As of June 1995, the Research Foundation has funded a total of 48 years of research by residents and young clinicians. Please see the sidebar to this article which details some of the accomplishments of these brilliant individuals. The AANS membership, through generous donations, may proudly claim much of the responsibility for making these awards a reality.
At the April 24 Convocation held during the AANS Annual Meeting in Orlando, I had the pleasure of introducing the awardees who were coming to the conclusion of their Research Foundation funding cycle. Following are brief summaries of their work.
1993 Research Foundation Research Fellow
John Paul Elliott, MD
University of Washington
Sponsor: William Catterall, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
Project Title: Function of the Neuronal Type I Sodium Channel
Dr. Elliott has worked with techniques of molecular biology and molecular genetics in the generation of recombinant mouse models. His goal was to study the function of the neuronal type I sodium channel by using this animal model with a targeted gene disruption of the type I sodium channel gene, with particular reference to the relationship of repetitive firing in the hippocampal pyramidal neuron and its effect on signals throughout in a polysynaptic pathway. This study is ongoing and the results will help in our understanding of epilepsy and functional disorders.
1994 Research Foundation Young Clinician Investigator
R. Loch Macdonald, MD, PhD, FRCS
The University of Chicago
Sponsor: Bryce Weir, MD, Chairman of Neurosurgery, The University of Chicago
Project Title: Role of Free Radicals in Pathogenesis of Vasospasm Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Dr. Macdonald initially studied the relationship between oxygen-derived free radical and vasospasm. In his research he was able to support his hypothesis that vasospasm can be caused by oxygen-derived free radicals in the subarachnoid space after subarachnoid hemorrhage. In a related study, Dr. Macdonald worked on the hypothesis that free radicals may mediate vasospasm by an increase in the intracellular calcium in smooth muscle cells. Prolonged elevations in intracellular calcium was found. Further investigations are required to determine the mechanisms of these effects and whether other free radical generating systems elevate intracellular calcium in smooth muscle cells.
1994 Research Foundation Young Clinician Investigator
Donald M. O’Rourke, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Sponsor: Mark I. Green, MD, PhD, Head of the Center for Receptor Biology and Cell Growth Pathology, University of Pennsylvania
Project Title: Novel Receptor-Based Strategies for the Delivery of Genes into Neural Cells
Dr. O’Rourke’s research has targeted EGFr in human glioblastoma cells with the delivery of dominant-negative mutant cDNAs of the erbB family which block EGFr-mediated signal transaction. Preliminary observations suggest that cells transfected with the mutant cDNAs have a decreased proliferative capacity when compared to untransfected, wild-type glioblastomas cells. Dr. O’Rourke also utilizes ligand-poly-lysine complexes for the delivery of cDNAs rather than recombinant viral particles. Early results indicate that this strategy affects the formation of complexes which are non-toxic to cells and capable of delivering cDNAs at moderate efficiency.
1994 Research Foundation Young Clinician Investigator
Abbas F. Sadikot, MD, PhD, FRCS
Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University
Sponsor: Andre Olivier, MD, PhD, FRCS, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief, Montreal Neurological Hospital
Project Title: Participation of Excitatory Amino Acids and Growth Factors in Pattern Formation in the Mammalian Central Nervous System
Dr. Sadikot has been investigating the role of neurotransmitters and growth factors in the development of striatal neuroarchitecture. He has used the thalamostriatal system as a model for this study. His hypothesis is that excitatory amino acids and growth factors play a complementary role in the survival of neurons in the developing central nervous system. Experimental methods include lesion studies, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and “in situ” hybridization. His studies help to elucidate fundamental mechanisms that allow complex, well-organized patterns to form in the central nervous system and are relevant to the use of cell transplantation techniques in restorative neurosurgery.