DALLAS – Oct. 17, 2022 – The National Academy of Medicine contiguous announced the predetermination of 2 UT Southwestern Medical Center module members – Lora Hooper, Ph.D., Chair of Immunology, and Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research – 1 of the highest honors attainable successful the fields of wellness and medicine.
With their election, UT Southwestern present has 18 members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), on with 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, placing the instauration among the nation’s elite world aesculapian centers. Ten UTSW module members – including Drs. Hooper and Chen – are members of some organizations. Drs. Chen and Hooper are among UT Southwestern’s 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.
“The predetermination of Drs. Hooper and Chen to the National Academy of Medicine recognizes their contributions to our knowing of captious processes related to the body's immune effect to invasive bacteria oregon viruses,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern and subordinate of the National Academy of Medicine. “Dr. Hooper's enactment has led to discoveries of proteins that tin assistance combat disconnected intestinal infections portion Dr. Chen's discoveries identified a signaling pathway captious to the improvement of treatments for autoimmune diseases oregon cancer.”
New members are elected by existent members done a process that recognizes individuals who person made large contributions to the advancement of the aesculapian sciences, wellness care, and nationalist health. Drs. Chen and Hooper were elected astatine the Academy’s yearly gathering this week and volition beryllium inducted during ceremonies adjacent year.
“The predetermination of Drs. Hooper and Chen into the NAM continues the inclination of expanding designation of UT Southwestern arsenic 1 of the elite world aesculapian centers successful the satellite done its outstanding module and the interaction they marque successful advancing technological boundaries,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean, UT Southwestern Medical School.
Dr. Lora Hooper holds the Jonathan W. Uhr, M.D. Distinguished Chair successful Immunology and is the Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar successful Medical Research, successful Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell.
Dr. Hooper, who holds the Jonathan W. Uhr, M.D. Distinguished Chair successful Immunology and is the Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar successful Medical Research, successful Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell, is moving to recognize however nonmigratory intestinal bacteria power the biology of mammalian hosts. Dr. Hooper’s discoveries person helped explicate however a big peacefully coexists with the trillions of beneficial bacteria contiguous successful the intestinal tract and however these bacteria tin signifier immunological and metabolic functions successful their host.
The Hooper lab’s studies successful germ-free mice person led to the find of a fig of secreted antimicrobial proteins that termination bacteria, which connect to the intestinal surface. These proteins bounds the bacterial penetration of intestinal tissues and forestall infection. In ongoing work, her laboratory is utilizing biochemical and structural approaches to recognize the molecular mechanisms by which antimicrobial proteins termination bacteria. Her laboratory uses genetically engineered rodent models to find however intestinal epithelial cells consciousness bacterial penetration and nonstop immune responses that bounds bacterial entree to deeper big tissues. The Hooper laboratory has besides utilized germ-free mice to marque discoveries astir however gut bacteria beforehand abdominous absorption from the diet, which could assistance explicate however intestinal bacteria tin power the susceptibility to disorders specified arsenic diabetes, bosom disease, and obesity.
“I americium incredibly honored to beryllium elected to the National Academy of Medicine. This is truly a designation of the fantabulous and insightful enactment of my galore laboratory members implicit the years, and of the superb technological situation astatine UT Southwestern,” said Dr. Hooper, Chair and Professor of Immunology arsenic good arsenic a Professor of Microbiology and subordinate of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center astatine UTSW.
Dr. Zhijian Chen holds the George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair successful Biomedical Science.
Dr. Chen, who holds the George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair successful Biomedical Science, is broadly funny successful mechanisms of awesome transduction, namely however a compartment communicates with its surroundings and wrong itself and however a compartment detects harmful oregon overseas insults and mounts an due effect to reconstruct homeostasis. Specifically, Dr. Chen’s laboratory focuses connected ubiquitin signaling successful the NF-κB pathway and innate immune sensing and signaling of cytosolic DNA and RNA.
Dr. Chen’s probe into analyzable cellular biochemistry has led to the find of pathways and proteins that trigger immune and accent responses. Dr. Chen, who was awarded the Breakthrough Prize successful Life Sciences successful 2019, has identified proteins, specified arsenic the mitochondrial macromolecule MAVS, that are important to the body’s defence against RNA viruses specified arsenic influenza, Ebola, and SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Chen and his squad are dissecting a signaling pathway involving a caller DNA sensor – cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase, oregon cGAS – which activates an interferon effect that plays a captious relation successful immune defence against pathogens and malignant cells, arsenic good arsenic successful autoimmune diseases specified arsenic lupus. Treatment of these autoimmune diseases could impact chemic inhibition of cGAS, whereas cGAMP and its derivatives whitethorn beryllium utilized arsenic adjuvants for vaccines and crab immunotherapies.
“I americium precise honored and humbled to beryllium elected to the National Academy of Medicine. This is an endorsement that the discoveries made done the hard enactment of members of my laboratory person the imaginable to payment patients and amended health. I americium precise grateful to the UT Southwestern assemblage for the enactment that has enabled these discoveries,” said Dr. Chen, Professor of Molecular Biology, Director of the Center for Inflammation Research, and subordinate of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center astatine UTSW.
UT Southwestern’s distinguished module members
Since 1970, UT Southwestern has had 29 National Academy of Medicine members, opening with the 1970 enactment of Bryan Williams, M.D., and includes respective section chairs, 4 of UT Southwestern’s Nobel Laureates, and each 3 of UT Southwestern’s presidents. In summation to Drs. Chen and Hooper, existent National Academy of Medicine members astatine UT Southwestern and the twelvemonth of their induction are: Samuel Achilefu, Ph.D. (2021); Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. (2020); Sean Morrison, Ph.D. (2018); Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D. (2014); Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D. (2009); Bruce Beutler, M.D. (2008); Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D. (2006); Steven McKnight, Ph.D. (2005); Helen Hobbs, M.D. (2004); Eric Olson, Ph.D. (2001); Norman Gant, M.D. (2001); Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D. (1999); Carol Tamminga, M.D. (1998); Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D. (1995); Michael Brown, M.D. (1987); and Joseph Goldstein, M.D. (1987).
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, 1 of the nation’s premier world aesculapian centers, integrates pioneering biomedical probe with exceptional objective attraction and education. The institution’s module has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 18 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time module of much than 2,900 is liable for groundbreaking aesculapian advances and is committed to translating science-driven probe rapidly to caller objective treatments. UT Southwestern physicians supply attraction successful much than 80 specialties to much than 100,000 hospitalized patients, much than 360,000 exigency country cases, and oversee astir 4 cardinal outpatient visits a year.
English (US)