Department of Pathobiology | News & Newsletters

Highlights from current Newsletter

Autumn/Winter 2009
  • Insight: From the Lab of Dr. Fred Hsieh
  • Awards
  • Presentations and Speakers
  • Boards/Committees
  • New publications
  • Holiday party
  • New employees
  • High fives for the quarter
  • Contact Information
  • see latest newsletter

2011 |

  • December 1st 2011
  • Dr. Serpil Erzurum Elected to Board of Governors
  • Details:
    The Board of Governors is pleased to announce the election of Serpil Erzurum, MD, to board effective Jan. 1, 2012 - Dec. 31, 2016.

    Dr. Erzurum joined Cleveland Clinic in 1993. She is a member of the staff in the Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and the Taussig Cancer Institute, and is Vice Chair for External Affairs in the Lerner Research Institute.

    Please join the Board of Governors in congratulating Dr. Erzurum  on her election.
  • October 1st 2011
  • A special issue of the Journal of Breath Research, edited by Raed Dweik, MD, is free to read and download online until the end of October.
  • Details:
    The special issue includes proceedings of the 2010 Breath Conference in Barga, Italy.
  • Links:
    http://iopscience.iop.org/1752-7163/5/3
  • September 27th 2011
  • Jean-Paul Achkar, MD, comments on a study linking antibiotic use and IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
  • Details:
    "It's a well-done study that has a strong well-maintained database that allows the authors to get quality data," said Dr. Jean-Paul Achkar, who studies the genetics of IBD at the Cleveland Clinic and was not part of the study.
  • Links:
    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/27/antibiotic-use-tied-to-crohns-ulcerative-colitis/
  • September 25th 2011
  • Serpil C. Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded the Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Scientific Achievement in Basic Science.
  • Details:
    Sponsored by the Miller family, the Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Awards are presented annually to Cleveland Clinic physicians, nurses, scientists, and other professional staff who demonstrate exemplary service and dedication to excellence. Recipients epitomize leadership, talent, innovation, commitment, and outstanding outcomes. They are nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of Cleveland Clinic leaders.
  • Links:
    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/about-cleveland-clinic/events/professional-excellence-awards.aspx?utm_campaign=professionalexcellenceawards-url
  • September 21st 2011
  • New Metabolic Translational Research Center to study obesity and diabetes, led by John Kirwan, PhD, a leading metabolism expert.
  • Details:

    Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute (EMI) announces the launch of its new Metabolic Translational Research Center (MTRC). The new center will be a focal point for research within EMI, with the goal of bridging research studies and clinical application.

    The MTRC will be under the leadership of John Kirwan, PhD, a leading metabolism expert.

    Studies will include the development and implementation of translational interventions that target the prevention, treatment and reversal of obesity, diabetes and clinical endocrinopathies associated with endocrine surgical diseases. Additionally, the MTRC will place significant emphasis on the exceptional training of medical students, graduate students, residents, fellows and junior staff.

  • September 1st 2011
  • Claudio Fiocchi, MD, Pathobiology, has been awarded a 4-year, $1.2M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study "The role of lymphangiogenesis in IBD pathogenesis."
  • Details:
    Immune system and inflammatory bowel disease

    The proposed studies aim at understanding the function of the lymphatic system in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The lymphatic vessels are similar to blood vessels but, instead of carrying red blood cells, white blood cells, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, they carry the bulk of the immune cells responsible for the body'sdefense. Therefore, the function of the intestinal lymphatic system is closely related to the function of the gut immune system, and any abnormality of lymphatic function may impair the local immune response and cause gut inflammation. There is preliminary evidence indicating that the gut lymphatic system is overly extended in IBD patients, butits capacity to carry immune cells away from sites of inflammation is deficient. If so, an excessive accumulation of immune cells occurs in the tissue causing inflammation to linger, as typically seen in IBD patients. A series of experiments are therefore proposed to understand why the lymphatic system fails to work efficiently in the gut affectedby IBD, and what can be done to restore its normal function and eliminate inflammation.
  • August 24th 2011
  • Internship opportunity in Dweik lab
  • Details:
    Dr. Dweik's breath analysis lab at Cleveland Clinic is of the opinion that one of the most crucial steps needed to make clinical breath analysis- the detection and monitoring of diseases and conditions using a noninvasive breath test- a reality is development of effective sensing technology in a clinical setting or with frequent clinical input. Toward this end, and in hopes of exposing the next generation of sensor engineers to breath analysis, the Dweik group would like to invite, and strongly encourages, graduate students andpost-docs to spend some time in our lab. We can accommodate those who wish to stay for a month, a summer, or a full year.

