recently welcomed Dr. Judith Yanowitz from the Carnegie Institution in Baltimore. Judy utilizes worm models to explore mechanisms that control how chromosomes are segregated in germ cells. Her work has implications for understanding how human chromosomal abnormalities, including Downs Syndrome, arise. Growth is not limited to the number of our faculty, as our building and infrastructure are growing as well. Preparations for the renovations to the second floor laboratories are underway, with construction to begin in January. While the construction will limit the use of our 1st Floor Conference Center from January through March, we look forward to the completion of the newly renovated labs for Drs. Rajkovic, Watchko, and Yanowitz in the spring. The efficient, modern design will accommodate an additional microscopy core, which will be managed by Dr. Yanowitz for the Institute. Progress continues on our MWRI external and internal websites as well.

As you know, training the next generation of reproductive medicine scholars is a key component of the MWRI mission.

In an ongoing effort to propel our young investigators’ careers, MWRI received a $2.3 million NIH training grant, which will support three physician-scholars per year in basic and translational research training for two- to three-year fellowships. See the cover story for more information about this exciting new program. In November, we were very happy to host approximately 80 individuals during our second annual donor recognition event. The event recognized those who supported Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation this past fiscal year, including the Scarpaci family, who were presented the Elisabeth B. McCullough Award for their longstanding fundraising efforts. Guests met some of our young emerging stars, Drs. Brian Hermann, Ebony Hoskins, and Raluca Budiu. Drs. Janet Catov and Steven Abramowitch provided brief updates on their cuttingedge research and guests received tours of the MWRI facility. I was truly impressed by our supporters’ intelligence, curiosity, and dedication to improving women’s and children’s health in Pittsburgh and beyond. We thank them for their gracious support, and look forward to seeing them at MWRI again in future visits. Yours,

Yoel Sadovsky

Scientific Director, MWRI

Publications & Accepted Abstracts Akers AY, Lynch CS, Gold MA, Chang JC, Doswell W, Wiesenfeld H, Feng W, & Bost J

Exploring the relationship between weight, race, and sexual behaviors among female adolescents. Pediatrics 124(5):913-20, 2009.

Ghetti C, Chang JC, & Gosman G

Burnout, behavioral medicine skills, and empathy in obstetrics and gynecology residents before and after Balint training. Journal Grad Med Ed (in press).

Hermann BP, Suhkwani M, Simorangkir D, Plant T, & Orwig KE

Molecular dissection of the male germ cell lineage identifies putative spermatogonial stem cells in rhesus macaques. Hum Reprod, 24(7):1704-16, 2009.

Hermann BP, Suhkwani M, Hansel MC, & Orwig KE

Spermatogonial stem cells in higher primates: Are there differences to those in rodents? Reproduction (in press).

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Okun ML, Hanusa BH, Hall M, & Wisner KL

Sleep complaints in late pregnancy and the recurrence of postpartum depression. Behav Sleep Med, 7(2):106-17, 2009.

Thurston RC, Christie IC, & Matthews KA

Hot flashes and cardiac vagal control: A link to cardiovascular risk? Menopause (in press).

Thurston RC, Kuller LH, Edmundowicz D, & Matthews KA Hot flashes and aortic calcification among postmenopausal women. Menopause (in press).

Wisner KL, Sit DK, Hanusa BH, Moses-Kolko EL, Bogen DL, Hunker DF, Perel JM, Jones-Ivey S, Bodnar L, & Singer L

Major depression and antidepressant treatment: Impact on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Am J Psych, 166(5):557-66, 2009.

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NIH Awards $12.5 Million Grant to Establish UPMC Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center

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esearchers from Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) of UPMC have received a five-year $12.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The grant will establish the UPMC Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center.

Cherpes, MD, will continue their research focusing on bacterial infections of the female upper genital tract that produce pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is a common and serious complication of some sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea. It can damage the fallopian tubes and tissues and lead to infertility.

Toni Darville, MD, will lead the center. Her laboratory at Children’s Hospital is internationally known for its research related to chlamydial infections. As part of the new center, MWRI researchers Sharon Hillier, PhD, Harold Wiesenfeld, MD, and Thomas

Their research will provide new insight into Chlamydia trachomatis, PID and its implications on reproductive outcomes, as well as the preventative and causative roles of certain microorganisms in the vagina with respect to genital tract disease.

Wiesenfeld Studies Link Between Subclinical Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases and Infertility

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ccording to Harold Wiesenfeld, MD, there is a link between subclinical pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID) and infertility. One of the most common causes of infertility in women is fallopian tube blockage, and one of the most common etiologies of fallopian tube blockage is acute PID. While a large proportion of infertile women who have fallopian tube damage have evidence of past infections with chlamydia or gonorrhea, most of these women do not have a prior history of acute PID. After much research, Dr. Wiesenfeld believes the lack of PID history in infertile women may indicate that many PID cases are subclinical and therefore remain undetected and untreated.

that a greater proportion of women are affected by subclinical PID, not acute. He is the first to document research showcasing this. “We are furthering the understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of women with PID. Currently, I’m leading a clinical project seeking optimum therapy for women diagnosed with acute PID. The current treatment recommendations for women with acute PID are unclear. The more connections between PID and consequences such as infertility we discover, the more equipped we need to be to better treat it,” says Dr. Wiesenfeld.

