January 22, 2008
2007 Research Highlights
NIH has nearly 6,000 NIH staff scientists and supports more than
325,000 researchers with competitive grants to all 50 states, the
territories and more than 90 countries around the world. Here's
just a small sampling of the accomplishments made by NIH-supported
scientists in 2007.
Clinical Breakthroughs
Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Disease
Established
Drug Bests Newcomer in Treating Female Infertility
Researchers reported that infertility arising from polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS) is better treated with an established ovulation-inducing
drug (clomiphene) than with an increasingly popular alternative
(metformin). The NIH-funded study was the largest, most comprehensive
effort to date comparing the 2 drugs' abilities to promote pregnancy
in women with PCOS, a hormonal disorder that affects about 1
in 15 women and is the leading cause of infertility.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Inhaled
Steroids Best Treatment for Children With Asthma
An NIH-funded study tested the effectiveness and safety
of 3 different asthma medicines in nearly 300 school-age children.
The scientists found that inhaled corticosteroids are the most
effective initial daily therapy for children with mild to moderate
persistent asthma.
Research
Matters | PubMed
MRI
Increases Detection of Second Cancer in Opposite Breast
When a woman is newly diagnosed with cancer in one breast,
there's up to a 10% chance that clinical exams and mammography
will miss a tumor growing in the opposite breast. An NIH-funded
study found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help to
detect these overlooked cancers in the opposite breast at the
time of initial diagnosis, which may also lead to earlier treatment.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Depressed
Adolescents Respond Best to Combination Treatment
A major clinical trial found that a combination of antidepressant
medication and “talk therapy,” or psychotherapy,
appears to be more effective for treating teens with major depressive
disorder than medication or psychotherapy alone. The NIH-funded
study enrolled 439 adolescents who had major depression. At both
4 months and 9 months after therapy began, response rates to
the combination treatment significantly outpaced the 2 single-treatment
approaches.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Lower
Sodium Decreases Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk
Several studies had already shown that lowering your salt intake
helps to prevent high blood pressure, or hypertension. But a
new NIH-funded analysis found that less sodium can also prevent
heart disease. The researchers examined clinical trial data from
studies of more than 3,000 adults with pre-hypertension. Men
and women who reduced their salt intake had a 25% lower risk
of total cardiovascular disease over the next 10 to 15 years.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Diagnosing
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is rarely diagnosed before 3 years of age, but
the sooner it is identified and treated the better the outcome
for the child. NIH-supported scientists found that it's possible
to detect autism in some children as young as 14 months of age,
the earliest the disorder has ever been diagnosed. In other children,
definite signs of autism can be seen by about 2, the researchers
said. Their diagnoses were based on close assessment of the children's
social and communication skills.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Vaccine
Shows Promise in Preventing Hepatitis E
An experimental vaccine—originally created and
tested over the past 2 decades by NIH scientists—appears
safe and effective in preventing hepatitis E, a sometimes-deadly
viral disease prevalent in developing countries. A clinical trial
involving nearly 2,000 healthy adults in Nepal, where the virus
is widespread, found that the vaccine was nearly 96% effective
in preventing hepatitis E during a follow-up period of about
2 years.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Treating
Depression in Patients with Bipolar Disorder
Patients with bipolar disorder have severe mood swings between
mania and depression. Treatment typically involves mood-stabilizing
drugs like lithium or valproate. Two separate reports—both
part of a large-scale NIH-funded study of bipolar disorder—looked
at how well patients with depression responded when additional
treatments were added to their mood-stabilizing therapy. One
found that adding an antidepressant medication was no more effective
than a sugar pill in reducing depression. (NIH
press release | PubMed).
The other reported that patients tended to get well faster and
stay well if they received intensive psychotherapy for several
months. (NIH
press release | PubMed).
Promising Medical Advances
Findings with Potential for Enhancing Human Health
Soaking
Up Toxic Protein to Stop Alzheimer's Disease
Scientists used a variant version of a protein called sLRP to
soak up a toxic protein from the bloodstream and prevent its
buildup in the brains of mice. The toxic protein, called amyloid-beta,
forms dense deposits in the brain called plaques that have been
linked to the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The NIH-funded
researchers studied a strain of mice known to develop Alzheimer-like
symptoms. Mice treated with the sLRP variant protein had improved
learning and memory, and amyloid-beta plaques in their brains
were reduced by about 90%.
Research
Matters | PubMed
New
Risk Factors Identified for Type 2 Diabetes
A collaborative effort by 3 international research teams uncovered
new clues about why some people develop type 2 diabetes and others
don't. The research relied on a relatively new method, called
a genome-wide association study, which rapidly and cost effectively
analyzes and compares genetic differences between people with
and without specific illnesses. The scientists identified 4 new
genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes and confirmed 6 other
genetic variants previously associated with the disease.
Research
Matters | PubMed
1 | PubMed
2 | PubMed
3
Gene
Variants That Help Control HIV Infection
The first genome-wide association study of an infectious disease,
conducted by an international group of researchers and funded
in part by NIH, offered a new understanding of why some people
can suppress virus levels following HIV infection. The scientists
identified several genetic variants associated with the amount
of virus, or viral load, in a patient's bloodstream. Other variants
were linked to disease progression. The findings provide new
avenues for developing vaccines and improved therapies to fight
HIV infection.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Second-Generation
Map of Human Genetic Variation
The International HapMap Consortium published analyses of its
second-generation map of human genetic variation, which contains
more than 3.1 million genetic variants—3 times the number
reported in the initial HapMap of 2005. The new HapMap includes
DNA data from 4 diverse populations, based in Nigeria, China,
Japan and Utah in the United States. The improved HapMap will
help researchers find DNA variants that influence the risk of
disease and other traits.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Lack
of Sleep Disrupts Brain's Emotional Controls
Experience tells us that sleepless nights can lead to overwrought
emotions. Now NIH-funded scientists have a better understanding
of why this occurs. Their imaging studies showed that lack of
sleep can lead to greater activation of the brain's emotional
centers and disrupt the brain circuits that tame emotional responses.