    Work in the laboratory will include:
    • Exposure to several technologies currently used or being tested in exhaled breath analysis; the hope is that the intern will bring their knowledge of sensors and sensing systems, and perhaps a prototype instrument for testing, to the breath lab.
    • Networking with other sensor engineers and encouraging them to become more involved with breath analysis. Interaction with patients, including the collection andanalysis of breath samples.
    • A lot of creativity. Because breath analysis is such a novel and relatively unexplored field of study, there is much room to pursue all sorts of ideas, from disease studies to standardization methods to development of collection interfaces. This also means there will be great opportunities for publication.
    Contact Dr.Dweik
  • August 20th 2011
  • Srinivasan Dasarathy, MD, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, was awarded a 5-year $1.8M R01 from NIH/ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): "Mechanisms of Malnutrition in Cirrhosis with Portosystemic Shunting".
  • Details:
    Reduced skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) is a major complication of cirrhosis with portosystemic shunting and contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality. There are no effective therapies for this sarcopenia of liver disease. The present proposal uses state of the art methodologies in a broad array of in vivo and in vitro systems to identify the mechanisms of muscle loss in portosystemic shunting. The results from these studies have the potential for rapid clinical translation.
  • August 19th 2011
  • People with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk for kidney disease, says study author Sankar Navaneethan, MD, Kirwan Lab.
  • Details:
    It was known that people with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke and premature death. This study adds kidney disease to that list, by revealing that people with metabolic syndrome have a 55 percent increased risk of kidney problems, especially reduced kidney function, which is indicative of kidney disease.
  • Links: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , Wall Street Journal , Yahoo , Doctors Lounge
  • August 9th 2011
  • Laura E. Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded a 5-year $1.8M R01 from NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA: "Heme oxygenase-1 and alcoholic liver disease".
  • Details:
    Alcohol abuse is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and recent data indicate that alcoholic liver disease affects over 10 million Americans. The long-term goals of this research project are to investigate the mechanisms by which ethanol exacerbates inflammation in the liver. In this application, we will focus on investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of heme oxygenase-1 and carbon monoxide. Identification of anti-inflammatory pathways that are effective after alcohol exposure will provide the foundation for the future development of rationally designed therapeutic interventions to slow and/or reverse alcoholic liver disease.
  • August 8th 2011
  • Serpil C. Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded a 5-year $13.4M P01 from NIH/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: "Asthma Inflammation Research (AIR)." Principal Investigators include Dr. Erzurum; Xiaoxia Li, PhD, Immunology; Mark Aronica, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine; and Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Cell Biology.
  • Details:
    Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airway that arises from genetic and environmental factors. The chronic non-resolving inflammation leads to progressive airway structural changes over time. The Asthma Inflammation Research Translational Program proposes to study the pathogenic mechanisms of the chronic inflammation and translate the discoveries to improve the care of asthmatic patients.
  • August 2nd 2011
  • Julie Foucher, CCLCM student, Kirwan Lab, finished 5th overall in the CrossFit Games, an International Event.
  • Details:
    The CrossFit Games are the world's premier test to find the Fittest on Earth.
  • Links:
    http://games.crossfit.com/finals/scoreboard/female
  • August 1st 2011
  • Dennis Stuehr, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded a 4-year $1.2M R01 from NIGMS: "New mechanism and regulation of intracellular heme delivery in mammals".
  • Details:
    Heme proteins exist in our cells and have many essential roles in our bodies. Our study will fill a tremendous gap in knowledge regarding how heme proteins are made in our cells, and how this process is regulated by nitric oxide, a gas that is made naturally by our bodies as a control agent. Our findings will touch many aspects of human health and disease, including blood formation, drug response, anemia, and inflammation.
  • July 3rd 2011
  • Raed Dweik, MD, Respiratory Institute, comments on the clinical implications of breath testing.
  • Details:
    Dr. Dweik tells The New York Times, "My sense is that breath analysis is the future of medical testing, complementing many of the blood and imaging steps we do today."
  • Links:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/03novel.html?_r=1
  • June 22nd 2011
  • Christine McDonald, PhD, was awarded the 2011 Chairman's Innovative Research Award.
  • Details:
    Dr. McDonald received the award for her studies on "Pharmacological Enhancement of NOD2 Function as a Novel Therapy for Crohn's Disease".
  • June 16th 2011
  • Erika Lundgrin, CCLCM student, Erzurum Lab, was awarded a Research Program Committees (RPC) Award.
  • Details:
    The project, pilot funding for Clinical and Translational Research, will study "Oral Iron Supplementation in Pulmonary Hypertension".
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/rpc/
  • June 16th 2011
  • Christine McDonald, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded a Research Program Committees (RPC) Award.
  • Details:
    The project, pilot funding for Clinical and Translational Research, will study "Translation of a drug enhancing NOD2 function to Crohn's disease".
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/rpc/
  • June 7th 2011
  • A study led by John Kirwan, PhD, indicates people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can fight build up of harmful fat in the liver by walking an hour a day at a brisk pace.
  • Details:
    The people in the study also were obese and showing signs they could develop diabetes. Losing fat would be good. Kirwan says exercise helped them do it, in their liver and elsewhere: "Our recommendation would be to have these people get on the treadmill, get out walking, perform some kind of aerobic activity, and sustain that for probably an hour a day."
  • Links:
    http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2011/06/20110607a.html
  • June 7th 2011
  • Amrita Kabi, PhD, McDonald Lab, was awarded the 1st annual Pathobiology Postdoctoral Speaker Award for excellence in oral presentation.
  • Details:
    Dr. Kabi received the award for her research studies on "Novel Players in NOD2-mediated Autophagy".
  • June 7th 2011
  • Amrita Kabi, PhD, McDonald Lab, won a Poster Presentation Award at this year's Pathobiology Poster Day.
  • Details:
    Dr. Kabi won the award for her poster "The nucleotide synthesis enzyme, CAD, is a novel regulator of mucosal immunity by inhibiting NOD2 anti-bacterial function".
  • May 13th 2011
  • 6th Annual Obesity Research Day
  • Details:
    Featuring keynote lectures by:
    Dr. Larry Mandarino, Arizona State University
    Dr. James Levine, CWRU
    Dr. Stan Hazen, Cleveland Clinic
    Dr. John Gunstad, Kent State University

