Category: Brigham Research Institute

The Brigham Research Institute (BRI) supports researchers at the Brigham through scientific collaboration, communication, and funding.

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Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Event Recap News

7th Annual Obesity Incubator Session Event Recap

On Monday, March 26th, clinicians and researchers convened at the 7th Annual Obesity Incubator Session hosted by the Cardiovascular, Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders (CVDM) Research Center of the Brigham Research Institute to address the significant challenges associated with this public health crisis. The goal of the event was to promote cross-collaborative research and stimulate new ideas for further investigation in the fields of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Rudy Leibel, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at Columbia University, has focused his research on the genetics of obesity and noninsulin-dependent diabetes. He delivered a thought provoking presentation describing the innovative methods his lab has employed using stem cells to elucidate the genetic basis of human metabolic diseases.  Special guest speaker, Dr. Rachel Carmody, Assistant Professor in Human Evolutionary Biology and Director of the Nutritional & Microbial Ecology Laboratory at Harvard University, captivated audiences with her research on the gut microbiome and how it responds to diet. Her unique perspective and approach to understanding human metabolism considers the human body as an ecosystem and combines experimental techniques from evolutionary biology, nutrition, physiology, microbiology, and metagenomics.

To begin this 7th Annual Obesity Incubator, Dr. Leibel and Dr. Carmody’s presentations were preceded by three short talks selected from the research community: Instructor, Deirdre Tobias, Sc.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Assistant Professor, Laura Holsen, Ph.D. from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Postdoctoral Fellow, J. Humberto Trevino-Villarreal, M.D., Ph.D., from Harvard School of Public Health.

The subsequent poster session featured ­­21 research projects from assistant professors, instructors, and postdoctoral researchers/clinical fellows. These posters displayed current work in obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, drawing in a large crowd of people that initiated many enthusiastic conversations among the scientific community. While the judges had a hard decision to make with the impressive breadth of abstracts, they, ultimately, chose to award three researchers that stood out among the rest; Postdoctoral Fellow ­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jingyi Qian, Ph.D. from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Postdoctoral Fellow Mehmet Furkan Burak, M.D. from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and Instructor Samir Softic, M.D. from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Agenda

Invited Speakers

Dietary sensitivity of the gut microbiome: considerations for metabolic disease
Rachel Carmody, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Stem cell-based strategies to elucidate human metabolic disease
Rudolph L. Leibel, MD., Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Columbia University

 

Selected Speakers

Circulating Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in a Prospective Cohort of US Women
Deirdre K. Tobias*, Patrick R. Lawler, Paulo H. Harada, Olga V. Demler, Paul M Ridker, JoAnn E. Manson, Susan Cheng, Samia Mora

Hypothalamic and nucleus accumbens cerebral blood flow vary as a function of long-term carbohydrate-to-fat ratio diets
Laura M. Holsen*, Hilal Cerit, Belinda Lennerz, Scott Hoge, Taryn Hye, Priyanka Moondra, Jill M. Goldstein, Cara B. Ebbeling, and David Ludwig


Activation of an hepatic CREBH-ApoA5 axis increases peripheral VLDL-triglyceride clearance in response to dietary protein restriction
J Humberto Treviño-Villarreal*, Justin Reynolds, Alex Bartelt, Kent Langston, Michael MacArthur, Sarah Mitchell, Kaspar Trocha, Joerg Heeren, C. Keith Ozaki, Luigi Fontana, and James R. Mitchell

 Poster Winners

Sex differences in the effects of circadian misalignment on appetite hormones and substrate utilization
Jingyi Qian*, Rosanna Caputo, Christopher J Morris, Frank AJL Scheer


A Monoclonal anti- aP2 Antibody treats type 2 diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
M. Furkan Burak*, Karen Inouye, Ariel White, Alexandra Lee, Gurol Tuncman, Ediz S. Calay, Motohiro Sekiya, Amir Tirosh, Kosei Eguchi, Gabriel Birrane, Helen Neale, Carl Doyle, Adrian Moore, and Gökhan S. Hotamisligil


Dietary Sugars Alter Fatty Acid Oxidation and Mitochondrial Function in Part Via Hyperacetylation of Mitochondrial Proteins in Liver
Samir Softic*, Jesse G. Meyer, Guo-Xiao Wang, Manoj K. Gupta, Hans P.M.M. Lauritzen, Shiho Fujisaka, Dolors Serra, Laura Herrero, Jennifer Willoughby, Kevin Fitzgerald, Olga Ilkayeva, Christopher B. Newgard, Bradford W. Gibson, Birgit Schilling, David E. Cohen, C. Ronald Kahn.

