News & Events

Learn about current studies at the monthly CHG Research Conference

• Epigenetics and Epigenomics have potential to significantly impact basic and translational research. These exciting fields form the basis of the inaugural Duke Epigenetics and Epigenomics colloquium that will be held on Wednesday the 26th of October in Schiciano auditorium (CIEMAS) from 9:00am to 12:00pm. The colloquium will feature five talks from Duke scientists who are investigating sequence-independent mechanisms of gene regulation, including locus-specific epigenetic and more widespread epigenomic phenomena. We are also announcing a call for poster presentations highlighting the breadth of existing epigenetics/epigenomics research at Duke from 12:00-1:30 in the foyer of the auditorium following the talks - a buffet lunch will be provided to colloquium attendees and presenters.
  
  The colloquium and following poster session, which are generously supported by the Duke School of Medicine, are intended to be broadly interdisciplinary and interdepartmental and are open to all Duke Scientists who actively participate in epigenetics and epigenomics research, or who are simply interested in the field. It is intended that the event will act as a springboard for launching a more formalized group of likeminded Duke scientists called the Duke Epigenetics and Epigenomics Program (DEEP), initially through a series of monthly DEEP meetings. The focus of the colloquium, and the over-arching DEEP program, will be to provide a fertile environment for the growth of collaborative epigenetics/epigenomics research and program grants at Duke.
  
  We request that poster presenters submit an abstract with their RSVP as a booklet will be distributed at the colloquium.
  
  
• Svati Shah, MD, a CHG Faculty Member and assistant professor of medicine in Cardiology, will receive the Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation from the American Philosophical Society.
  
  "This is a true honor and I really appreciate the Department of Medicine nominating me for this award," said Dr. Shah. "I will use the $20,000 honorarium to support some whole exome sequencing work that is currently unfunded."
  
  Shah will receive the prize at the APS annual meeting in Philadelphia in November 2011.
  
  
• Metabolomics research yields a chemical fingerprint that Duke researchers hope will provide reliable indicators of heart disease and diabetes. Read about how current studies at the CHG and Duke are working to make this a reality.
  
  
• Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have pinpointed a common gene variant in blacks that may be associated with the development of life-threatening heart arrhythmias. The finding may help determine which patients are likely to benefit most from implantable cardio-defibrillators (ICDs). The study includes patients from a Duke Electrophysiology Genetic and Genomic Study biorepository developed by CHG faculty member Svati Shah. Read more about the study here.
  
  
• The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) inducted four researchers from Duke University Medical Center out of the field of 70 2011 winners, including CHG faculty member Michelle Winn, MD. Dr Winn works to learn more about the genetic basis of hereditary focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and her team recently discovered the transient receptor potential cation channel, type 6 (TRPC6) as a cause for hereditary FSGS.
  
  
• Dr. Svati Shah, a CHG faculty member, is part of team to looking to discover metabolic predictors for diabetes. Read more here.
  
  
• CHG researcher Allison-Ashley-Koch and Genetic Counselor Heidi Cope aim to identify the genetic links in Anencephaly. Two recent articles appeared in the Raleigh News and Observer: Diet rich in folic acid greatly reduces defect's chances and The struggles of a couple whose baby will not survive Anencephaly
  
  
• Research by Dr. Simon Gregory on epigentic markers and autism as highlighted in a recent NY Times article.
  
  
• Dr. Svati Shah is showcased in the August Duke Global Health Institute's Faces of Global Health.
  
  
• Dr. Simon Gregory hosts the 7th Duke Bioinformatics Workshop. The workshop takes place August 16-19, 2010 on the Duke campus. Please peruse the Workshop web page for information.
  
  
• Goldie Byrd, a research adjunct faculty member in the Duke Department of Medicine, discusses her research on Alzheimer Disease in the African-American population. Read the article here.
  
  
• CHG researchers have identified a new >genetic signature that is strongly associated with autism. The research targets oxytocin receptor expression and may lead to ways to identify and treat people with autism. Read the news release here.
  
  Several news agencies including ABC news and MSN Health and Fitness have covered the breakthrough nationally.
  
  
• Sarah Nelson describes CHG Chiari Research. The CHG is poised to begin a promising research agenda aimed at discovering the genetic cause of Chiari Type I Malformation. Read the article here.
  
  
• In May 2009, Dr. Terri Young was honored as a Silver Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) for her accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the association. As a fellow, the association anticipates she will continue to advance vision disorder research, prevention and cure. She is also expected to continue to serve as a role model and mentor of individuals pursuing careers in vision and ophthalmology research.
  
  Additionally, Dr. Young was named a top physician mentor by the American Medical Association Women Physicians Congress. The award recognizes physician mentors who make a difference in the professional life of another physician.
  
  
• Gene Variation May Lead to Early Cardiovascular Disease. CHG Researchers have implicated variations in a gene that increases a person's susceptibility for early onset cardiovascular disease.
        Article in PLoS Genetics
       Duke Press Release
  
  
• CHG Faculty member, Svati Shah, M.D., teams up with Duke cardiologists to study the genetics of cardiac sudden death. The study is discussed on page 8 The Abstract,, a Duke publication.

• CHG Faculty member Simon Gregory was interviewed by WebMD about MS genetic discoveries.

• CHG Faculty member Silke Schmidt is leading a study of Veterans with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The Baltimore Sun recently showcased her work.
  
  
• Dr. Michelle Winn receives prestigious PECASE award. The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. The Presidential Awards are intended to recognize and nurture those who, while early in their research careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge . CHG faculty member Dr. Michelle Winn was a 2006 PECASE recipient.
  
  

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