    Registration is required but is free
    Email Marguarite Stephanopoulos - stepham@ccf.org.
    Lerner Research Institute, NA5-08
    7:30am - 12:30pm
  • Links:Agenda
  • May 6th 2011
  • Kewal Asosingh, PhD, Erzurum Lab, is the recipient of the annual American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pulmonary Circulation Jane Morse Award.
  • Details:
    This award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement and highest rated abstract submitted by a fellow through the Pulmonary Circulation Assembly in the category of Pulmonary Hypertension.
  • Links:
    http://www.thoracic.org/assemblies/pc/news/index.php
  • April 28th 2011
  • Dr. Jacob Haus, Kirwan Lab, was awarded a Young Investigator Travel Grant Award from the American Diabetes Association for attendance at the 2011 annual meeting in San Diego.
  • Details:
    Dr. Haus will present an abstract entitled - Intramyocellular Lipid Content and Insulin Sensitivity Are Increased Following a Short-Term Low-Glycemic Index Diet and Exercise intervention.
  • April 27th 2011
  • Aerobic exercise and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A walking regimen has been shown to retard the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese patients with prediabetes.
  • Details:
    Jacob Haus, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of John Kirwan, PhD, Pathobiology, presented these intriguing findings at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting April 9-13 in Washington, DC. The research has attracted much attention.
  • April 27th 2011
  • Ankita Satpute, Kirwan Lab, was the recipient of a Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland Summer Internship Award.
  • Details:
    Ankita is an undergraduate student in the Pre-Professional Scholars Program for medicine in the CWRU School of Medicine. She will begin her internship in June.
  • Links:
    http://ddri.dagc.org/SummerInternships.asp
  • April 22nd 2011
  • Dr. Kirwan presented Grand Rounds in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
  • Details:
  • April 20th 2011
  • Aerobic exercise may slow the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese people, finds researchers at Cleveland Clinic.
  • Details:
    "We were able to correlate changes in adiponectin with PUI and the body's resting energy metabolism... the latter gives us an indication of whether carbohydrate or fat is being metabolized. After exercise, the participants were burning more fat," said Jacob M. Haus, PhD, Kirwan Lab.
  • Links:
    http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/651750.html
  • Links: U.S.News and World Report
  • April 20th 2011
  • Kewal Asosingh, PhD, Erzurum Lab, was selected as an International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) Scholar.
  • Details:
    Dr. Asosingh was selected by the ISAC Scholar Review Committee as a 2011-2015 ISAC Scholar. The ISAC Scholars program is designed to enhance the scientific and leadership experiences of emerging leaders in the field of cytometry.
  • April 1st 2011
  • Julianne Filion, B.Sc., R.N., Kirwan Lab, was promoted from Clinical Research Nurse to Research Supervisor in Pathobiology.
  • Details:
  • February 17th 2011
  • Ritu Charkavarti, PhD, Stuehr Lab, won an award for best poster at the Gordon Research Conference-Nitric Oxide, Ventura, CA
  • Details:
    Ritu Charkavarti & Dennis Stuehr. S-nitrosylation of GAPDH controls cellular heme insertion into iNOS.
  • Links:
    http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2011
  • February 16th 2011
  • Allison Janocha, Erzurum Lab, won an award for best poster at the Gordon Research Conference- Nitric Oxide, Ventura, CA
  • Details:
    Allison J. Janocha, Carl Koch, Mauro Tiso, Andrea Ponchia, Allan Doctor, Lindsey Gibbons, Benjamin M. Gaston, Cynthia M. Beall, Serpil C. Erzurum. Nitric Oxide and Deoxyhemoglobin in Acclimatization to High Altitude.
  • Links:
    http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2011
  • February 8th 2011
  • Amanda Scelsi, Research Assistant, Kirwan Lab, was accepted into the Ph.D. program in the Department of Nutritional Biochemistry at CWRU.
  • Details:

