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Signal Transduction Affinity
Group
The UCLA Signal Transduction
Affinity Group was organized in the fall of 1996 by the Center
Director, John Walsh, and Mariel Birnbaumer of the Department
of Anesthesiology to take advantage of an influx to UCLA, CURE
and the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center
of investigators interested in G protein coupled receptors and
the pathways they utilize for intracellular signaling.
Meetings are held twice a month at 6 pm on Wednesdays in Warren
Hall. A light supper is served. The twice monthly schedule has
been maintained during two academic years, with breaks during
July and August, and attendance consistently has averaged approximately
40 people.
The ground rules for the affinity
group are that preliminary data can be presented in the context
of an ongoing project, but that sufficient background conceptual
material also is presented to allow all members of the audience
to become oriented to the problem. The sessions last at least
one hour, up to an hour and a half, and there are frequent interruptions
for discussion of specific points. It is understood that unpublished
materials will be treated as confidential. Approximately half
of the presentations have been made by laboratory group members
of the participants and half have been outside speakers.
Pancreatic Physiology and
Disease Affinity Group
Discussion and plans are being
developed and implemented for the creation of affinity groups
to bring together the growing number of investigators doing research
on the pancreas. A Pancreatic Physiology and Disease Group has
been initiated by Dr. Travis Solomon and Dr. Stephen Pandol and
more than 20 people participated in the first meeting.
Neuroscience Affinity Group
The development of an affinity
group in neuroscience is now in progress to bring together the
large number of investigators at CURE, UCLA, and the West Los
Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center who are interested
in peripheral and central neuronal pathways controlling different
aspects of gastrointestinal function. There are many investigators
with active programs at CURE which focus on multiple aspects
of interactions between the brain and the gut including visceral
pathways and visceral sensation, intrinsic neuronal pathways
and transmitters and receptor expression, and central nervous
system regulation of gastrointestinal function. The group plans
to meet once a month in an informal setting to provide the opportunity
for CURE investigators to foster further interactions and establish
active collaborations with the neuroscience community at UCLA
and the West LA VA Medical Center.
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