News and Research of the University

Defeating Diabetes Drug May Enable Islet Cell Transplants		A Passion for Documentary Filmmaker Tells the Important Stories
New Hope for Healing First Use of Bioengineered Skin		Advancing Cuban Studies Institute Promotes World-Class Scholarship
When Giants Awaken Predicting Volcanic Eruptions		Unprofitable Trend Bank Mergers May Hurt Small Businesses
New Law Dean Returns to Familiar Territory		Wave Prediction Research Helps Mariners Keep Afloat
Mapping Muscles for Maximum Performance

Drug May Enable Islet Cell Transplants Defeating Diabetes new drug that has shown promise in preventing organ rejection might be the first drug to work for diabetics waiting to receive transplanted pancreatic cells, according to a study conducted at the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami School of Medicine. The investigation, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that diabetic monkeys given the drug anti-CD154 (hu5c8) with a transplant of insulin-producing cells called islets, became insulin-independent after taking monthly doses of the drug. In three cases, the animals remained insulin-free after discontinuing therapy at one year following the transplant, and without demonstrating any of the toxic side-effects associated with other anti-rejection drugs. This advance could move islet cell transplantation out of the experimental arena and into clinical practice sooner rather than later. "It's been the Holy Grail of islet cell transplantation to identify a safe anti-rejection agent that works in a diabetes model that is closer to human beings than a mouse," says Norma S. Kenyon, associate professor of medicine, director of clinical research at the DRI, and the study's lead author. "Anti-CD154 is an immune system modulator that prevents rejection without harming islet cells, and seemingly, without stunting growth or causing infection like traditional immunosuppressive agents. As a transplant immunologist who's worked in this field for almost 20 years, this is the most exciting development I've seen in a long time. However, as the mother of a daughter with diabetes, I don't want to raise false hopes." Using a two-stage system, T-cells or lymphocytes, enable the immune system to ward off unwanted invasion, whether it be caused by viruses, bacteria, or unknown cells. The first stage involves recognition that a foreign body does not belong to the "self." The second stage, called co-stimulation, results in the immune system's gearing up and involves the production and activation of additional T-cells, a battle cry of sorts. An immune system response, such as is seen in the rejection of transplanted cells or organs, requires that both these steps take place. Anti-CD154 blocks the co-stimulation phase, thereby preventing the destruction of the transplanted islet cells. "It appears that the body may find other pathways to prevent infection, as these animals have remained healthy without any sign of illness for over a year," says Kenyon. "In diabetes, the cells that produce insulin are destroyed by the patient's own immune system. Islet cell transplantation attempts to give back to these patients the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin and thus restore the body's ability to convert food into energy," explains Camillo Ricordi, Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery and Medicine and the scientific director at the DRI. "If there were a way to prevent rejection without condemning an individual to a lifetime of toxic drugs, then transplanting islet cells--given in a 25-minute, noninvasive procedure--could become the treatment of choice. Anti-CD154 may form part of that final solution."

Filmmaker Tells the Important Stories A Passion for Documentary ocumentary filmmaker and communication professor Sanjeev Chatterjee has devoted a career to telling the important stories that need to be told--and those likely never to become part of the mainstream media. "As a college professor, he says, I've always believed that there are enough people taking care of the mainstream media." A native of India, Chatterjee joined the University of Miami in 1994 and has since become known for three types of documentary work. One is collaboration with other faculty members such as Alice Ackermann, professor in the School of International Studies. Their documentary From the Shadow of History, which explored peacekeeping in Macedonia, won second place in the Silver State Documentary Film Festival Awards and was aired on The History Channel. Their next project also will be on peacekeeping, but about post-war reconciliation in Europe. In his second role, Chatterjee runs the School of Communication's Documentary Unit with photography professor Lelen Bourgoignie. Their students make broadcast-quality documentaries, working with noted industry professionals. Chatterjee and Bourgoignie serve as editors--guiding the students in their work. A recent project, Last Night in Cuba, looks at a generation of Cubans who emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s to late 1960s. The third component of Chatterjee's work relates to the Indian diaspora, people of Indian origin who set up communities elsewhere in the world. His first documentary on the subject was My Cousin's Marriage, about Chatterjee's cousin who grew up in America yet asked her parents to arrange her marriage. Also of this genre was his film about Indians in Trinidad, which received an award of merit given to only six people nationally. The film deals with Indians trying to maintain an identity after having lived for 150 years in the Caribbean. Yet another project on the Indian diaspora was begun last summer when Chatterjee traveled to South Africa. "Documentary making is a funny business," says Chatterjee. "On the one hand, you have those who are making tons of money. In the real world, what keeps them going is a sense of community. You belong to a certain category of people who have a certain commitment to society, the environment, or a cause, who feel this is a good way to share information and stories. And they do it out of passion."