2010 |

  • December 13th 2010
  • H1N1 vaccine is safe and induces a robust immune response in people with asthma, the 2009 NIH-supported study finds
  • Details:
    In late 2009, NIH rapidly designed and sponsored a clinical study to determine the dose and number of doses of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine needed to safely produce a protective immune response in people with asthma. The trial was conducted at NHLBI Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) sites. Serpil Erzurum, MD was the site investigator at Cleveland Clinic.
  • Links:
    http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2010/niaid-13.htm
  • December 9th 2010
  • Dr. Kirwan presented Grand Rounds in the Department of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
  • Details:
  • December 1st 2010
  • Emmea Mattox, Erzurum Lab, completed certification to monitor Investigational New Drug (IDE) studies.
  • Details:
    Monitors ensure that regulatory and quality standards are being met and implement company policies.
  • November 30th 2010
  • A family history of Crohn's disease led Gerald and Nancy Goldberg to support genetic research at Cleveland Clinic. Their support lead to an important finding by Christine McDonald, PhD, Jean-Paul Achkar, MD, and colleagues
  • Details:
    "The study describes how the interaction of two genes implicated in Crohn's disease, NOD2 and ATG16L1, is altered and leads to a defective clearance of intestinal bacteria in this condition," Dr. Fiocchi says. "Of note, the article is accompanied by an editorial by Dr. Ken Cadwell, New York University School of Medicine, a prominent microbiologist and geneticist, a sign of the particular importance of Drs. McDonald and Achkar's findings."
  • Links:
    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/giving/news-events/publications/catalyst_e_news/archive/digestive_diseases/crohns-research.aspx?utm_medium=email
  • November 19th 2010
  • Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium 2010
  • Details:
    Join us for Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium 2010!
    November 19, 2010: A practical approach to evaluation and management.Free for PH patients and their families.
    For more information visit: www.ccfcme.org/PulHyper10
  • November 15th 2010
  • Raed Dweik, MD, elected to Cleveland Clinic's Board of Governors.
  • Details:
    The Board of Governors is pleased to announce the election of the following individuals as members of the Board of Governors effective January 1, 2011. Please join us in congratulating Abby Abelson, MD, Raed Dweik, MD, Alan Kominsky, MD, Deborah Lonzer, MD, Roy Silverstein, MD and Robert Weil, MD as members of the Board of Governors.
  • November 15th 2010
  • Christine McDonald, PhD, Pathobiology, and colleagues discuss new study findings.
  • Details:
    Christine McDonald, PhD, Pathobiology, and colleagues identified a common pathway altered by genetic variants in two genes known to be independently involved in CD risk, ATG16L1 and NOD2. These findings suggest that alterations in a specific antibacterial pathway called autophagy may be causative for inflammatory bowel diseases. [Homer et al. Gastroenterology 2010 Nov;139:1630-41, 1641.e1-2; Impact Factor 12.899]
  • November 15th 2010
  • Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, CNSD, LD, as Project Research Staff in the lab of Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology is featured in November's Cleveland Clinic Research News
  • Details:
    Dr. Cresci has been recognized for excellence in both basic research and clinical nutrition practice, and plans to continue such excellence here with joint appointments in the DDI and LRI.read more
  • Links:
    http://intranet.lerner.ccf.org/news/2010/11/highlights.php#4
  • November 6th 2010
  • AWARE for All: Clinical Research Education Day
  • Details:
    Saturday, November 6, 2010
    11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
    Downtown YMCA- East 22nd and Prospect

    Highlights of the Day:
    • Live national webcast
    • Open to the public
    • Bring your friends and family! Free childcare
    • Learn about local research
    • Hear stories from Clevelanders who have been in research projects
    • Free food and gift bags to the first 100 attendees

