Weeks of July 13, 20 and 27, 1997

Show Number	Air Week	Title	Program Description
SHOW #107	July 13, 1997	Gene Therapy	Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania are attempting gene therapy as a treatment for cystic fibrosis. They have developed a new "vector," which is the vehicle used to deliver altered, repaired genes to human cells, typically a virus. In the past, such attempts have either been rejected by the body, or the positive effects of the therapy have dwindled over time, meaning that the new "normal" cells were not growing and spreading, and replacing the diseased cells. The Penn team is hopeful that this new vector will change all that. Cystic Fibrosis is a leading candidate for gene therapy because it is the result of a single mutated gene. Many other diseases stem from multiple mutated genes, rendering gene therapy much more difficult. CONTACT: Frank Hoke, Science Writer, University of Pennsylvania, 215-662-2560
		BREAKTHROUGH PROFILES: Elsie Booker	Elsie Booker is the proprietor of Patterson's Mill Country Store in Durham, NC. Before her retirement, she was a registered pharmacists, one of the first women in North Carolina to pursue that career. At her store, she has rooms designed to accurately recreate an old pharmacy, and an old doctor's office. Her collection of pharmaceutical and medical memorabilia is extensive, and is on display at the store. CONTACT: Elsie Booker, Patterson's Mill Country Store, 919-493-8149
		Gene Chip	This story delineates new technology that has been developed for the analysis of genes, specifically the sequencing of genetic material. This analysis has been miniaturized to the point that it can be done on a chip, which actually resembles a computer chip. Up to 400,000 experiments can now be put on a single chip. CONTACT: Affymetrix Corp., Kenneth J. Nussbacher, CFO, 408-522-6000
		Questionable Medical Devices	A brief piece in which we pay a visit to the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices in Minneapolis, curated by collector and enthusiast Bob McCoy. We will occasionally feature McCoy showing us some of the more unusual and interesting pieces in his renowned collection.
		Brain Bank	We visit the Brain Bank at Minnesota's St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, in which pathologists study the mysteries of the human brain, using brains donated to science. The researchers have discovered a potentially important pathway for medications to reach the brain, being delivered through the nose and up the olfactory pathway. This route bypasses the so-called "blood/brain barrier," which is a sheath surrounding the brain that is designed to keep toxins out of the brain. Unfortunately, the barrier also blocks most drugs from getting into the brain in sufficient doses to be therapeutic. This discovery could have profound implications for improved delivery of drugs to the brain. CONTACT: Dr. William Frey, St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Ctr., 612-228-8323