The findings suggest that sleep restores the brain's emotional
circuits and prepares people for the next day's challenges and
social interactions.
Research
Matters | PubMed
HIV's
Potential Weak Spot
Scientists identified a tiny, unchanging region on an AIDS virus
protein that may be the key to neutralizing the virus. A multi-site
research team, including NIH scientists, used X-ray crystallography
to take detailed 3-D snapshots of an antibody grabbing onto this
stable viral region, which HIV uses to latch onto and infect
T cells. The discovery of this potential viral weak spot could
have a profound impact on the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Predicting
Future Bird Flu Mutations
To foretell how the avian flu virus might one day jump from birds
to humans, NIH scientists have been looking at the molecular
shapes of viral molecules to see how they latch onto cells. They
found that just 2 mutations to the viral H5 protein could change
the shape in a binding region and make it easier for the avian
H5N1 virus to latch onto human cells. These studies could help
researchers prepare vaccines and therapies against deadly flu
viruses before they mutate and begin to spread in the human population.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Stem
Cell Treatment Repairs Damaged Rat Hearts
NIH-funded researchers developed a procedure for repairing damaged
rat hearts by using cells generated in a dish from human embryonic
stem cells. When the human-derived cells were implanted into
the damaged hearts of rats, new heart muscle was incorporated
into the heart tissue within a month. Further testing showed
that the treatment thickened the heart's walls and improved their
ability to contract. The accomplishment brings scientists a step
closer to a treatment for people who have had heart attacks.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Insights from the Lab
Exciting Advances in Basic Research
Versatile
Human Stem Cells Created Without Embryos
By modifying only 4 genes in human skin cells, NIH-supported
researchers found that they could "reprogram" the cells
to give them the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. This
major advance could open doors to innovative therapies in the
future, where people's own cells might be reprogrammed and used
to repair their damaged tissues and organs. The breakthrough
might also eventually put to rest the ethical controversy surrounding
stem cells.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Embryonic
Stem Cell Milestone Achieved in Primates
Researchers achieved a major milestone in embryonic stem cell
research, isolating embryonic stem cells for the first time from
a cloned primate embryo. The scientists, funded by NIH, showed
that the stem cells could turn into heart or nerve cells in the
laboratory and had other characteristics of established embryonic
stem cell lines. The technique, if developed in humans, could
potentially be used to make personalized stem cells to treat
diseases without worry of rejection by the patient's immune system.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Tracking
Neural Progenitor Cells in the Human Brain
Scientists developed the first noninvasive technique for detecting
neural progenitor cells in the living human brain. Neural progenitor
cells give birth to neurons and other types of brain cells. This
new imaging method may eventually point to improved treatments
and diagnostics for a host of brain-related disorders, including
depression, Parkinson's disease and brain tumors.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Structure
of Common Drug Target Unveiled
More than 40 years after beta blockers were first used clinically,
NIH-funded scientists finally got a close-up, 3-dimensional look
at the drugs' molecular target: the β2-adrenergic
receptor. The receptor is one of a family of proteins called
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which carry signals across
the cell membrane. GPCRs control critical bodily functions, several
of our senses and the action of about half of today's pharmaceuticals.
Better understanding of the receptor's molecular shape promises
to help speed the discovery of new drugs and illuminate many
aspects of human health and disease.
Research
Matters | PubMed
1 | PubMed
2
Brain
Connections Revealed
Using a clever genetic trick to generate dozens of different
colors, NIH-supported researchers visualized hundreds of cells
and their connections to each other in the brain. The scientists
developed DNA constructs, which they call “Brainbows,” that
randomly rearrange themselves to activate genes for different-colored
fluorescent proteins. When the researchers created transgenic
mice with Brainbows, individual neurons in the brain had distinctive
colors, allowing them to accurately trace specific cells and
their interactions with each other. This new tool will help scientists
better understand how the brain and nervous system work.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Monkey
Genome Gives Insight into Humans
An international team of more than 170 scientists sequenced the
genome of the rhesus macaque monkey and compared it to both the
chimpanzee and human genomes. Their analysis revealed that the
3 primate species share about 93% of their DNA. The team also
identified nearly 200 genes that appear to play key roles in
differences between the species. These include genes involved
in hair formation, the immune response and cell communication.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Proteins
Pair to Form Crucial Hearing Structure
NIH scientists and their collaborators identified 2 proteins
that appear to pair up at the precise location in the ear where
sound vibrations are turned into electrical signals. The investigators
also showed that a known deafness-causing mutation seemed to
disrupt interactions between the 2 proteins, called cadherin
23 and protocadherin 15. The findings may eventually help scientists
develop more precise treatments for hearing loss, a condition
that affects more than 32 million people in the United States
alone.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Genetically
Altered Mice See a More Colorful World
By giving mice the gene that allows people to see red
hues, scientists created rodents that can see a wider range of
colors. Mouse eyes normally have only 2 types of light-detecting
photoreceptors, sensitive to blue and green light. NIH-funded
scientists created genetically engineered mice that also had
photoreceptors for red light, which are found in most primates.
Tests showed that the altered mice could perceive different colors
better than normal mice. The study suggests that the brains of
mammals can quickly adapt to new sensory information. It also
provides clues to the evolution of color vision.
Research
Matters | PubMed