      Learn More
    • November 1st 2010
    • Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, discusses a new, FDA approved, surgery to treat asthma
    • Details:
      Read more about bronchial thermoplasty in the Wall Street Journal.
    • October 30th 2010
    • Sumita Khatri, MD, Respiratory Institute, offers simple steps to improve the air quality in your home-- and improve your health.
    • Details:
      Learn to breath easier in the Fall 2010 issue of Be Well Magazine.
    • October 27th 2010
    • Jean Paul Achkar, MD, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, comments on an inflammatory bowel disease study on Medscape.
    • Details:
      Jean Paul Achkar, MD, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, comments on a study that shows patients with inflammatory bowel disease who are vitamin D deficient have a significantly increased risk for osteoporosis, osteopenia and abnormal bone density levels. Read the story on Medscape.
    • Links:
      http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/731034" target="_blank"
    • October 27th 2010
    • Florian Rieder, MD, Fiocchi Lab, won the best Poster Award at the United European Gastroenterology Week 2010
    • Details:
      Florian Rieder, Sean Kessler, Gail West, Tammy Sadler, Banu Gopalan, Carol de la Motte, Claudio Fiocchi, Eleni Stylianou. Inflammation-induced endothelial-tomesenchymal transition (EndoMT): a novel mechanism of fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
    • Links:
      http://www.uegf.org/education/best_poster_award.php#thema3
    • October 27th 2010
    • Dr. Kirwan was an invitee at the 7th Nestle International Nutrition Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland.
    • Details:
    • Links:
      http://www.research.nestle.com/
    • October 24th 2010
    • ECI Exhaled Breath Analysis Conference: From Sensors to Devices and Applications
    • Details:
      Join us for the ECI Exhaled Breath Analysis Conference: From Sensors to Devices and Applications
      October 24-29, 2010: Il Ciocco Hotel and Conference Center - Barga, Italy
      To learn more and to submit abstracts visit: http://www.engconfintl.org/10ai.html
    • October 5th 2010
    • Lerner Research Institute forms Center for Liver Disease Research (CLDR), under the Directorship of Laura E. Nagy, PhD.
    • Details:
      The Center's vision is to incorporate interdisciplinary basic and clinical research through existing strengths and targeted recruitment to ultimately limit the toll of liver disease on human health and well-being.
      Read More
    • September 29th 2010
    • Dr. Kirwan presented a keynote lecture at the 14th Commonwealth International Sports Science Congress in Delhi, India.
    • Details:
    • September 1st 2010
    • Dr. Karen Kelly, Kirwan Lab, accepted a Staff Scientist position in the Department of Warfighter Performance at the US Naval Health Research Center in San Diego.
    • Details:
    • August 30th 2010
    • John P. Kirwan, PhD, awarded R01.
    • Details:
      John P. Kirwan, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded a three-year $1.7M NIH/R01 grant, "Effect of bariatric surgery on mechanisms of type 2 diabetes: The B2D Trial."
    • July 26th 2010
    • Nestle Begins Collaboration With Cleveland Clinic
    • Details:
      Nestle begins collaboration with Cleveland Clinic with a $500,000 donation to Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Led by Principal Investigator John Kirwan, PhD, Pathobiology, the gift supports a new study to unravel mysteries of how whole grain foods benefit health.Read more in PR Newswire and Crain's Cleveland Business.
    • July 1st 2010
    • Lung disease not only can take your breath away, but it also can stress the heart and lead to heart failure. Dan Culver, DO, Respiratory Institute, discusses how to keep your lungs in tip-top shape.
    • Details:
      Read more in the Summer 2010 issue of Be Well Magazine.
    • June 1st 2010
    • For unknown reasons, food allergies are on the rise. Fred Hsieh, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, comments in the Summer 2010 issue of Cleveland Clinic Magazine.
    • Details:
      For unknown reasons, food allergies are on the rise. Fred Hsieh, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, comments in the Summer 2010 issue of Cleveland Clinic Magazine.
    • Links:
      http://cchealth.clevelandclinic.org/living-healthy/when-peanuts-are-poison
    • May 4th 2010
    • Dian Chiang, MD, MPH, Digestive Disease Institute and laboratory of Laura Nagy, PhD, is a recipient of the Dean Thiel Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award by the American Liver Foundation (ALF).
    • Details:
      Dian Chiang, MD, MPH, Digestive Disease Institute and laboratory of Laura Nagy, PhD, is a recipient of the Dean Thiel Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award by the American Liver Foundation (ALF).
    • April 23rd 2010
    • Claudio Fiocchi, MD, Pathobiology, has been granted the title of Honorary Foreign Member of the National Academy of Medicine of Brazil.
    • Details:
      Claudio Fiocchi, MD, Pathobiology, has been granted the title of Honorary Foreign Member of the National Academy of Medicine of Brazil. The Brazilian National Academy of Medicine was founded in 1829 and is the oldest in Latin America. It has only 100 National Members and just a handful of Foreign Members.
    • March 25th 2010
    • Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, is a member of the Cleveland Alcohol Center, an NIAAA/NIH funded P20 Developmental/Exploratory Center
    • Details:
      Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, is a member of the Cleveland Alcohol Center, an NIAAA/NIH funded P20 Developmental/Exploratory Center that takes advantage of the many strengths of the world-class research community at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University to address the important public health issue of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Visit the Cleveland Alcohol Center.
    • Links:
      http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/alcoholcenter/index.php
    • March 24th 2010
    • Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $1,089,345 over 3 years for "Acceleration of Hepatic Fibrosis by Alcohol: Role of Adenosine"
    • Details:
      Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $1,089,345 over 3 years for "Acceleration of Hepatic Fibrosis by Alcohol: Role of Adenosine". Funded by the Department of Defense (DOD).
    • January 28th 2010
    • The Food and Drug Administration called for putting new limits on powerful and long-lasting bronchial drugs that millions of Americans use to treat asthma, a move designed to lower the risk of complications leading to hospitalization or even death. Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, comments in the LA Times.
    • Details:
      The Food and Drug Administration called for putting new limits on powerful and long-lasting bronchial drugs that millions of Americans use to treat asthma, a move designed to lower the risk of complications leading to hospitalization or even death. Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, comments in the LA Times.
    • Links:
      http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-fda-asthma19-2010feb19,0,6790515.story
    • January 13th 2010
    • Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, is featured in the Winter 2010 issue of Cleveland Clinic Magazine
    • Details:
      Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, is featured in the Winter 2010 issue of Cleveland Clinic Magazine for her research showing that alcohol consumption affects the liver much sooner than previously thought.
    • Links:
      http://cchealth.clevelandclinic.org/horizon/early-signs-alcohol-damage
    • January 6th 2010
    • Satish Kalhan, MD, Pathobiology, is the recipient of one of eight 3ARP grants in 2010 by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. for "Creatine metabolism in humans: effect of amino acid supplement".
    • Details:
      Satish Kalhan, MD, Pathobiology, is the recipient of one of eight 3ARP grants in 2010 by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. for "Creatine metabolism in humans: effect of amino acid supplement". Read the announcement in Nature and Science.
    • Links:
      http://scjobs.sciencemag.org/JobSeekerX/ViewJob.asp?cjid=40222