SHOW #108	July 20, 1997	X Chromosome	Researchers at Washington University at St. Louis have succeeded in generating a high-resolution map of the human X chromosome. This achievement is a significant step forward in the world-wide effort to map the entire human genome. The X chromosome is particularly important because many of the inherited diseases suffered by males stem from a genetic mutation somewhere along the X chromosome. The milestone could ultimately lead to new tests for genetic diseases, and new forms of gene therapy for those diseases. CONTACT: Washington University School of Medicine, Joni Westerhous, Office of Medical Public Affairs, 314-286-0100
		GENE WATCH	The first installment of a new recurring feature on BreakThrough designed to keep viewers abreast of the ongoing discovery and identification of significant human genes. In this edition, we survey the Human Genome Project, the massive world-wide effort to map the entire human genome. When this project is complete, it will be a landmark achievement in science, and is expected to usher in a new era in medicine. CONTACT: National Human Genome Research Institute, 301-402-8564 or Website:http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/NEWS/news.html
		Sudden Cardiac Death	Sudden cardiac death is one of our leading killers, and all too often it strikes without any warning, in people who have no apparent risk factors. Now, a team of researchers at MIT has discovered a previously unrecognized marker, or warning sign, for sudden cardiac death. It's called T-Wave Alternans, and it can be detected by a newly developed device known as a "super ECG." This device is one thousand times more sensitive than a standard ECG, and is capable of picking up this extremely subtle warning sign. When people with this marker have been identified, they can be given a tiny battery-operated device called a cardiac defibrillator. The defibrillator is implanted in the patient, senses when the heart begins to beat out of control, and sends an electrical impulse out, re-set the heart's rhythm. CONTACT: Jeffrey Arnold, President & CFO, Cambridge Heart, 617-271-1200 or Elizabeth Thompson, Science Writer, MIT News Office, 617-253-2700
		FUTUREX: AngioJet	The AngioJet is a device that may soon replace bypass surgery and side-effect-prone drug therapies for arterial blockage. It is essentially an "arterial vacuum cleaner," in that it is fed to the clot site via a catheter, and essentially sucks the clot away. CONTACT: Possis Medical, Inc. Minneapolis, MN 1-800-810-7677
		Men's & Women's Brains	Reuban & Raquel Gur are both psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Together, through a combination of behavioral tests and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging, they have discovered some significant differences between the brains of men and women. It seems that men start out with larger brains, but lose brain tissue with aging at a rate three times faster than women, and that loss begins much younger. Thus, they tend to work their remaining brain tissue at higher metabolic rates. This can in turn accelerate brain cell loss, and it's suspected that this might be a contributing factor to the lower average life expectancy of men. Women, on the other hand, also lose brain tissue, but the loss starts later in life, and their brain activity gradually slows roughly in proportion to the tissue loss. The Gurs also suspect that their findings might shed light on some of the well-documented behavioral differences between men and women. CONTACT: Frank Hoke, Science Writer, University of Pennsylvania, 215-662-2560

SHOW #109	July 27, 1997	HIV Resistance	It's been one of the ongoing mysteries of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that there seems to be a small number of people who, although exposed to the HIV virus, never contract the disease. Now, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a genetic mutation which shuts off a specific cell receptor. This effect apparently inhibits the ability of the virus to invade the cell, rendering the person either somewhat resistant to the disease (if the carrier has a single mutation in the DNA) or almost completely resistant (if the carrier has two copies of the mutation in the DNA). These findings may have implications in the future for new treatments, as researchers look for ways to confer this resistance upon people who don't carry it naturally. CONTACT: Frank Hoke, Science Writer, University of Pennsylvania, 215-662-2560
		BREAKTHROUGHS IN HISTORY: In Vitro Fertilization	A brief profile of the first use of this breakthrough in human reproduction, which took place in 1980 at the Jones Institute at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. The Jones Institute continues to be a leader in the field. CONTACT: Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Norfolk, VA, 757-446-7100
		Bone Marrow	A new technology called the Aastrom Cell Reproduction System now, for the first time, allows the growth of bone marrow cells outside the body. This is potentially a major step in the field of bone marrow transplants, allowing a much smaller sample to be taken from the donor. Presently, bone marrow donation is an arduous, demanding process, and this development could make it much easier. Also, in patients who must donate their own marrow because a suitable matching outside donor cannot be located, the smaller sample reduces the risk of contamination by cancer cells. CONTACT: Mike Maggio, Director of Media Relations, Loyola University Medical Center, 708-216-6700
		BREAKTHOUGH PROFILES: Dr. Irwin Fridovich	Duke University biochemist Dr. Irwin Fridovich discovered one of the keys to the aging process - so-called "free radicals." These molecules are toxic by-products of the body's metabolic process of turning food into energy. They roam the body and kill cells. Fridovich also discovered that the body has a natural antidote for free radicals called oxide dismutase. But as the free radicals do their damage over time, the human body ages. CONTACT: Duke University Medical Center, Office of Public Affairs, 919-684-4148
		Photon Knife	This is a form of brain surgery that does not involve an incision. Highly targeted radiation, X-rays in this case, are focused on a specific area of the brain, and destroy the target, sparing surrounding normal brain tissue. This computer-aided technique has been used for years as one method of treating brain tumors or lesions. Now, it's being used experimentally as an epilepsy treatment. CONTACT: John Howser, Media Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 615-322-4747