Driven by discovery
A spirit of innovation permeates the labs at UT Southwestern, inspiring everybody from graduate students just starting their careers to seasoned professors. That infectious desire to advance science drives UT Southwestern’s reputation for breakthroughs.
This past year offered more proof, including findings that healthy intestinal bacteria can boost the effect of certain immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer, while research using CRISPR gene editing led to a better understanding of how the virus responsible for COVID-19 replicates.
Recognition of research excellence likewise continued, including a Horwitz Prize win, the election of two faculty members to the National Academy of Sciences and one to the National Academy of Medicine, a TAMEST honor, and receipt of an NCI grant for cancer investigation.
Continuing to embrace technology in science, UT Southwestern opened the Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building in the fall. The facility houses the innovative Department of Biomedical Engineering, which launched in 2022 and where ideas for improving health and understanding are realized through technology-driven clinical and biological solutions.
Recognizing research excellence
Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, won the 2023 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for his groundbreaking work on innate immunity. The Horwitz Prize is awarded by Columbia University for outstanding contributions to basic research in biology or biochemistry. Nearly half of the scientists who have received the Horwitz Prize over the past 56 years have subsequently won Nobel Prizes. The honor marked a second significant win for Dr. Chen, who received the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
Two UTSW faculty members were elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors for American scientists. The inductions of Russell DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics, and Duojia “DJ” Pan, Chair of Physiology, grew UTSW’s total NAS membership to 26 – more than any institution in Texas. Dr. DeBose-Boyd specializes in research on cholesterol regulation, while Dr. Pan studies molecular mechanisms of growth control and tissue homeostasis.
Catherine Spong, M.D., Chair and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in recognition of her contributions to the field of maternal-fetal medicine, her leadership in women’s health research, and her dedication to advancing health care for mothers and babies. With Dr. Spong’s election, UT Southwestern has 21 members of NAM – more than any other institution in Texas.
Jinming Gao, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and Pharmacology, has been selected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his efforts to develop innovative nanotechnology platforms to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Gao, who holds 16 U.S. patents and 72 foreign patents, is the fourth UTSW faculty member to be named a fellow of the NAI.
James Collins III, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology, received the 2023 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) for broadening understanding of schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic worms that infects hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people, including children. Dr. Collins is the 16th UTSW scientist to receive an O’Donnell Award since the program was created to recognize early-career scientists in 2006.
The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved use of belzutifan for treatment of metastatic kidney cancer, a first-in-class kidney cancer drug arising from UT Southwestern research. Following discovery of the HIF-2α gene at UTSW, scientists solved the HIF-2α protein structure, pinpointing a potential vulnerability and identifying therapeutic targets. The UTSW team established Peloton Therapeutics, which developed the drug and was later acquired by Merck. Belzutifan is sold under the brand name Welireg.
Todd Aguilera, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, was named one of 11 inaugural Cancer Moonshot Scholars. The national program honors early-career investigators identified as emerging leaders in cancer research and innovation. Dr. Aguilera, a radiation oncologist with expertise in molecular engineering, molecular imaging, and tumor immunology, will receive nearly $3.3 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) over five years for research seeking new rectal cancer treatments.
Healthy bacteria can escape the intestine, travel to lymph nodes and cancerous tumors, and then boost the effectiveness of certain immunotherapy drugs. These findings, from the labs of Andrew Y. Koh, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Lora Hooper, Ph.D., Chair of Immunology, and Bret Evers, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, shed light on why antibiotics weaken the effect of immunotherapies and may lead to new, more effective cancer treatments.
Using a CRISPR screening strategy, the labs of John Schoggins, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology, and Joshua Mendell, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, revealed how frameshifting is key to the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Since frameshifting is used by several other viruses, a better understanding of this process may enhance our research on other viral diseases beyond COVID-19. These findings were published in Cell Reports.
Bringing biotech to market
Two faculty members have received an award designed to move new technologies to market, in this case for their investigative work involving kidney disease and cancer. Vishal Patel, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, and Michael Buszczak, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, will share the $100,000 UTSW Biotech+ at Pegasus Park Commercialization Milestone Award made possible through a collaboration of the UTSW Office for Technology Development, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, and Jun Il Kwun of Actium Group.
Publishing exceptional investigative work
- Genetic editing averts damage in mice after heart attacks
Editing a gene that causes cardiovascular disease reversed this course in mice, leaving their hearts unharmed. The UTSW study using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing was led by Eric Olson, Ph.D., Chair of Molecular Biology, and Rhonda Bassel-Duby, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology. The findings, published in Science, could lead to a new strategy to protect patients from heart disease.
- A mechanism for counteracting the effects of alcohol intoxication
UTSW scientists discovered an agent that reverses the impact of alcohol poisoning in a study published in Cell Metabolism. The hormone FGF21 speeds recovery in mice and has the potential to save lives. David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., Chair of Pharmacology, Steven Kliewer, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, and Mihwa Choi, Ph.D., Instructor of Pharmacology, led the study.
- Intestinal bacteria release molecular ‘brake’ on weight gain
Bacteria that live in the intestines inhibit a molecule that limits the amount of fat absorbed, increasing weight gain in mice fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet, researchers from UTSW report. The findings, published in Science, could eventually lead to new ways to combat obesity, diabetes, and malnutrition – health problems that plague hundreds of millions worldwide. Lora Hooper, Ph.D., Chair of Immunology, co-led the study.
- Cryo-electron microscopy reveals rare in-action views of enzyme involved in common cancers
UT Southwestern scientists used cutting-edge technologies to obtain rare in-action views of a human enzyme involved in several common tumors, including those of the lung and liver. The study in Nature by Yunsun Nam, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biochemistry, involved cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography.
Expanding a scientific enterprise
On the heels of last year’s opening of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Biomedical Research Building, this year UT Southwestern added space for the Department of Biomedical Engineering, affirming its commitment to discovery.