Dr. Wiesenfeld has found that subclinical PID increases a woman’s risk of infertility twice as much as acute PID. He is convinced

MWRI Awarded $2.3 Million for Research Training Program

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rich portfolio of reproductive biology research and have a proven ability to secure extramural funding. An internal advisory committee, monitored by an external review board, will oversee and monitor the program’s quality and the scholars’ progress. A comprehensive and sophisticated

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evaluation system will provide feedback to the mentors, the program directors, and the advisory committee. “We are excited about the possibilities that this grant offers for us to train the next generation of investigators in women’s health,” says Dr. Hogge.

Facts & Figures >> To ensure the future of women’s health research, MWRI has established training programs at all levels of academic development. The Institute provides opportunities for faculty, postdoctoral scholars, medical students, and high school and college students. >> This year, mentors took 22 high school and college interns under their wings. >> The overall goal of the internship programs is to provide an atmosphere where students can learn about biomedical research in hopes that this experience can provide an insight for students to not only understand where scientific data comes from, but also to appreciate the process by which scientific advances are made.

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Under the Microscope

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he risk of contracting HIV may be higher during pregnancy, according to Richard Beigi, MD, MSc. HIV during pregnancy has serious implications for both the mother and the fetus. But prevention agents have primarily targeted the general population, not pregnant women. Through the Microbicide Trials Network, led by investigators at Magee-Womens Research Institute, Dr. Beigi spearheads research in this understudied field of medicine. The ultimate goal is to have an agent targeting disease prevention, in this case HIV, that can be safely used by pregnant women around the same time it is licensed for use in the general population. This would be a first in medicine.

Dr. Beigi also leads research on influenza and pregnancy. Through a combination of clinical and translational research, Dr. Beigi and team are gaining an understanding of the proper countermeasures to be used against influenza during pregnancy. So far, they have found that the H1N1 vaccine is considered safe for pregnant women. They are also studying the most appropriate dosing strategy for tamiflu for pregnant women.

Additional Research Vlad Receives $840,000 Award for Ovarian Cancer Research

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nda Vlad, MD, PhD, received an Early Career Development Award funded by the Department of Defense’s Ovarian Cancer Academy. The five-year $840,000 grant will fund Dr. Vlad’s investigation of tumor-promoting genetic mutations and testing of novel ovarian cancer therapies. Dr. Vlad’s

mentor for the study will be Robert Edwards, MD. “This grant recognizes the prominent research environment at Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC (MWH),” says Dr. Vlad. “The proposed work will allow us to continue our multidisciplinary collaboration with clinicians and scientists within MWRI and MWH, while founding new collaborations with investigators within the Ovarian Cancer Academy.”

McGowan Receives $17.5 Million for HIV Prevention Research

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an McGowan, MD, PhD, co-principal investigator for the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), received two five-year grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH): an $11 million, multi-center U19 grant and a $6.5 million R01 grant. The U19 grant funds the Combination HIV Antiretroviral Rectal Microbicides, or CHARM, program, which seeks to advance candidate microbicides from discovery into early clinical development. Microbicides are topical products that can be applied to the rectal or vaginal mucosa with the purpose of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the risk of HIV infection. Part of the study includes testing new rectal microbicide formulations of tenofovir and UC781 in participants in three clinical trials. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, University of North Carolina, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the University of California at Los Angeles participate in the CHARM program. The R01 grant will be used to evaluate the safety and acceptability of rectal microbicides in young African-American and La-

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tino men who have sex with men. Clinical trial sites will be in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Puerto Rico. “I am hopeful that these two research studies will help lead to the development of safe and effective products for people at risk of HIV acquisition through anal intercourse,” says Dr. McGowan. “These two new grants establish Magee-Womens Research Institute as a leading center for rectal microbicide translational research.” The two studies compliment the MTN’s ongoing rectal microbicide research agenda and include two Phase 1 rectal safety studies of tenofovir. In addition, the RMP-02/MTN-006 study is enrolling in Pittsburgh, and the MTN-007 study will begin in January 2010.

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Celebrations & Accomplishments Carl Hubel, PhD

Dr. Hubel presented “Preeclampsia, lipids, and the endothelium” at Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Norway in December.

anniversary celebration of the Pediatric Research Institute of the Oslo University, Rikshospitalet Medical Center in Oslo, Norway in October.

