Olson has dedicated his career to analyzing the evolutionary mechanisms that control muscle gene regulation and development. His most recent work has focused on the genetic pathways responsible for congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease.

By identifying the complete genetic pathway for the formation and function of these muscle cell types, Olson hopes to understand the complex processes leading to heart formation from the embryonic level. This information can then be used to develop drugs and genetic therapies to treat congenital and acquired heart disease.

Dr. Olson’s presentation, entitled Genetic control of cardiovascular development and disease will be held on November 27, 2006, from 9-10 a.m. in the New Lecture Theatre at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The Lectureship, which is sponsored by the UBC-affiliated iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul’s, provides the opportunity for the BC scientific community to learn from recognized international research leaders.

Dr. Olson is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and its Institute of Medicine. Dr. Olson served as Editor-in-Chief of Developmental Biology from 1995 to 2005 and belongs to numerous editorial and boards. He also serves on the Scientific Review Board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Note: Media attending the Bernstein Lecture on November 27 are requested to meet at the St. Paul’s Hospital Information Desk by 8:30 am.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Melanie Hanson

Acting Operation LeaderThe iCAPTURE Centre

Phone: 604-806-9266

www.icapture.ca

Mr. Gavin WilsonCommunications

Providence Health Care

Phone: 604-806-8583Pager: 604-667-4397

www.providencehealthcare.org

iCAPTURE Centre Background Information:
The iCAPTURE Centre, based at St. Paul’s Hospital, has nearly 250 personnel, including 30 nationally funded principal investigators and numerous trainees and staff members working to solve the unknowns of heart, lung, and blood vessel diseases. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the BC Knowledge Development Fund and their partners have awarded over $20 million to the iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital for infrastructure that will help propel the team to a new level of discovery. The purpose of the iCAPTURE Centre is to link recent breakthroughs in genetic sciences to abnormal gene expression and to changes in the structure and function (phenotype) of cells, tissues, and organs related to the development of heart, lung, and blood vessel diseases.

Eric Olson Background Information:
Eric Olson has dedicated his career to deciphering the mechanisms that control muscle gene regulation and development. His most recent work has focused on the genetic pathways responsible for congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Olson grew up in North Carolina where he attended Wake Forest University and received a BA in Chemistry and Biology in 1977, a PhD in Biochemistry in 1981 and an honorary doctorate in 2003. After postdoctoral training with Luis Glaser at Washington University School of Medicine, he joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1984 and became Professor and Chairman in 1991. In 1995, he founded the Department of Molecular Biology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He holds the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair.

Dr. Olson’s honors include the Basic Research Prize and Founding Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association, the Pasarow Medical Research Award in Cardiovascular Disease, the Gill Heart Institute Award, the Lucian Award for Research in Cardiovascular Disease, the Outstanding Investigator Award from the International Society for Heart Research, and the Pollin Prize in Pediatric Research. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and its Institute of Medicine. Dr. Olson served as Editor-in-Chief of Developmental Biology from 1995 to 2005 and belongs to numerous editorial and boards. He also serves on the Scientific Review Board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and is actively involved as a scientific advisor to Myogen, Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on therapies for heart muscle disease, which he co-founded.

In his spare time, Eric Olson plays guitar in a rock band called The Transactivators. He is the Annie and Willie Nelson Professor of Stem Cell Research at UT Southwestern.

Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lectureship Background Information:
Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and an internationally renowned molecular biologist, delivered the inaugural Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lectureship in 2002. The Lectureship, presented by the UBC-affiliated iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital, provides local researchers and trainees with the opportunity to learn from recognized leading researchers. Dr. Alan Bernstein is known internationally both as a researcher and as a scientific leader. His pioneering research in the area of cancer, hematopoiesis, and gene therapy remain landmarks in their field. He has also made key contributions to our understanding of embryonic development and formation of the cardiovascular system, and his work has been important in advancing techniques for gene therapy and the genetic analysis of mammalian development.