Mouse Sequencing Consortium achieves major DNA milestone

In only six months, the Mouse Sequencing Consortium (MSC), an international public-private effort to accelerate the sequencing of the mouse genome, has generated enough DNA data to cover the mouse genome three times.

The consortium estimates that the sequence data represents at least 95 percent of the total complement of mouse DNA, and they are making the data freely available to researchers around the world.

"Through academia-industry cooperation, we have been able to create a resource in just a few months that will speed discovery in both mouse and human research. The data is out there for all to use," said Robert H. Waterston, M.D., Ph.D, the James S. McDonnell Professor and head of the Department of Genetics, professor of anatomy and neurobiology, and director of the Genome Sequencing Center at the School of Medicine.

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MedTV Isaiah Turnbull (left) and Jim Kelly perform "Patients," a parody of the Guns N' Roses song, "Patience," in teh Class of 2004 show. The production, held Saturday in Moore Auditorium, was a takeoff on cable channel MTV. Students Walter Chan and Celeste Chu directed the show, and Karen Zink served as producer.

Ludmerer receives national medical education honor

By Diane Duke Williams

Kenneth M. Ludmerer, M.D., professor of medicine and of history in Arts & Sciences, recently received the first Daniel C. Tosteson Award for Leadership in Medical Education.

The award recognizes major contributions to medical education at a national level and carries a $10,000 honorarium. It is given by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The award honors Daniel C. Tosteson, M.D., former dean of the faculty of Harvard Medical School and the creator of the New Pathway curriculum, a problem-solving, case-method approach to learning.

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Teitelbaum selected president of biology federation

By Gila Z. Reckess

Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D., has been selected as president-elect of the Federation of Amer-ican Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), effective July 1.

FASEB is the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States, representing 21 societies and having more than 60,000 members.

Teitelbaum, the Wilma and Roswell Messing Professor of Pathology at the School of Medicine, will serve as FASEB president from July 1, 2002, to July 1, 2003. He also is a pathologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and at the St. Louis Shriners' Hospital for Children.

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Town meeting to discuss human subjects

The School of Medicine will host a town meeting to discuss ethics and regulations of using human subjects in research from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. June 8, at the Eric P. Newman Education Center.

The meeting, titled "New Insights for Protection of Human Subjects," will include panel discussions on federal regulations, ethical considerations and case study presentations. Institutional review board members, chairs and administrators are welcome to attend, as are investigators, study coordinators, students and institutional officials.

The town meeting is jointly sponsored by the School of Medicine, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Saint Louis University and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Experts on human research from local health institutions as well as representatives from the Office of Human Research Protections, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration will speak.

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