Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2007

Mentor: Nancy Olsen
Department: Medicine/Rheumatology
Room number: Y5.310
Mail Code: 8884
Phone number: 89049
E-mail: nancy.olsen@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Gene Expression and Diagnosis of Autoimmune Disease

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 092006-011

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient-based research

Brief Description of Project:

DNA microarray and other gene expression detection methods make it possible to routinely compare expression levels of thousands of genes in different biological samples. The overall goals of our research program are to employ results from microarray or related types of analysis (such as real-time PCR) of gene expression differences in blood cells of patients to design and test diagnostic and predictive devices. Patients will benefit from the availability of these tools because they will permit physicians to rapidly and precisely arrive at diagnoses. This, in turn, will enhance health care delivery by the medical community to the patient. The goal of this ongoing project is to develop a diagnostic test that will help a physician to classify a patient with autoimmune disease. Diseases that are of special interest are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Olsen NJ, Sokka T, Seehorn CL, Kraft B, Maas K, Moore J, Aune TM: A gene expression signature for recent onset rheumatoid arthritis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Ann Rheum Dis, 63:1387-92, 2004.

Aune TM, Parker JS, Maas K, Liu Z, Olsen NJ, Moore JH: Co-localization of differentially expressed genes and shared susceptibility loci in human autoimmunity. Genetic Epidemiol, 27:162-172, 2004.

Maas K, Westfall M,Pietenpol J, Olsen NJ, Aune T: Reduced p53 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis is associated with loss of radiation-induced apoptosis. Arthritis Rheum 52: 1047-1057, 2005.

Maas K, Chen H, Shyr Y, Olsen NJ, Aune T: Shared gene expression profiles in individuals with autoimmune disease and unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with autoimmune disease. Hum Mol Genet 15:1305-1314, 2005.

Liu Z, Yelverton RW, Kraft B, Tanner SB, Olsen NJ, Aune TM: Highly conserved gene expression profiles in humans with allergic rhinitis altered by immunotherapy. Clin Exp Allergy 35:1581-90, 2005.

In these previous publications, medical student contributors are indicated by underlining.

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