2005 top scientific stories have Broad appeal

The end of a calendar year brings both excitement about the new year and reflections on the past. In looking back at science in 2005, two prestigious journals, Science and Nature Medicine, included Broad Institute-based research in their picks of top discoveries.

Science cited the chimpanzee genome study as a dramatic display of evolution's intricate handiwork. The first comprehensive comparison of chimp and human DNA, published in Nature, November 2005, reveals extraordinary similarities and significant differences between the two species. According to the editors at Science, the chimp study not only captures evolution in action, but also carries great promise for biomedical research. Chimps, for example, are immune to many human-specific diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and certain cancers. Thus, locating the genetic parts that differ between chimp and human may create new targets for therapies and possibly provide clues for cures. Broad Institute scientists played key roles in the international research team that worked on the chimp genome, including first author Tarjei Mikkelsen and co-senior author Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute.

The editors at Science also cited the importance of the HapMap, a new tool that will expedite the hunt for genes that make us uniquely human. This catalog of human genetic variability provides researchers with a genetic compass for navigating regions in human DNA more quickly and efficiently. The first phase of the HapMap was published in Nature, October 2005, by an international consortium of researchers, including co-senior author David Altshuler, core faculty member and director of the Program in Medical and Population Genetics at the Broad Institute; Mark Daly, Broad associate member; and Stacey Gabriel, director of Broad's Genetic Analysis Platform.

The editors at Nature Medicine also compiled a list of top scientific stories, though their focus is on more immediate medical benefit. Included in their short list of notable advances are the new insights into the role of microRNAs (miRNAs). Scientific studies in 2005 have revealed that these tiny strands of RNA appear to be big players in cancer, viral infection and cellular defense.

Of particular note is a study led by senior author Todd Golub, core faculty member and director of the Cancer Program at the Broad Institute; and co-first authors Gad Getz and Jun Lu, published in Nature, June 2005. These authors and their colleagues established a striking correlation between the patterns of miRNA expression and cancer, and also developed a new technology for rapidly identifying expression patterns of miRNA across tumor types. Their work offers the prospect of using miRNA expression patterns in the diagnosis — and treatment options — of cancer.