Features

NHGRI-Smithsonian Collaboration

A New Model for NIH Outreach

BY KATHERINE WENDELSDORF, NIAID

In June, the “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” exhibition opened at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.). The exhibition celebrates the anniversaries of two historic landmarks: the 10th anniversary of the Human Genome Project’s completion and the 60th anniversary of James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of DNA’s double-helical structure.

How Cells Crawl

Illuminating the Dynamics of Cell Motility

BY ADAM J. KUSZAK, NIDDK

No, Masur Auditorium hadn’t become a campground. That orange dome-shaped tent sitting in the middle of the stage was a prop for a Mider Lecture given as part of the Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz used it to demonstrate what happens to a cell’s “skeleton,” or more precisely its cytoskeleton, when it crawls.

Why Do Tumors Keep on Growing?

Cancer Therapy Kills Only Part of a Tumor

BY REBECCA BAKER, NIAID

“I want to get you to change your thinking about how we evaluate cancer,” Antonio “Tito” Fojo told the audience that had gathered in Lipsett Amphitheater (Building 10) on June 12 for the Great Teachers Tenth Annual John Laws Decker Memorial Lecture. Cancer therapy, he said, kills only part of a tumor—the part that’s sensitive to a cancer-fighting drug. The rest is resistant and continues to grow.

Town Hall Meeting at NIH

Featuring HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

BY REBECCA G. BAKER, NIAID

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius visited the NIH on August 1 for a tour that included the Children’s Inn and an NCI lab; meetings with NIH leaders; and Town Hall Meeting for NIH staff. At the Town Hall Meeting. Secretary Sebelius recognized the “dazzling” contributions of NIH researchers despite budget cuts and uncertainty. As she answered questions submitted in advance by members of the NIH community, she reaffirmed her commitment to funding medical research and celebrated NIH achievements.

Making Progress against Rare Adrenal Tumors

BY REBECCA LAZERATION, NICHD

People suffering from rare diseases often feel isolated and have few opportunities to share their experiences with one another. But at NIH recently, people with two types of rare adrenal tumors—pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma—met at a gathering that included physicians and scientists to learn about the latest in research and treatments.

NIH Director Visits Camp Fantastic

NIH Director Francis Collins donned a dragon hat recently when he visited Camp Fantastic (Front Royal, Va.) to help campers celebrate the theme Medieval Times. The weeklong camp lets children in all stages of cancer treatment shed their cancer image and feel like normal kids again. Camp medical director Stephen Chanock (newly appointed scientific director for NCI-DCEG) and other NIH volunteers make it possible for children to attend the camp at any stage of their treatment.