USC in the News 10/29/2009

San Francisco Chronicle reported that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has announced grants for stem cell research to USC and several other higher education institutions. USC researchers were among the recipients of the following grants: $16 million to study macular degeneration using transplanted retinal cells made from embryonic stem cells, $20 million to develop drugs that destroy cancer stem cells in solid tumors, and $15 million to modify stem cells so they create T cells that are resistant to HIV infection. KPCC-FM interviewed Paula Cannon of the Keck School of USC about the grant for her stem cell research project to fight HIV/AIDS. "The idea from it really came from nature," Cannon said, referring to the 1 percent of people who are naturally immune to HIV/AIDS because they are missing the protein that allows HIV to enter a cell. Cannon's team is taking stem cells from a patient's body and eliminating a protein that is like a gateway for HIV, the story reported. The San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Daily News also covered the grants.

Los Angeles Times cited research by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC which stressed the importance of getting students out from under the designation of "English-language learner" before they enter high school, when the chances of dropping out increase. "The United States has never learned what is the best way to teach English to English learners," said Harry Pachon of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, president of the institute. "That's really a shortcoming." The research was also featured by National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Daily News.

CNN's "Larry King Live" cited a study from the USC College in story about a teenage girl who was gang raped in front of witnesses who did nothing to stop it. A commentator on the show cited the research, which found that subjects with antisocial personality disorder had 11 percent less gray matter in their prefrontal cortexes of than people in control groups.

The Bakersfield Californian ran an op-ed by Ryan Gates of the USC School of Pharmacy about the importance of extending the authority of clinical pharmacists. "Physicians are and should always be the quarterback, the captain of the ship, when it comes to overall responsibility of care for the patient, but physicians (and patients) need an arsenal of highly trained and capable mid-level practitioners to refer patients to help with the management of chronic diseases," Gates wrote. "With medication costs soaring, new medications coming to the market every day and medication regimens becoming more and more complex, I strongly feel that clinically trained doctors of pharmacy are best trained and suited to participate in the direct medication management of patients."

The Scientist quoted Paula Cannon of the Keck School of USC about a study which found that a structurally distinct immune protein prevents the release of HIV and other viruses from infected cells by tying them to the cell membrane with an antiviral leash known as tetherin. Artificial tetherins may provide a novel angle for antiviral therapies by preventing viruses from spreading throughout the host, Cannon said. These artificial tetherins "could be a much safer way to reduce virus release [without] the side effects" that may be associated with altering native tetherin activity, Cannon explained.

The Orange County Register reported that "Documenting the Global City: Beijing," a film project involving students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Communication University of China, was part of the Chinese festival "Ancient Paths, Modern Voices." The event included screenings of seven short films from the project, which explores Beijing and Los Angeles as global cities. Mark Jonathan Harris of the School of Cinematic Arts was in attendance and the student filmmakers participated in a Q&A session, the story stated.

KCRW-FM's "Which Way, L.A.?" interviewed Felix Gutierrez of the USC Annenberg School in a story on the future of newspapers in California. "We've seen in the recent years that the ethnic newspapers have held their own in many cities at a time when general circulation media have been losing audiences," Gutierrez said. "What you're finding is a shift from mass media to class media, mass media where you're trying to get a general circulation among a variety of people, to targeted segmented media that pinpoint a specific content or a specific group of people." L.A. Observed highlighted Gutierrez's appearance on the program.

Los Angeles Times noted that Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger gave the keynote address at the USC Gould School's Institute on Entertainment Law and Business conference this year.

Los Angeles Times quoted James Anderson of the USC Viterbi School about the recent falling of steel rods from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Anderson said that the Bay Bridge was susceptible to fatigue failure and that steel members and connections wear out. "The size of modern tractor-trailers are probably twice the size of older models, thereby increasing the amount of loading on the bridge," Anderson said. "While I do not have an opinion on the danger of collapse, these recent occurrences of pieces falling off the bridge are definitely a warning sign that the bridge may be wearing out."

Ashland Daily Tidings ran an op-ed by Susan Estrich of the USC Gould School on the difficulty she had in trying to get a flu shot this season and how that could be an indicator of how a public health care program would be run. "The polls are all over the map about where the public stands on the so-called 'public option,' as well they should be. In my classes, I call it the 'free hot-dog stand,'" Estrich wrote. "Yet, everyone you talk to has an opinion about the distribution of vaccine this flu season. And I've yet to hear too many good ones. I'm sure there are plenty of people and entities to blame for what's gone wrong. But since the government is very obviously running the show when it comes to the distribution of vaccine, it's not exactly a reassuring introduction to some kind of 'public option.'"

The Sun quoted Dan Schnur of the USC College about Tea Party groups, which protest taxation and, more recently, President Obama's health care reform efforts. Schnur said that a key difference between Organizing for America (OFA), a volunteer group pushing Obama's agenda, and the Tea Party groups is that OFA is pushing for something, while the Tea Party groups are pushing against. That gives the Tea Party groups a leg up, because it's easier to motivate people to fight against something than for something, Schnur said. "This has been part of the human condition ever since cavemen were fighting off saber-toothed tigers," he added. "We're much more motivated by threats."

The Advocate reported that Lon Schneider of the Keck School of USC will participate in a public forum on dementia research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Daily Breeze cited James Birren, dean emeritus of the USC Davis School, in a column. "You don't know where you are going if you don't know where you have been," Birren has said.