2009 |

  • December 22nd 2009
  • Cleveland Clinic has received a $9.2 million federal grant to continue to study how inflammation affects heart disease. Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Head, Preventive Cardiology, will lead the study
  • Details:
    Cleveland Clinic has received a $9.2 million federal grant to continue to study how inflammation affects heart disease. Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Head, Preventive Cardiology, will lead the study. Dennis Stuehr, PhD, Pathobiology, will lead Project 3. Read the story in the Plain Dealer and MedCity News.
  • Links:
    http://www.medcitynews.com/index.php/2010/02/cleveland-clinic-researchers-get-9-2m-grant-to-continue
  • December 16th 2009
  • Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, has been elected Chair of the American Thoracic Society's Assembly on Allergy, Immunology, and Inflammation.
  • Details:
    Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, has been elected Chair of the American Thoracic Society's Assembly on Allergy, Immunology, and Inflammation.
  • December 10th 2009
  • Fred Hsieh, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, was awarded Teacher of the Year for his excellence in resident and fellow education.
  • Details:
    Fred Hsieh, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, was awarded Teacher of the Year for his excellence in resident and fellow education. For a complete list of the award winners, see page 4 of Alumni Connection.
  • Links:
    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/Documents/Alumni/Alumni_Connection_2009_11.pdf
  • December 9th 2009
  • The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Office of Communications is highlighting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) investment and scientists on its Recovery Act Web site.
  • Details:
    The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Office of Communications is highlighting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) investment and scientists on its Recovery Act Web site. Serpil Erzurum, MD, a recipient of ARRA funding, is a featured researcher. Find Dr. Erzurum on NHLBI and the Recovery Act or under Meet the Scientists.
  • Links:
    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/recovery/index.htm
  • December 7th 2009
  • Kay Stelmach, RN, Nurse Manager of the Clinical Research Unit (CRU), is the first Research Nurse to receive the 2009 Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Cleveland Clinic RN of the Year
  • Details:
    Kay Stelmach, RN, Nurse Manager of the Clinical Research Unit (CRU), is the first Research Nurse to receive the 2009 Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Cleveland Clinic RN of the Year. Read more in the Fall 2009 Research STAR Tracker.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/news/documents/STARTrackerFall09.pdf
  • November 29th 2009
  • Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded $177,761 over 1 year for "A Phase II Study in Patients with Asthma to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of an Unadjuvanted Novartis H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Administered at Two Dose Levels"
  • Details:
    Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded $177,761 over 1 year for "A Phase II Study in Patients with Asthma to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of an Unadjuvanted Novartis H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Administered at Two Dose Levels" as a supplement to her current R01 grant "Redox Determinants of Severe Asthma." Funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/NIH. Dr. Erzurum also received $415,578 over 2 years for "Imaging Inflammation in Asthma." This award was a challenge grant issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
  • November 25th 2009
  • Respiratory Exchange, research and news from The Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Institute, features Serpil Erzurum, MD, Daniel Culver, DO, Mitchell Olman, MD, Kenneth McCurry, MD and Fred Hsieh, MD
  • Details:
    Respiratory Exchange, research and news from The Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Institute, features Serpil Erzurum, MD, Daniel Culver, DO, Mitchell Olman, MD, Kenneth McCurry, MD and Fred Hsieh, MD. Read more in the Fall 2009 Issue of Respiratory Exchange.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/news/documents/Respiratory_Exchange_2009.pdf
  • November 24th 2009
  • Satish Kalhan, MD, Pathobiology, was awarded $730,681 for 2 years for "Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism in NAFLD."
  • Details:
    Satish Kalhan, MD, Pathobiology, was awarded $730,681 for 2 years for "Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism in NAFLD." The grant was funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and distributed via the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
  • November 17th 2009
  • Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $1,512,735 over 5 years for "Alcoholic Liver Disease: Biochemical, cellular and systemic responses to ethanol"
  • Details:
    Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $1,512,735 over 5 years for "Alcoholic Liver Disease: Biochemical, cellular and systemic responses to ethanol" (P20, Exploratory/Developmental Alcohol Research Center). Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/NIH.
  • October 29th 2009
  • Serpil Erzurum, MD is the study coordinator for the Cleveland Clinic study that is testing the H1N1 vaccine in asthma patients.
  • Details:
    Serpil Erzurum, MD is the study coordinator for the Cleveland Clinic study that is testing the H1N1 vaccine in asthma patients. Read the full article in the October 20 Cleveland Plain Dealer and Chicago-Tribune, in LRI News
  • October 14th 2009
  • Arthur McCullough Jr., MD, Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Digestive Disease Institute, will be the first to hold the Pier C. and Renee A. Borra Family Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Established by the Borra Family Foundation
  • Details:
    Arthur McCullough Jr., MD, Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Digestive Disease Institute, will be the first to hold the Pier C. and Renee A. Borra Family Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Established by the Borra Family Foundation, the chair supports the work of the Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within the Digestive Disease Institute. Read more in MedCity News.
  • Links:
    http://www.medcitynews.com/index.php/2009/10/cleveland-clinic-gets-2-million-gift-to-study-fatty-liv
  • September 24th 2009
  • Claudio Fiocchi, MD, Pathobiology, was awarded $195,136 over a continuation year for "Role of Angiogenesis in IBD Pathogenesis" (R01)
  • Details:
    Claudio Fiocchi, MD, Pathobiology, was awarded $195,136 over a continuation year for "Role of Angiogenesis in IBD Pathogenesis" (R01). Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/NIH.
  • September 17th 2009
  • Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $218,475 over a continuation year for "Complement and ethanol-induced liver injury" (R01)
  • Details:
    Laura Nagy, PhD, Pathobiology, was awarded $218,475 over a continuation year for "Complement and ethanol-induced liver injury" (R01). Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/NIH.
  • September 15th 2009
  • Carol de la Motte, PhD has been awarded a five year grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study hyaluronan regulation of microbial host defense of the intestine.
  • Details:
    Carol de la Motte, PhD has been awarded a five year grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study hyaluronan regulation of microbial host defense of the intestine.
  • August 25th 2009
  • Raed A. Dweik, MD (PULMCC-96), of Cleveland Clinic's Respiratory Institute, has been asked to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of Mid Infra-Red Technologies for Health and the Environment
  • Details:
    Raed A. Dweik, MD (PULMCC-96), of Cleveland Clinic's Respiratory Institute, has been asked to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of Mid Infra-Red Technologies for Health and the Environment, a research center based in Princeton University and funded by the National Science Foundation. He will provide advice regarding the technology involved in human breath analysis.
  • August 19th 2009
  • Patrick Gatmaitan, MD, in the laboratory of John Kirwan, PhD, won the Karl Storz Endoscopy-America Bariatric Fellow Award
  • Details:
    Patrick Gatmaitan, MD, in the laboratory of John Kirwan, PhD, won the Karl Storz Endoscopy-America Bariatric Fellow Award for his work on insulin secretion after bariatric surgery. Dr. Gatmaitan presented his work at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic
  • July 22nd 2009
  • Christine McDonald, PhD, has been awarded $1,025,000 over 5 years for "Autophagy and Nod2 Function in Crohn's Disease" (R01)
  • Details:
    Christine McDonald, PhD, has been awarded $1,025,000 over 5 years for "Autophagy and Nod2 Function in Crohn's Disease" (R01). Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/NIH.
  • June 25th 2009
  • Laura Nagy, PhD, was Co-Organizer and Symposia Chair for the 32nd Annual RSA Scientific Conference of the Research Society on Alcoholism
  • Details:
    Laura Nagy, PhD, was Co-Organizer and Symposia Chair for the 32nd Annual RSA Scientific Conference of the Research Society on Alcoholism, Adipose talks, does liver listen?, held June 20 - 24, 2009, in San Diego, CA; she spoke on Complement and ethanol-induced liver injury.
  • May 28th 2009
  • Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded $750,000, to collaborate with experts in nuclear medicine and physics to develop an innovative way for clinicians to observe changes in the lungs of patients during an asthma attack.
  • Details:
    Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair, Pathobiology, was awarded $750,000, to collaborate with experts in nuclear medicine and physics to develop an innovative way for clinicians to observe changes in the lungs of patients during an asthma attack. Funded by the American Asthma Foundation. Her collaborator is Frank DiFilippo, PhD, Nuclear Medicine/Imaging Institute and Biomedical Engineering.
  • May 21st 2009
  • Satish Kalhan, MD is a Pioneer in Metabolism. Currently, his focus is Neonatology. Read more in the May 2009 edition of the LRI News & Notations.
  • Details:
    Satish Kalhan, MD is a Pioneer in Metabolism. Currently, his focus is Neonatology. Read more in the May 2009 edition of the LRI News & Notations.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/notations/2009/5/4.php
  • May 21st 2009
  • A Friend in Platelets?
  • Details:
    A Friend in Platelets? Not When It Comes to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Carol de la Motte, PhD discusses her research on the role of platelets in IBD in the June 2009 edition of the LRI News & Notations.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/notations/2009/6/4.php
  • May 20th 2009
  • Michele Pritchard, PhD was awarded a NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00)
  • Details:
    Michele Pritchard, PhD was awarded a NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) for her project entitled: Liver fibrosis and ethanol: role of the transcription factor, Egr-1. "Currently, liver transplantation is the only cure for end stage liver disease. Our studies will contribute to our understanding of fibrosis and help to define new ways to heal fibrotic lesions in the liver."
  • May 20th 2009
  • Daniel Culver, DO, Pathobiology, was awarded $120,235 over a continuation year for "Matrix Metalloproteinases and PPAR Gamma in Sarcoidosis" (K23).
  • Details:
    Daniel Culver, DO, Pathobiology, was awarded $120,235 over a continuation year for "Matrix Metalloproteinases and PPAR Gamma in Sarcoidosis" (K23). Funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/NIH.
  • May 18th 2009
  • Could Alcoholic Liver Disease Start Earlier Than Previously Thought?
  • Details:
    Could Alcoholic Liver Disease Start Earlier Than Previously Thought? Find out how researchers in Dr. Laura Nagy's lab are working to answer this question in the April 2009 edition of Lerner Research Institute News and Notations.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/notations/2009/4/2.php
  • May 10th 2009
  • On Friday, May 8 2009, John Kirwan, PhD, FACSM, Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine will moderate the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute's 4th Annual Obesity Research Day.
  • Details:
    On Friday, May 8 2009, John Kirwan, PhD, FACSM, Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine will moderate the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute's 4th Annual Obesity Research Day. For more information, please see the Agenda and Registration.
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/news/documents/FINALAGENDA.pdf
  • March 18th 2009
  • Florian Rieder, MD in the laboratory of Claudio Fiocchi, MD is a 2009 recipient of a Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America Research Fellowship award.
  • Details:
    Florian Rieder, MD in the laboratory of Claudio Fiocchi, MD is a 2009 recipient of a Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America Research Fellowship award.
  • January 10th 2009
  • Dan Culver, DO (Critical Care Medicine), Raed Dweik, MD (Critical Care Medicine), JP Achkar, MD (Gastroenterology), Art McCullough, MD (Hepatology) and Fred Hsieh, MD have all been selected as "Best Doctors in Cleveland" for 2009
  • Details:
    Dan Culver, DO (Critical Care Medicine), Raed Dweik, MD (Critical Care Medicine), JP Achkar, MD (Gastroenterology), Art McCullough, MD (Hepatology) and Fred Hsieh, MD have all been selected as "Best Doctors in Cleveland" for 2009. Cleveland Magazine - Best doctors 2009
  • Links:
    http://www.lerner.ccf.org/pathobio/news/documents/Hsieh_ClevelandMagazine_3-09.pdf

