letter To Barack Obama
This letter is rather brief but the list of signaturees is very long containing many eminent names.This letter is fascinating because it lists many diseases related to mitochondrial dysfunction which are debilitating but treatable either conservatively and or pharmaceutical intervention therefore THEY NOT INEVITABLY PROGRESSIVE.There are many researchers interested in this area I wonder if they are worth contacting?Are any of them known to the WPI.
January 22, 2009
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
We represent a broad spectrum of physicians, scientists and researchers and are writing to express our strong support for your commitment to expand scientific research. As you consider this increased investment in science, we want to highlight a very important and potentially far-reaching area of inquiry. Specifically, greater understanding of the mitochondria could provide insights into treatments for a wide range of diseases and conditions that affect millions of Americans.
Mitochondria are often called the “powerhouses of the cell.” They are specialized compartments within almost every cell and are responsible for producing the energy needed by our body to sustain life. Mitochondria combine oxygen from the air we breathe with calories from food to produce the energy required for all bodily functions. If the mitochondria fail to produce sufficient energy, the cell will not function properly and organ systems will fail.
Research has revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction is at the core of many common illnesses and chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, cancer and even the aging process. Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis also may have a mitochondrial basis. There also is new evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in the cause of some children’s autism.
There also are “primary” mitochondrial diseases that usually result from genetic defects that reduce the ability of the mitochondria to produce energy. Mitochondrial disease was recognized relatively recently with the first cases diagnosed in adults in the 1960s and in children in the 1980s. Every 30 minutes a child is born who will develop a mitochondrial disease by age ten. Research published six months ago showed that more than 1 in 200 people have mitochondrial DNA mutations that could lead to mitochondrial disease.
Acknowledging the potentially far-reaching implications that would result from a deeper understanding of the mitochondria, The National Institutes of Health recently committed to establish a mitochondria research initiative that would involve all NIH institutes. This initiative will play a significant role in advancing science and medicine. In the 2008 appropriations legislation, the United States Congress expressed its support for intensified mitochondrial research within NIH.
While some steps are being taken, much more could be done to increase our understanding of this critical area of human health. Because mitochondria are so important to the health of cells, a full understanding of their function and dysfunction will have a significant impact on the health of our citizens and will lead to prevention and cures for medical problems that currently affect millions of Americans. We respectfully urge your Administration to include research into mitochondrial medicine among your top medical and research priorities.
Respectfully,
Salvatore DiMauro, MD
Lucy G. Moses Professor of Neurology Columbia University New York, NY
Bruce H. Cohen, MD
Chief of Pediatric Neurology The Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH
Robert K. Naviaux, MD, PhD
UCSD Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center University of California – San Diego San Diego, CA
Peter W. Stacpoole, PhD, MD
Director, General Clinical Research Center Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute Associate Dean, Clinical Research and Training University of Florida Gainesville, FL
Sidney M. Gospe, Jr., MD, PhD
Herman and Faye Sarkowsky Endowed Chair Head, Division of Pediatric Neurology Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics University of Washington Seattle, WA
Douglas C. Wallace, PhD
Director, Center for Molecular & Mitochondrial Medicine and
Genetics
Biological Chemistry School of Medicine
University of California - Irvine
Irvine, CA
Charles Hoppel, MD
Co-Director
Center for Inherited Disorders of Energy Metabolism Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, OH
Jerry Vockley, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics
School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Professor of Human Genetics
Graduate School of Public Health
Chief of Medical Genetics
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Pittsburgh, PA
John M. Shoffner, MD
Neurology, Biochemical Genetics, Molecular Genetics Medical Neurogenetics, LLC
Adjunct Associate Professor, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
Vamsi Mootha, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School & MGH/Broad Institute Cambridge, MA
David Chan, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
Michael A. Frohman, MD, PhD
Professor & Ch airman
Department of Pharmacological Sciences
Director
Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD, MSTP)
Center for Developmental Genetics
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
Keshav Singh, PhD
Professor of Oncology Department of Cancer Genetics Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY
Douglas S. Kerr, MD, PhD
Director
Center for Inherited Disorders of Energy Metabolism
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Cleveland, OH
Michio Hirano, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology Neurological Institute Columbia University New York, NY
Russell P. Saneto, DO, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics University of Washington Seattle, WA
Susan P. LeDoux, PhD
Assistant Dean for Curriculum
Professor and Vice-Chair
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
Amy C. Goldstein, MD
Child Neurologist, Division of Child Neurology Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics & Neurology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA
Kendall B. Wallace, PhD
Diplomate, American Board of Toxicology Fellow, Academy of Toxicological Sciences Editor, Toxicology
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth, MN
Gerald S. Shadel, PhD
Departments of Pathology & Genetics Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT
Sion Williams, PhD
University of Miami Department of Neurology Miami, FL
Lee-Jun Wong, PhD
Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX
Dennis R. Winge, PhD
Department of Internal Medicine University of Utah Health Sciences Center Salt Lake City, UT
Tina Wenz, PhD
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Neurology Miami, FL
Mindong Ren, PhD
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology New York University School of Medicine New York, NY
Mark Tarnopolsky, MD, PhD, FRCP
Associate Professor
Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine McMaster University Medical Center Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Massimo Zeviani, MD, PhD
Division of Molecular Neurogenetics National Neurological Institute "C.Besta" Milan, Italy
Brian Robinson, PhD
Program Head – Metabolism
Research Institute Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Anu Suomalainen, MD, PhD
Sigrid Juselius Professor of Clinical Molecular Medicine Finnish Centre of Excellence for Research on Mitochondrial Disease and Aging (FinMIT) University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
Tanja Taivassalo, PhD
Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sandra R. Bacman, PhD
Departmemnt. of Neurology and Cell Biology & Anatomy Miller School of Medicine University of Miami
Patrick F. Chinnery, MBBS, PhD, FRCPath, FRCP
Professor of Neurogenetics The Medical School Framlington Place Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Annette Feigenbaum, MD, ChB, FRCP
Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics University of Toronto Medical Director, PKU Program The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Ontario Canada
Eric A. Shoubridge, PhD, FRSC
Professor, Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Human Genetics Montreal Neurological Institute McGill University Montreal, Quebec Canada
Howard Zucker, MD, JD
Former Assistant Director General
World Health Organization
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Institute of Politics Fellow, Spring 2009
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
Cambridge, MA
Rajiv R. Varma, MD
Clinical Director
Division of Child Neurology
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Pittsburgh, PA
Giovanni Manfredi, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience Weill Medical College Cornell University New York, NY
Richard H. Haas, MD
UCSD Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center University of California – San Diego San Diego, CA
Lawrence I. Grossman, PhD
Professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics Henry L. Brasza Director Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit, MI
Carlos T. Moraes, PhD
Department of Neurology and Cell Biology & Anatomy Miller School of Medicine University of Miami Miami, FL
Eric Schon, PhD
Professor of Genetics and Development College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University New York, NY
Devin Oglesbee, PhD
Assistant Professor
Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
and Medical Genetics
Co-Director, Biochemical Genetics Laboratory
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
Grazia Isaya, MD, PhD
Consultant and Professor
Director, Mayo Medical Scientist Training Program
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Arun Srivastava, PhD
George H. Kitzman Professor of Genetics Chief, Division of Cellular and Molecular Therapy Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Powell Gene Therapy Center Assistant Director, General Clinical Research Center Cancer and Genetics Research Complex University of Florida Gainesville, FL
Gregory M. Enns, MB, ChB
Director, Biochemical Genetics Program Division of Medical Genetics Stanford University Stanford, CA
William Craigen, MD, PhD
Molecular and Human Genetics Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX
Juan M. Pascual, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Departments of Neurology, Physiology Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Neurology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX
Antoni Barrientos, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology and Cell Biology & Anatomy
Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami
Miami, FL
Marni J. Falk, MD
Assistant Professor of Human Genetics University of Pennsylvania
Director, Mitochondrial-Genetics Diagnostic Clinic The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
Mikhail Alexeyev, PhD
Assistant Professor University of South Alabama Mobile, AL
Francisca Diaz, PhD
Research Assistant Professor Department of Neurology Miller School of Medicine University of Miami Miami, FL
Konstantin Khrapko, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Boston, MA
Stephen P. Hersh, MD, DLFAPA
Director, The Medical Illness Counseling Center
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences and
Pediatrics
The George Washington University
Washington, DC
Mary Kay Koenig, MD
Director - Neurometabolic & Mitochondrial Clinic University of Texas Houston Houston, TX
Carla Koehler, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
Jeff MacKeigan, PhD
Scientific Investigator Head, Laboratory of Systems Biology Van Andel Research Institute Grand Rapids, MI
Phil G. Morgan, MD
Research Director
Seattle Children’s Hospital
Department of Anesthesiology
University of Washington and Children’s Research Institute
Seattle, WA
Jodi Nunnari, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
University of California - Davis
Davis, CA
Thomas W. O'Brien, PhD
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Paulo A. Ferreira, PhD
Professor
Jules and Doris Stein Research to Prevent Blindness
Departments of Ophthalmology, Molecular Genetics and
Microbiology
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC
Oleh Khalimonchuk, PhD
Departments of Biochemistry and Internal Medicine Health Sciences Center University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
Beverly A. Rzigalinski, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology
Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Blacksburg, VA
Brett H. Graham, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Margaret Sedensky, MD
Director of Research Training Department of Anesthesiology University of Washington Seattle, WA
Linda L. Spremulli, PhD Professor of Chemistry University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC
Robert S. Weiss, PhD
Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics Department of Biomedical Sciences Cornell University Ithaca, NY