First Use of Bioengineered Skin New Hope for Healing baby born with an extremely painful and potentially lethal skin disorder was the first in the nation to benefit from the application of a new, bioengineered skin at University of Miami/Jackson Children's Hospital. Made from a mixture of living human cells and collagen derived from cows, the skin is commercially known as Apligraf. Eight-week-old Tori Cameron, born with nearly 70 percent of her body covered in blisters, suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, a disease so unforgiving that the slightest friction on her skin can result in painful blisters and lead to scarring, recurring infections, and raw spots similar to second-degree burns. The disorder also can cause blistering in linings of the airway and the esophagus, making breathing and eating difficult. But dermatologists at the UM/Jackson Children's Hospital, conducting clinical trials on bioengineered skin, are treating Tori with Apligraf. Patches of Apligraf were placed over Tori's wounds and wrapped in gauze. Four days later her bandages were removed. Where doctors had placed Apligraf, Tori's skin was healthier and blister-free. "This product may be an ideal graft and make a world of difference for children like Tori, who do not have normal anchoring of their skin," says Lawrence Schachner, director of pediatric dermatology. Currently, medical science offers no effective treatment for the disease. As a result, babies like Tori must often sleep on special beds, eat liquid diets, and suffer blistering from normal activities such as crawling, walking, and even eating. If Apligraf can make the skin more cohesive, then the mummy-like wrappings applied to these children to protect them from injury may no longer be necessary. Following Tori's treatment, a clinical trial involving 15 more children was conducted at UM/Jackson Children's Hospital. Most of their wounds disappeared in only four days, leaving grafts that blended well into the surrounding skin.

Institute Promotes World-Class Scholarship Advancing Cuban Studies he University of Miami has created an Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS). Part of the School of International Studies, the new institute is believed to be the only Cuban studies center in the nation that emphasizes the dissemination of Cuban history and culture. As part of its mission, the institute will provide research and information about contemporary Cuba, U.S.-Cuba relations, and Cuban-Americans. In addition to working toward and preparing for a future change of regime on the island, the institute aims to increase awareness and appreciation of Cuba and Cuba-related issues within the South Florida community as well as from a national and international perspective. The institute will coordinate all Cuba-related academic and outreach programs at the University. The institute has received a significant boost in the form of a challenge grant of $2.5 million from the Goizueta Foundation, founded by the late chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, Roberto C. Goizueta. University trustee Carlos Saladrigas, chief executive officer of ADP Totalsource, has agreed to chair a campaign for Cuban Studies, whose first priority is to secure matching funds for the grant. Saladrigas also spearheaded a recent effort bringing the collection of the Cuban Museum of the Americas to the University. "The institute is a natural for the University of Miami," says President Edward T. Foote II. "From its earliest days in the 1920s--until Castro came into power--the University and Cuba enjoyed countless connections, from student and faculty exchanges to athletic contests. The institute builds on our considerable existing strengths. We are thrilled by the enthusiasm in the Cuban-American community, and we intend to make the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies an organization of world-class scholarship and teaching." The institute is led by noted Cuba expert Jaime Suchlicki, a long-time professor of international studies at the University and the author of several highly regarded books on Cuba and its history. In addition to his role as the institute's founding director, Suchlicki was named the Emilio Bacardi Moreau Professor of Cuban Studies. In this position, Suchlicki is teaching a History of Cuba course in the Department of History. "Professor Suchlicki has long been committed to ensuring that the University develops a strong and respected program in Cuban studies that will meet the interests and needs of our students, the academic world, and the Cuban community," says Roger E. Kanet, dean of the School of International Studies. "Given all of UM's resources related to the study and preservation of Cuban history, the institute will be unique in many aspects, since it will bring together a wealth of information, expertise, and rare and original historical material," says Suchlicki, who has taught at the University since 1967. ICCAS will contain the only Internet-accessible database of information in the world on contemporary Cuba and its history. In addition, the institute will utilize the University's Cuban Heritage Collection at the Otto G. Richter Library, one of the most comprehensive collections of Cuban-related materials outside the island, and will be complemented by the Cuban Museum collection of more than 500 pieces of artwork and historical memorabilia, now part of the permanent collection at the Lowe Art Museum.

Predicting Volcanic Eruptions When Giants Awaken hroughout the Earth's history, volcanoes have silently seethed, until they unexpectedly release their fury, transforming the landscape, and, in recent history, devastating communities and killing thousands of people. If only volcanic eruptions could be predicted, many lives could be saved. Timothy Dixon, professor of marine geology and geophysics at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, has worked to do just that, devising and testing a sophisticated system for forecasting these cataclysmic events. Long fascinated by the consequences of volcanoes' great destructive power, Dixon made the first measurements ever on a volcano in 1983, with the Global Positioning System (GPS), a military satellite-based navigation system. A volcano's magma chambers tend to expand before an eruption, deforming the surface. Monitoring this activity and recognizing when the situation becomes perilous is one of the keys to giving communities early warning. With funding from NASA, Dixon has customized the GPS to study ground deformation around active volcanoes. While other techniques exist, GPS has advantages in its accuracy, automated and remote operation, and relatively low cost. Last spring Dixon led a research team to Popocatépetl, a volcano located 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, to put their science to work. Popocatépetl, which means "smoking mountain" in the Aztec language, has an extensive history of eruptions, including major events 5,000, 1,800, and 1,200 years ago. After nearly seven decades of inactivity, El Popo, as the volcano has come to be known, started stirring again in 1993. The volcano could be entering a "window" when another large eruption is possible. Dixon and his colleagues climbed up the mountain to altitudes as high as 14,100 feet to install the monitoring system. Not only is the work arduous, it is also hazardous. At such heights, the atmosphere is thin and the temperature near freezing. And at distances so close to the volcano's crater, a sudden eruption could mean disaster. Volcanologists have been killed by small explosions as well as immense pyroclastic flows that can be as hot as 1,500 degrees Farenheit and move at speeds of 100 to 150 miles per hour. Indeed, while working on El Popo, Dixon and his team witnessed a small eruption and resulting landslide, but managed to place sensors near the volcano's crater. A network of 24 GPS satellites relays signals to the sensors from thousands of miles above the Earth. The resulting measurements are then transmitted by telephone, radio, and the Internet to researchers. The system is so precise that it can detect only one inch of growth in the volcanic crust--enough to warrant concern. Today 500 million people live near active volcanoes. In the case of El Popo, more than one million people live within a 22-mile radius of the sleeping giant, and more than 20 million people reside within 50 miles. The threat of devastation on a human scale is enormous, but so too is the life-saving potential of Dixon's research.

