Research Reports From Washington University

Introducing… the Washington University Wolfram Syndrome Study Group!

By Dr. Tamara Hershey

I would like to tell you about the big picture of research and clinical activities at Washington University focused on Wolfram Syndrome. There are three parts to this effort 1) Diagnostic markers and treatment  development for Wolfram syndrome using animal models and human cells, led by Dr. Fumi Urano (see his previous blog postings here); 2) Patient-oriented natural history studies, led by me — Dr. Tamara Hershey) to determine the trajectory of Wolfram Syndrome-related neurological changes, providing the necessary background information for future clinical trials and 3) Expert clinical screening and care for Wolfram Syndrome, led by Dr. Bess Marshall. Dr. Marshall and other WU physicians now have the most in-depth clinical experience with Wolfram Syndrome in the nation and perhaps the world, providing the basis for a true clinical center of excellence.

Fumi, Bess and I work as a team on all three of these aspects of Wolfram Syndrome research and care. We are in almost daily contact with each other to push our work further and problem solve together. It has been a privilege to work with both of them on something we are all so passionate about. In addition, we work with a large team of dedicated clinical and research faculty and staff, who we collectively refer to as the WU Wolfram Syndrome Study Group. Their names are below. I want you to know that there are a lot of talented and dedicated people here at WU working hard on the behalf of all Wolfram Syndrome families!

We are also in contact with collaborators across the world, including Dr. Tim Barrett in the UK and others, to pool our experimental and clinical data and share measurement tools and ideas. We hope that in the future, these collaborations will provide the basis for a multi-center international clinical trial network. We are committed to being ready to implement an efficient, high quality clinical trial, as soon as a safe drug is identified with strong experimental evidence suggesting that it might help.

WU Wolfram Syndrome Study Group Leaders:  F. Urano (Medicine), T. Hershey (Psychiatry, Radiology, Neurology) and B. Marshall (Pediatrics)  P. Austin, M.D. (Surgery) G. Earhart, Ph.D. (Physical Therapy) S. Eisenstein, Ph.D. (Psychiatry) J. Garbow (Radiology) J. Hoekel, O.D. (Ophthalmology) T. Hullar, M.D. (Otolaryngology) R. Karzon, Ph.D. (Audiology & Communication Sciences) H. M. Lugar, M.A. (Psychiatry) L. Manwaring, M.S. (Pediatrics) A. R. Paciorkowski, M.D. (Neurology, U Rochester) K. Pickett, Ph.D. (Physical Therapy) S. Ranck, MSW (Psychiatry) J. Rutlin, B.S. (Psychiatry) J. Shimony, M.D., Ph.D. (Radiology) A. Viehoever, M.D. (Neurology) N. H. White M.D., CDE (Pediatrics) In memoriam: A. Permutt, M.D. (Medicine) J. Wasson B.S. (Medicine)