June 1996

Managed-Care Organizations In Clinical Trials RAY OF HOPE: Cancer-prevention specialist Jon Kerner says MCOs support Phase III trials in some cases. With the advent of managed-care organizations (MCOs) and their focus on cost competitiveness, academic scientists are concerned that clinical trials will suffer from decreased patient participation. MCOs, they say, have been refusing to pay for ancillary tests and procedures performed in the course of a trial that they would otherwise pay. Resear

Medical journal article criticizes recommendations of NIH panel, but many contend that politics remains the real obstacle. The scientific community is up in arms about a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding the use of human embryos in research. Writing in the May 16 issue of the journal, in an article titled "The politics of human embryo research-Avoiding ethical gridlock" (G.J. Annas et al., 334:1329-32, 1996), the authors argue that a National Institutes of Health

Clouded By Secrecy ("Cosmeceuticals") BRIGHT IDEA: Faith Strickland investigates aloe's immunoprotective effects. Another summer season is under way, and millions of people are sunning themselves by beaches and pools. These days, however, the public is more aware of the unhealthy effects of sun exposure and is using more skin-care products that contain sun-protective ingredients. As the competition heats up, cosmetic companies are increasingly on the lookout for new research on better ways t

Class Of '96 DR. WHO: Harold Varmus poked fun at himself at Harvard. Colleges and universities recognized the scientific achievements of Nobel laureates, distinguished alumni, government officials, and one famous frog in awarding honorary degrees during commencement exercises this spring. Schools large and small, looking to recognize either a specific accomplishment or an entire career of superlative performance, named a wide range of science educators and researchers to receive honorary doc

By Eric Albert Email: ealbert@world.std.com ACROSS 1 Of the lungs 6 Cause for dissolution of cells by antibodies 9 Brief and severe 10 Natural process? 11 Test used in AIDS screening 12 (S)center of the face 13 Prefix for self 15 Pertaining to a saturated fatty acid 17 B-complex vitamin 18 Order of sea cows 21 Chest protector 23 German chemist Hahn 24 Species, say 25 Point where vision is most acute 28 Unable to bear something 29 Collapse of circulatory function 30 Pharmacopoeia entry 31 Femal

Understanding Of Scientific Issues In our democratic society, in which scientific and technological controversies crowd the public agenda, the American people often are asked to make judgments about unfamiliar, complex issues. On many such issues, the scientific community cannot detail with certainty the likely outcome of many trends or policies. When experts disagree, how can the public acquire enough knowledge to participate thoughtfully in developing policy responses to such controversies? A

A Reminder From Their Cold War Childhood The massive advance of science since V-J Day has been accompanied by no visible advance in the abilities of presidents of the United States to find and use the counsel of the scientific community. In most great issues of policy, such as those surrounding nuclear arms and arms control, there can be no wisdom without respect for the possibilities of the real world, which simply are not comprehensible without science. While science has expanded enormously

It was refreshing to read T.V. Rajan's Opinion in the April 29, 1996, issue of The Scientist ("Cause Of Current Funding Crisis May Lie In De-emphasis Of Scholarship," page 10). Most impressive is to see someone with enough guts to admit and detail some of the problems already outlined by many of us. The situation hurts us all, and one way or the other I am sure opinionated investigators will be punished for opening their big mouths, even in this free society. However, anyone with a clear consc

While T.V. Rajan made some interesting points in his article (The Scientist, April 29, 1996, page 10), I would like to strongly disagree with two of his contentions. Firstly, he claims that science has become so diversified that most of us lack the expertise to objectively assess it and use quantity rather than quality. In today's climate, where two or more postdoctoral training experiences are common before one obtains a position, many of my colleagues are exposed to quite diverse training (i

Although we were delighted to see attention being paid to molecular parasitology (K.Y. Kreeger, The Scientist, April 29, 1996, page 13), we were surprised by an omission. In addition to the three other organizations mentioned as being involved in this field, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has invested more than $11 million in parasitology research over the past 14 years. The fund began its molecular parasitology award program to encourage the application of fundamental research to the study

I read with dismay and incredulity the piece by Karen Young Kreeger on the interactions of some American Smithsonian scientists with the government of Cuba (The Scientist, April 15, 1996, page 1). It defies all reason that these people would praise scientists working under a despotic, criminal regime that has forced approximately 25 percent of its population in exile and more than 20,000 people in prison for political "crimes" ranging from publishing a newsletter to communicating with exiled re

Research Efforts Abound After more than a year of commemoration, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) this week concludes its 25th-anniversary celebration at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Washington, D.C. NIAAA was signed into existence in 1970 by President Richard Nixon ironically-or, perhaps, fittingly-on New Year's Eve, a holiday marked by excessive alcohol consumption. The institute initially was charged with developing health, educat

Edited by: Thomas W. Durson Z. Songyang, S.E. Shoelson, J. McGlade, P. Olivier, T. Pawson, X.R. Bustelo, M. Barbacid, H. Sabe, H. Hanafusa, T. Yi, R. Ren, D. Baltimore, S. Ratnofsky, R.A. Feldman, L.C. Cantley, "Specific motifs recognized by the SH2 domains of Csk, 3BP2, fps/fes, GRB-2, HCP, SHC, Syk, and Vav," Molecular and Cellular Biology, 14:2777-85, 1994. (Cited in nearly 150 publications through April 1996) 'WIDE RANGE': Lewis Cantley developed optimum motifs for SH2 domains. Comments

Edited by: Thomas W. Durson M. Søgaard, K. Tani, R.R. Ye, S. Geromanos, P. Tempst, T. Kirchhausen, J.E. Rothman, T. Söllner, "A rab protein is required for the assembly of SNARE complexes in the docking of transport vesicles," Cell, 78:937-48, 1994. (Cited in more than 60 publications through April 1996) Comments by Thomas Söllner, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York In 1993, James E. Rothman, the program chairman in cellular biochemistry and biophysics at Memorial

Conduct Clinical Trials Clinical trials, an important step in drug development, require a diverse team of people to plan, conduct, monitor, analyze, and write about the detailed, multistep testing of new drugs in humans. For each of these functions, there are promising opportunities for anyone who has a solid life science or health care background, a "detail" orientation, and good interpersonal skills. Available positions on these trials include project managers, medical investigators and study

As dean of the science college at a major research university and an active teacher and researcher, Susan Henry is a successful and energetic spokesperson for science and science education. In addition to balancing her administrative duties with research and teaching, Henry is actively involved in programs for science teachers and partnerships that bring science to many audiences. On the national level, she serves as a member of the National Institutes of Health's National Advisory General Medi

Peptide-Synthesis Services Peptides-linear chains of amino acids-are the building blocks of nature. Understanding their action figures prominently in recent advances in many fields, particularly immunology. Such insight, for example, allows investigators to elucidate the details of antigen-antibody interactions of the human immune system. VERSATILE: Services at Richmond, VA.-based Commonwealth Biotechnologies include peptide and DNA synthesis. Because scientists aren't able to extract suffic

Late last month, the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier decision allowing the National Science Foundation to maintain confidentiality in its peer-review process. In 1994, Wanda and Robert Henke, engineers who own and run Lutherville, Md.-based Dynamic In Situ Geotechnical Testing Inc., brought a suit against NSF and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), challenging the agencies' right to keep private the names of grant-proposal reviewers. From 1990