Bank Mergers May Hurt Small Businesses Unprofitable Trend joint study by professors at the University of Miami, New York University, and the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) says older and larger banks make fewer loans to small businesses. New banks make proportionately more small business loans than other banks. As banks age, the number of loans they make of $1 million or less shrink as a percentage of total loans, say the researchers, University finance professor Lawrence G. Goldberg, Lawrence J. White, a business professor at NYU, and Robert DeYoung, a former economist with the OCC. "We know that when banks merge, there is less interest in small business loans," says Goldberg. "Evidence seems to indicate that larger banks make proportionately fewer small business loans. This has led to concern that small business borrowers will be disadvantaged by this trend." The researchers studied banks up to 20 years old and with up to $500 million in assets, finding that the availability of credit to small businesses varies according to the age of the bank and its organizational structure. They also discovered that independent banks are more active in community lending, compared with banks that are affiliates of a larger bank holding company. "Small business lending may simply be a short-run strategy for rapidly growing banks, abandoned once the bank attains critical size," their report says. Younger institutions are more likely to make small business loans for several reasons. New banks are often launched by loan officers or former bank executives who are displaced or unhappy as a result of a merger. In starting a new bank, they often bring local business contacts-potential smaller borrowers. New banks also need new customers, and managers of these banks will aggressively pursue the customers for which their bank has a particular competitive advantage in serving. The researchers add that the "aggressive and hungry atmosphere" of a start-up bank will often "give way to the more complacent and relaxed atmosphere of an established organization that is less focused on recruiting new customers from the small business sector."

New Law Dean Returns to Familiar Territory ennis O. Lynch, professor and dean emeritus at the University of Denver College of Law, has been named dean of the School of Law. An expert on Latin American law, Lynch was a member of the University of Miami law school faculty from 1974 to 1990 and served as associate dean from 1983 to 1986. He moved to Denver in 1990 to become dean of the law school there. Lynch succeeds Mary Doyle, who served as interim dean following the resignation of Samuel C. Thompson, Jr., in May 1998. Doyle, who also served as dean from 1986 to 1994, has rejoined the law faculty. Lynch was a Fulbright Scholar in economics in Venezuela and a program officer with the Ford Foundation in Colombia. He also served as a consultant for the U.S. Agency for International Development. A 1965 graduate of the University of Oregon, Lynch holds a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and J.S.D. and LL.M. degrees from Yale Law School.

Wave Prediction Research Helps Mariners Keep Afloat ncountering a gigantic freak wave is every mariner's worst nightmare. These rogue waves, measuring as high as 80 feet, appear out of nowhere and can sink ships or inflict extensive damage to coastal communities. To study the ocean conditions that create these killer waves, Hans Graber, professor of applied marine physics at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, is using satellite-based radar systems, which can repeatedly view large areas of ocean and transmit images in real time to ground stations. But better algorithms are needed to process the large volumes of data. To do this, Northwest Research Associates Inc. and the University of Miami are conducting a study off the Florida Keys. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory also is acquiring radar images of the same region. The combined analysis will provide the improved algorithms. "We are using radar to track the speed and direction of waves just like police use radar to track the speed of a car," says Graber. "One day we hope to use this information to help predict when and where these freak waves might develop."

Mapping Muscles for Maximum Performance star wide receiver hurts his knee during the first game of the season, jeopardizing the team's future in the playoffs. In the past, the only way to rehabilitate the player's leg was to analyze the other leg and try to make them equal again. Now there is no need to guess when it comes to rehabilitating injuries. At the Human Performance Lab, part of the School of Education, researchers are the first in the country to use 3-D computer imaging to help rehabilitate athletes. "This mapping allows us to look at the difference in a muscle before and after an injury and then strive toward bridging the gaps with rehabilitation," says Joseph Signorile, associate professor of exercise physiology and assistant director of the lab. The mapping technology has other important potential uses as well. It can be used to tell athletes where they need to concentrate their training, or it can help identify which players have the potential to become superstar athletes.

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