*Denotes that this person was the poster presenter/speaker

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Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Event Recap Events News

6th Annual Obesity Research Incubator Session Recap

6th Annual Obesity Research Incubator Session

Friday, April 28, 2017

The Cardiovascular, Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders (CVDM) Research Center hosted their sixth annual obesity incubator session on Friday, April 28th, 1 – 4PM. The goal of this session is to bring together BWH clinicians and researchers working in the fields of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, to address this challenging public health crisis by promoting cross-collaborative research efforts and stimulating new ideas for further investigation.

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Event Recap Lung Research News

3rd Annual Lung Research Symposium

April 3, 2017 – Cabot Atrium

Faculty and trainees came together for the Lung Research Center’s annual symposium on Monday, April 3rd to highlight lung research from across the Brigham, including the Channing Division of Network Medicine, the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the division of Thoracic Surgery.

Keynoting the event was Scott T. Weiss, MD, Scientific Director of Mass General Brigham Personalized Medicine, who encouraged junior investigators to move beyond the specific scientific fields in which they were trained to acquire the necessary skills to take on large, interdisciplinary projects. Dr. Weiss’ tour de force into the effects of Vitamin D on diseases such as asthma and preeclampsia was built on research spanning the gap from basic to clinical research in the fields of genetics, bioinformatics, epidemiology and immunology.

Highlighting the power of such comprehensive studies, Dr. Weiss reminded everyone that “…in 2000, when the human genome was mapped, Dr. Claude Lenfant, then Director of NHLBI, said that asthma would never be prevented. Today, 17 years later, we are on the verge of doing just that.”

Scott T. Weiss, MD, Scientific Director, Mass General Brigham Personalized Medicine

The poster session, featuring 38 research projects from junior faculty and trainees drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. Among all the outstanding work that was presented, three researchers stood out and were awarded with a $1000 cash prize: Patrick Burkett, MD, PhD, Instructor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Rachel Kelly, PhD, Research Fellow in the Channing Division of Network Medicine; and Moshe Lapidot, MD, Research Fellow in Thoracic Surgery.

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Brigham Research Institute News

Elizabeth Henske, MD, is the New Director of the Brigham Research Institute

We are pleased to announce that as of October 1, 2016, Elizabeth (Lisa) Henske, MD, is the newest director of the Brigham Research Institute (BRI).  Lisa has previously been co-director of the BRI and will serve as BRI Director for the next two years.

Lisa is best known for her groundbreaking discovery that mutations in the TSC2 gene cause the sporadic form of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM).  This provided the foundation for pivotal clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors for the treatment of LAM.   Her laboratory has also discovered that autophagy plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and therapy of LAM, leading to an ongoing clinical trial called the “SAIL” trial:  Sirolimus and Autophagy Inhibition in LAM.

Visit her laboratory website to learn more about her research.

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Musculoskeletal News

Meet Our MSK Interns: Anthony Aggouras

Anthony Aggouras is a sophomore at the Rochester Institute of Technology and is studying biomedical engineering. This summer, he is working with Nicholas Leigh, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow working in the Whited Lab. This lab focuses on genome classification and the biology of limb regeneration in axolotls. Anthony is interesting in improving the medical field and forming connections between research and clinical work. He hopes to make a positive impact on his lab and gain experience in understanding the nuances of research. He is especially excited to study the biological factors of regeneration and witness the biological phenomena of limb regeneration among highly skilled and knowledgeable researchers. He hopes to continue research after graduation with the goal of creating improved medical treatments.

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Musculoskeletal News

Meet Our MSK Interns: Anna Nachbor

Anna Nachbor is a junior at Carleton College majoring in biology. This summer, she is working in the Shadick lab under the guidance of Nancy Shadick, MD, MPH, and focusing on rheumatoid arthritis. Specifically, she is working on the BRASS project, which assesses genetic markers as a means of predicting how severe a case of arthritis is or will be and how individuals will respond to different treatments. Her interests include both the clinical and research aspects of immunology and epidemiology, and she hopes that through this internship, she will gain invaluable and tangible research experience. She anticipates that the most difficult part of her internship will be mastering the already-established workflow. However, she is excited to explore the patient aspect of research and plans to pursue an MD/PhD program after graduation, focusing on medical research.