James M. Roberts, MD

Harold Wiesenfeld, MD, CM

Dr. Roberts presented “Preeclampsia Diagnosis: Can we do better?” at the Society of Gynecologic Investigation’s 3rd International Summit, “Preeclampsia,” in Sendai, Japan, in November. He also presented “Obesity in preeclampsia” at the European International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy in Oxford, England in September.

Jon F. Watchko

Dr. Watchko presented “New trends in bilirubin research: Neuromolecular, genetic, and translational studies” at the 50th

Dr. Wiesenfeld received the Best Abstract Award for “Inflammation in mycoplasma genitalium cervical infections” at the 36th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in August.

Katherine Wisner, MD, MS

Dr. Wisner presented “Adverse pregnancy outcomes: SSRI or depression?” at the 29th Nordic Congress of Psychiatry in Stockholm, Sweden in September.

In the Press Aletha Akers, MD, MPH

Sharon Hillier, PhD

A study of nearly 7,200 U.S. high school girls found that sexually active girls who were underweight were less likely than their normal-weight peers to use condoms. The same was true of girls who viewed themselves as overweight — accurately or not — when compared with girls who perceived themselves as normal-weight.

An experimental vaccine cut the chances of a pregnant woman carrying group B strep bacteria, a leading cause of blood and brain infections in newborns, U.S. researchers said.

Teen Girls’ Weight may Affect Sexual Behavior Excerpted from Reuters

The findings, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics, “add to a growing body of literature that girls at the weight extremes may be at increased risk for engaging in sexual risk-taking behaviors.” To read the full story, visit http://institute.mwrif.org under “News & Events,” “Teen Girls’ Weight may Affect Sexual Behavior.”

Experimental Group B Strep Vaccine Shows Promise Excerpted from Reuters

They reported pregnant women who received the group B streptococcus vaccine were about one-third less likely to carry the bacteria in the vagina and 43 percent less likely to carry the organism in the gut. “It’s very exciting,” said Sharon Hillier, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who led the study. “We’ve shown development and testing of such a vaccine is possible.” To read the full story, visit http://institute.mwrif.org under “News & Events,” “Experimental Group B Strep Vaccine Shows Promise.”

Additional News MFM Fellow Larkin Receives $300,000 Award

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acob Larkin, MD, received a three-year $300,000 award at the annual American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society meeting, held in Chicago in September. The annual award, jointly sponsored by the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, will support his research on placental response to injury. Through the use of a mouse model, Dr. Larkin will focus on NDRG1, a protein that has been found to be over-expressed in placentas when pregnancies are complicated by fetal growth restriction. The effect of alterations in NDRG1 levels on fetal

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growth has never been studied in a whole animal. Dr. Larkin’s research will include further experimentation with placental biopsy tissue and cultured human trophoblasts, or placental cells that mediate maternal-fetal gas, nutrient, and waste exchange. Dr. Larkin’s mentor for the award is Yoel Sadovsky, MD. “It has been a privilege to work in Dr. Sadovsky’s lab at MageeWomens Research Institute. The research scholarship will allow me to continue the work we have started, and focus more of my time on translational research. Ultimately, this work may uncover mechanisms of placental adaptation to injury, and potential targets for ameliorating fetal growth restriction,” says Dr. Larkin.

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Philanthropy Corner Supporting Young Talent and Brightening the Future of Medicine Karen DiVito, a mother of three young children, was only 39 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This three-year breast cancer survivor now believes this life-changing event served as an impetus to supporting the development of young researchers through Magee-Womens Research Institute’s (MWRI) summer internship program. In light of her diagnosis, Karen and her husband, Joe, wanted to do something to help ensure other women and families never have to experience the pain and turmoil of fighting breast cancer. Impressed by the Institute’s reputation as a leader in women’s health research, the DiVitos chose to sponsor a student participating in the summer internship program. “Pittsburgh has an extremely large research focus. We wanted to help young talent here, to foster their growth, and really give them the opportunity to make a difference in the medical world,” said Karen.

The MWRI summer internship program is designed to not only help students gain valuable knowledge and develop skills for future scientific research careers, but to also spark an interest in women’s health research to advance patient care, treatment, and diagnosis. At the end of the research experience, students, family members, and faculty gathered as participants summarized their findings. For the DiVitos, seeing the students’ work on presentation day was a gratifying experience. The dedication and professionalism of the students solidified the DiVitos’ belief that these young researchers hold the key to the future of medicine. “These students were wise beyond their years and they really gave me hope for my future and that of so many other women. It is my dream that 5 to 10 years from now, these studies will ultimately help find a cure [for cancer]” said Karen.

Finding Answers. Changing Lives. Learn more about Magee-Womens Research Institute by visiting http://institute.mwrif.org.

MWRI Times is a published quarterly for faculty, staff, and friends of Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation (MWRIF) by the MWRIF Communications Team. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please direct your comments to Andrea Romo via e-mail at [email protected] or call 412-641-8934.

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