The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
Friday, September 3, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 7
www.dukechronicle.com
Trail of errors erodes scientist’s credibility
Dining cuts faculty and staff discount
by Sonia Havele
by Maggie Love
Dr. Anil Potti has focused much of his research on developing genomic approaches that promise to help doctors find better ways to fight cancer. In 2006, Potti and a team of researchers introduced a new method of predicting how individual patients would respond to chemotherapy drugs based on genomic tests. In many cases, doctors may not be able to predict which cancer-fighting drug a patient will respond to best, but Potti’s approach, published in the Nature Medicine journal, potentially offered a solution. Potti, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, and his collaborators described genomic signatures, or models they had developed that could predict individual patient responses to various chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, they claimed to have developed a strategy to create a treatment plan “in a way that best matches the characteristics of the individual,” according to the paper. “Part of what people are really trying to do in cancer therapy is [figure out] how can we decide ahead of time what is the best therapy for a given patient,” said Gary Rosner, director of Oncology Biostatics at Johns Hopkins University’s Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. “That would be a really big step.”
In an effort to reduce the Dining deficit, University officials ended the faculty and staff 10 percent discount at on-campus eateries Aug. 1. At the end of last academic year, Duke Dining was faced with a $2.2 million deficit, which resulted in a series of meetings between University officials and Duke Student Government members. The termination of the discount is one of several measures Dining is implementing to reduce its current deficit. “It’s a way [to save money], but I think they don’t cater enough to the workers on campus,” said Charles Gooch, chief steward for East Campus and vice president of Local 77, which represents union workers. The deficit accrued during the 2007 transition from former caterer ARAMARK Corp. to Bon Appétit Management Company. Faculty and staff contribute 12 to 15 percent of Dining sales, estimated Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst. He added that the end of the 10 percent discount is expected to save the University $50,000 to $75,000. When making budget decisions, University officials put students first, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta.
potti investigation
Cancer research questioned THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
Concerns emerge Soon after the paper was published, however, biostatisticians Keith Baggerly and Kevin Coombes became concerned with the validity of Potti’s work. Several doctors at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were excited about the clinical implications of Potti’s findings, Baggerly said—specifically, that doctors would be able to predict patient response to certain chemotherapy drugs. “A few of them came to us in bioinformatics and asked us to help them understand the details of how [the method] works so they could implement it and treat patients better,” he said. But upon reviewing the experiments, Baggerly and Coombes, both associate professors of bioinformatics and computational biology at MD Anderson, found many of the details vague, which made it difficult to replicate Potti’s findings. “One of the difficulties is that in many of the journal articles in this field, the descriptions of the methods that actually go into the papers... just don’t have enough See potti on page 10
Administration sets new Tailgate regulations, Page 3
graphic by hon lung chu, courtney douglas and melissa yeo
See discount on page 5
New season rises with Phoenix game by Dan Ahrens THE CHRONICLE
When the Blue Devils take the field Saturday against FCS opponent Elon, they will look to take the first step toward meeting the raised expectations of a program that used to be an afterthought in the ACC. After two years under a new system, however, the once-unfathomable goals of a winning season and bowl birth have now crept within reach. Last season, head coach David Cutcliffe’s squad entered Wallace Wade fueled by similar optimism—only to be hamstrung by another FCS school, Richmond, in its opening game. Duke’s players and staff understand the importance of starting 2010 on a higher note after seeing their momentum smothered before it could even begin last year. “That’s all we’ve been thinking about— Richmond,” sophomore linebacker Austin Gamble said. “We’re not going to let that happen with Elon. We’ve heard a lot
Bikram yoga comes to the Triangle, Page 3
of talk about them being ready to come here, but we are definitely ready to go.” Saturday’s tilt against the Phoenix is Duke’s first chance to settle some of the uncertainty swirling around the team. The 2010 Blue Devils will look very different from their 2009 counterparts, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Following the graduation of linemen Vince Oghobaase and Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Cutcliffe and defensive coordinator Marion Hobby have adopted a new 3-4 scheme. “I think as a coach you’re always going to look at personnel, and the guys here fit that package a little bit more,” Hobby said. “We’ve got to get our best 11 on the field, and they happen to be more linebackers than linemen.” Gamble, a first-time starter, will join seniors Damian Thornton, Adam Banks and Abraham Kromah in the linebacking corps Saturday. See football on page 11
margie truwit/The Chronicle
Senior linebacker Damian Thornton and the rest of the Blue Devil defense look to shut down Elon Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium at 7 p.m.
ONTHERECORD
“Right now our district does not have one School of Excellence, and that needs to be a goal for this district.”
—Superintendent Eric Becoats on DPS schools. See story page 4