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Musculoskeletal News

Meet Our MSK Interns: Adel Andemeskel

Adel Andemeskel is a senior at Stanford University majoring in biology. This summer, she is working with Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH, a rheumatologist at the Brigham. They are working together to study biomarkers that help identify the development of rheumatoid arthritis and the effects of psychosocial factors, such as stress and depression, on the outcome of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Adel is interested in the effects of disparities, such as ethnicity as socioeconomic status, on a patient’s overall health and well being and is excited to work at the Brigham, which attracts such a diverse patient population. She is most excited to attend the various conferences and events that Brigham offers and challenge herself in the clinical setting. In the future, Adel hopes to work in a community clinic, working with undeserved populations and doing research.

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Musculoskeletal News

Meet Our MSK Interns: Isaac Donnell

Isaac Donnell, a third year chemistry major at Carleton College, is working with Jeffrey Duryea, PhD, researching quantitative musculoskeletal imaging group (Q-MIG) to provide a more quantitative analysis of osteoarthritis severity. He is interested in medical research and surgery and hopes throughout his internship that he will gain insight into the field and learn more about the inner workings of the hospital and research laboratories. Having not had much experience with osteoarthritis and the process of medical imaging, Isaac is excited to learn more about both through hands-on experience. Before applying to medical school (or possibly an MD/PhD program), Isaac hopes to work in a research laboratory for at least a year, but is open to other options as well.

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Musculoskeletal News

Brigham Musculoskeletal Research Internship Program

The Brigham Musculoskeletal (MSK) Internship Program, launched for the first time this summer, offers undergraduate students the opportunity to gain experience working in cutting-edge musculoskeletal research laboratories under the guidance of experienced mentors.

Five undergraduate students were chosen to participate in this 8-week program, which began in late June, each of whom was assigned a Brigham researcher as their mentor.

Each day this week, we will be introducing our MSK interns, their scientific interests, what they have been researching with their mentors, and what they hope to have gained from this experience at the completion of their internship.

Above is a photo from the MSK Welcome Luncheon featuring (from left to right): Adel Andemeskel, Anna Nachbor, Anthony Aggouras, Janis Lee, Isaac Donnell, and Jeffrey Duryea, PhD.

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Brigham Research Institute Departments Event Recap News

Brigham Research Institute Celebrates 10th Anniversary

A large banner displaying the names of all award recipients from the BRI over the first ten years of the organization.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 5PM, Cabot Atrium

The Brigham Research Institute (BRI) capped off a decade of supporting discovery and innovation last week with a celebration honoring its community and accomplishments. At a reception in Cabot Atrium on June 1, 2016, members of the research community gathered to share food and drink and hear remarks from the BRI’s past and current directors.

“The Brigham Research Institute was originally conceived of as an experiment. Today, it is a powerful force of collaboration.”

Thomas Kupper, MD, Chair, Department of Dermatology, Inaugural Director of the Brigham Research Institute

Kupper highlighted research funding programs, such as the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence (FSRE), which provides interim support to sustain research projects that are likely to receive federal funding in the future. Through the FSRE, the BRI has distributed more than $6 million to 95 investigators. In turn, award recipients have used that to attain more than $200 million in funding.

“I’m proud to have launched the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence (FSRE) and to have been on the committee that hired our Executive Director, Jacqueline M. Slavik, PhD, MMSc.

Thomas Kupper, MD, Chair, Department of Dermatology, Inaugural Director of the Brigham Research Institute

In total, the BRI has distributed more than $10 million in awards since 2006 through the FSRE, micro-grants and other competitive funding programs, such as the BRI Director’s $500K Transformative Award, BRIght Futures Fund and BWH Health & Technology Innovation Fund.

Slavik, who has served as executive director since the BRI launched, introduced each of the BRI’s past and present directors, including Kupper, Cynthia Morton, PhD, Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD (in absentia), Christine Seidman, PhD, and Richard Blumberg, MD, who highlighted milestones and achievements from their tenure as directors.

During the celebration, attendees were encouraged to submit one-word answers to the question, “What does the BRI mean to you?” By providing this feedback to the BRI, attendees could be entered into a raffle for prizes.