2008 |

  • December 23rd 2008
  • Raed Dweik, MD proposal on Breath Analysis was fully funded by the Third Frontier Awards.
  • Details:
    Raed Dweik, MD proposal on Breath Analysis was fully funded by the Third Frontier Awards. Raed's Cleveland Clinic team, in collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Center, The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and Makel Engineering, Inc., was recommended for nearly $3.8 million to develop a nitric oxide sensor that will enable asthma patients to monitor their asthma at home. The proposal aims to re-develop a sensor used in the aerospace industry, and the projects emphasis will be on testing and commercializing sensors already produced in Ohio.
  • November 15th 2008
  • Raed Dweik, MD, Respiratory Institute, has been asked to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of Mid InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE)
  • Details:
    Raed Dweik, MD, Respiratory Institute, has been asked to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of Mid InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE), a research center based in Princeton University and funded by the National Science Foundation. He will provide advice regarding the technology involved in human breath analysis.
  • November 14th 2008
  • Raed Dweik, MD was recognized by the Internal Medicine residents as the Teacher of the Year and the Best Teacher at Senior Morning Report
  • Details:
    Raed Dweik, MD was recognized by the Internal Medicine residents as the Teacher of the Year and the Best Teacher at Senior Morning Report. Raed has been the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year for 4 out of the past 5 years.
  • October 21st 2008
  • Suzy Comhair, PhD received the 2008 Cleveland Clinic Innovator Award for human lung cell culture.
  • Details:
    Suzy Comhair, PhD received the 2008 Cleveland Clinic Innovator Award for human lung cell culture.
  • October 16th 2008
  • Satish Kalhan, PhD and Richard Hanson, PhD are to be recognized with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award in Research'
  • Details:
    Satish Kalhan, PhD and Richard Hanson, PhD are to be recognized with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award in Research' from The Diabetes Association of greater Cleveland on October 16, 2008.
  • October 13th 2008
  • Kewal Asosingh, PhD (Erzurum Lab) was awarded an International American Thoracic Society/Pulmonary Hypertension Association Grant
  • Details:
    Kewal Asosingh, PhD (Erzurum Lab) was awarded an International American Thoracic Society/Pulmonary Hypertension Association Grant. It is a grant for two years (50.000$/year).
  • September 21st 2008
  • Dennis Stuehr, PhD - NIH RO1 Grant was awarded $1,125,000 to continue his research project entitled "Control mechanisms of the nitric oxide synthases"
  • Details:
    Dennis Stuehr, PhD - NIH RO1 Grant was awarded $1,125,000 to continue his research project entitled "Control mechanisms of the nitric oxide synthases". Dr. Stuehr is also a Keynote lecturer at the 9th UK Nitric Oxide Forum Meeting held August 2008 at Guy's Campus, King's College London, The title of his presentation is: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer: How might NO control the biological functions of the NO synthases?
  • September 10th 2008
  • Karen Kelly, PhD (Kirwan lab) received 1st place in the Clinical Investigator division of the Bumpus Junior Investigator Awards at the Cleveland Clinic Annual Research Day
  • Details:
    Karen Kelly, PhD (Kirwan lab) received 1st place in the Clinical Investigator division of the Bumpus Junior Investigator Awards at the Cleveland Clinic Annual Research Day. The title of her presentation was THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND DIET ON PLASMA PYY, GIP AND LEPTIN IN OBESE ADULTS.
  • August 17th 2008
  • Ashis Biswas, PhD (Stuehr Lab) was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral fellowship.
  • Details:
    Ashis Biswas, PhD (Stuehr Lab) was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral fellowship.
  • March 11th 2008
  • Fred Hsieh, MD has been awarded a 'Howard Hughes Physician Scientist Award'.
  • Details:
    Fred Hsieh, MD has been awarded a 'Howard Hughes Physician Scientist Award'. This is the first HHMI individual award ever at Lerner Research Institute.