August 1998

Although these three alternatives to injections don't look alike, the mechanisms by which they protect against diseases have much in common. 

It was fitting, perhaps, that Cumulina the cloned mouse made her debut at a press conference in New York City on Gregor Mendel's birthday, July 22. As the father of genetics, Mendel explained genetic variability. As the first mouse cloned from an adult's cell nucleus, Cumulina represents the ultimate in genetic uniformity. So far, 50 mice have been cloned, some through three generations. Photo: ProBio America Inc. THREE GENERATIONS: Researchers at the University of Hawaii cloned these three g

Chimpanzees share almost all their gene sequences with humans, and this closeness has made them ideal animal models for many human diseases. But similarities between humans and nonhuman primates go beyond genetics. Nonhuman primates are very social animals, travel long distances to find food, sometimes live on the fringes of the wild, and often become afflicted with diseases closely resembling those of humans. PREP FOR FLIGHT: Handlers prepare chimpanzee Ham, one of the NASA "astrochimps," f

The eyes may be windows to the soul, but the nose is a gateway to the mucosal immune system. Drug companies are now developing vaccines to take advantage of that gateway. Courtesy of Aviron MISTING UP: Aviron's nasal flu vaccine, which has recently completed Phase III trials, targets the mucosal system and protects against both flu and ear infection. "If you can stimulate the mucosal immune system--that's the majority of the immune system," explains Larry G. Stambaugh, president and CEO of M

Pediatric vaccinations make children's skin resemble pincushions. Transcutaneous immunization methods in development aim to make their skin function like sponges. Harnessing the adjuvant activity of cholera toxin (CT) could make this immunization method feasible, predicts Gregory M. Glenn, scientific director of IOMAI Inc., a biotech company in Washington, D.C. Glenn and colleagues are developing a technique that mixes the toxin with antigens to boost immune responses. In one set of experimen

Theoretically, scientists should be able to deliver antigens against E. coli, cholera, or other diarrhea-causing pathogens in just about any fruit or vegetable. But practicality may trump technology when it comes to picking how to package an edible vaccine. 

Recent research has shed new light on the sleep/wake cycle. In two papers featured on the cover of the July 10 issue of Cell (J.L. Price et al., Cell, 94:83-95, 1998; B. Kloss et al., Cell, 94:97-107, 1998), scientists from Rockefeller University reported the discovery of a gene in Drosophila, dubbed double-time (dbt). The dbt gene is believed to regulate the molecular cycles underlying circadian rhythms--patterns of activity that, in humans, regulate body temperature, mental alertness, pain

"Gee, they could have given me a call"

In an upbeat and collegial Science magazine editorial in June (F.D. Raines, Science, 280:1671, 1998), the outgoing director of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Franklin D. Raines, addressed how the scientific community might better help to maintain the Clinton administration's commitment to R&D. Raines alluded to the "excitement and wonder of science" and called for better measures of the success of research, greater priority-setting for research fields, and ways to stren

Ordinarily we don't suppose that people are to blame for their illnesses. That is, many diseases develop independently of what the sick person does or thinks. This is why the disease model of addiction, widely espoused in the therapeutic community, is so controversial. Common sense suggests that a person's choice to start using an addictive substance is often voluntary, and often made with the knowledge, either vague or specific, of the risks of getting hooked. Of course, some people may have a

What does the job market ask of young life scientists? Changes in the marketplace in recent years have complicated the answer to this seemingly simple question. As more and more young scientists react to the shrinkage of attractive job opportunities in academia by seeking industry positions and other alternatives to university-based careers, they are finding that the trend of recent decades toward increasing specialization is being accompanied by a new demand for more broad-based skills. Rapid

A story last month (B. Goodman, "Cornell Professor-Student Dispute Draws Attention to Broader Issues," The Scientist, 12[15]:1, July 20, 1998) contained incorrect information about a judgment won last year by Michigan researcher Carolyn Phinney. The case was not based on the grounds of false claims. Rather, Phinney won her case on the grounds of fraud and retaliation in violation of the state's Whistleblower Protection Act.

Rita Colwell GOOD-BYE ... ALMOST On July 10, University of Maryland bid a bittersweet "almost farewell" to Rita Colwell, who left the position of president of the university's Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) to become director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Colwell's farewell to UMBI is only partial--she has committed herself to one day of research per week in her laboratory, where she studies, particularly, the bacteria that cause cholera. On hand July 10 to congratulate her and wi