Duarte, Calif., October 18, 2005 – A $2.5 million gift from Ruth B. Lanman will help City of Hope researchers improve the understanding and management of serious metabolic diseases, including diabetes and atherosclerosis. The newly established Ruth B. and Robert K. Lanman endowed chair in gene regulation and drug discovery will support multidisciplinary studies into the molecular and cellular processes of metabolic diseases, an expanding field of research at City of Hope. Barry Forman, M.D., Ph.D., director and professor, Department of Gene Regulation and Drug Discovery, City of Hope, is the first scientist to hold the endowed chair.
“The commitment of the Lanman family allows City of Hope to better understand the control and prevention of metabolic diseases, including diabetes,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer, City of Hope. “We are pleased to be able to honor Dr. Forman by naming him as the first holder of this endowed chair.”
Forman’s work with nuclear receptors – proteins that control the activity of genes – proved compelling to Lanman and her family, daughter Betsy Jenkins and son-in-law pediatrician Gary Jenkins. Forman’s work with “orphan” nuclear receptors was of particular interest to them. Forman believes these receptors, whose functions are still largely undiscovered, may prove to be the missing links in helping to understand diabetes, cholesterol regulation, obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
“The work of Barry Forman and City of Hope holds tremendous potential for millions of people,” said Lanman. “Our family values the opportunity to partner with City of Hope by supporting research into such diseases and conditions as type 2 diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis and other diseases.”
Forman is noted for research aimed at understanding and treating cholesterol-related illnesses. His laboratory uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying the body’s main method for destroying cholesterol – research that could lead to the development of new drug therapies for patients with abnormally high cholesterol levels.
Along with his colleagues, Forman discovered Androstanol, the first new steroid-like hormone to be identified in 30 years. Unlike other hormones that stimulate the activity of genes, Androstanol is the first hormone found to reverse or halt gene activity.
Forman is credited with identifying new hormones and signaling mechanisms involved in diabetes and cholesterol metabolism. In one such investigation, he identified signaling molecules that promote fat cell formation and affect insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therapies based on this work are now used to treat millions of people with diabetes.
The recipient of the 2005 New Investigator Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and AMGEN, Forman is a frequently published author, with studies in top peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cell Metabolism and The Journal of Organic Chemistry.
