NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHER EARNS LIBIN/AHFMR PRIZE Professor Eric N. Olson, PhD, was the sixth recipient of the Libin/ AHFMR Prize for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Calgary, which is given to an outstanding international researcher whose work is deemed to have had a major impact on the understanding, prevention, recognition or treatment of cardiovascular disease. Olson, the founding chair of the department of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas’s Southwestern Medical Center, delivered a lecture, “Correction of Muscle Disease by Genomic Editing,” on Jan. 23, 2017 at the University of Calgary’s Foothills Campus. Olson’s research focuses on studying muscle cells as a model for understanding how stem cells adopt specific fates and how programs of cell differentiation and morphogenesis are controlled during development. During his lecture, he detailed how he and his team of researchers are working towards correcting the genes responsible for certain forms of muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe type that affects about one in 5,000 males. Olson believes gene editing will change the future of precision
Eric Olson, PhD, delivers a lecture at the University of Calgary earlier this year. Olson was the recipient of the sixth Libin/AHFMR Prize for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research.
medicine and genetic disorders in general, noting permanent correction of disease-causing mutations is possible. In principle, this can be achieved in just one treatment with the potential to correct up to 80 per cent of DMD mutations.—DS
MEMBER PLAYS KEY ROLE IN WRITING HYPERTENSION GUIDELINES May was an exciting month for the Libin She added before new treatments are Cardiovascular Institute’s Dr. Doreen Rabi. included in the guidelines, there must be Rabi, a clinical endocrinologist and strong evidence they save lives and prevent associate professor in the University of heart attacks and strokes. Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, had She noted Canada leads the world in a large presence in the Canadian Journal of patient outcomes when it comes to Cardiology’s May 2017 issue, which focused on hypertension, explaining the number of precision medicine in hypertension. people that are treated and controlled for Rabi was a guest editor, penned two high blood pressure in Canada has risen editorials and was the last author listed on from 13.2 per cent in 1992 to 63.9 per cent Hypertension Canada’s 2017 Guidelines, in 2011. due to her position as chair of the Rabi attributes the success to a greater Hypertension Canada Guidelines Committee awareness for the condition, better (HCGC), which consists of about 80 prevention and treatment and more clinicians and publishes guidelines annually. individualized care. She is proud of Canada’s record when it Rabi said chairing the HCGC was a comes to treating hypertension, which is the wonderful, collaborative experience. She leading cause of premature death globally. noted numerous colleagues from across “Globally, Canada is the leader in Canada were involved in the process, Dr. Doreen Rabi was instrumental in hypertension control,” said Rabi, noting each including several from the Libin penning Hypertension Canada’s 2017 Guidelines. year the HCGC undertakes a comprehensive Cardiovascular Institute. and systematic review of new literature and The project’s lead was Dr. Alexander Leung, innovations in hypertension treatment and updates the guidelines as an assistant professor in the department of medicine at the required. University of Calgary. Other Libin members who took part “Internationally, our annual updates set the Hypertension Canada include Dr. Kara Nerenberg, Dr. Kerry McBrien, Dr. Sonia Guidelines apart,” added Rabi. Butalia, Dr. Norman Campbell and Dr. Michael Hill.—DS 10 LIBIN LIFE