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UTHSCSA
DEAN’S MESSAGE
UT SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SAN ANTONIO UPDATE:
REVIEW OF 2015 RESEARCH
PUBLICATIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
By Francisco González-Scarano, MD
A great deal of research is conducted by the esteemed faculty Anti-Cancer Mechanism of Protein
of the UT School of Medicine San Antonio. At any given time Connexin Established
there are more than 300 studies under way, including clinical tri-
als and related studies of cellular, biochemical and drug interac- Using the eye as a model due to its high levels of the protein
tion and related areas. Many are in funded by national agencies connexin 50, one of our groups established how the protein slows
and organizations, including the National Institutes of Health the growth of tumors. The protein tethers itself to a cell-prolifer-
(NIH), the Health and Medicine Division of the National Acad- ating molecule called Skp2. This prevents the Skp2 from traveling
emies, the Veterans Administration (VA) and the National Cancer to the cell nucleus to promote more cell growth. The finding has
Institute (NCI). The list of conditions and diseases being studied a great deal of potential for many different cancer therapies. Qian
covers nearly every branch of medicine. Below are a select few of Shi, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry, is the first au-
the publications and announcements from the past year based on thor on the study, with senior author Jean X. Jiang, Ph.D., Pro-
the research of faculty members of the UT School of Medicine fessor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine. The study,
San Antonio. “Connexin Controls Cell-Cycle Exit and Cell Differentiation by
Directly Promoting Cytosolic Localization and Degradation of
Identification of Antidepressant E3 Ligase Skp2,” was published in Developmental Cell, Novem-
Drug Action in Brain ber 2015.
New discoveries with the anti-depressant drug ketamine may Risk of Overdose in Chronic Pain Patients
expand its use. The drug, which is known for relieving depression Two new studies authored by Barbara J. Turner, M.D., Profes-
in a matter of hours—as opposed to weeks with other medica-
tions—is also known for its high risk of abuse and side effects. sor of Medicine and Public Health and Yuanyuan Liang, Ph.D.,
Daniel Lodge, PhD., Associate Professor of Pharmacology, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Bio-
colleagues from the School of Medicine, were able to idenitfy a statistics at the UT School of Medicine San Antonio, reveal im-
brain circuit that involved in the beneficial effects of ketamine. portant insights into the overdose risks associated with dosage,
They found that activating that circuit in rats had an effect very time and mixture of chronic pain medications.
similar to ketamine. Lead author and Professor of Pharmacology,
Flavia R. Carreno, Ph.D., says this new study helps to understand Painkillers such as hydrocodone that are often prescribed along
the area of the brain responsible for the beneficial effects, which with sedative-hypnotics, such as alprazolam (Xanax) and zolpi-
will allow us to more specifically target them and hopefully in- dem (Ambien). Many patients are also prescribed antidepressants,
crease the effectiveness of the medication. which has pain management benefits independent of their ability
to improve mood. These additional medications can double the
The study “Activation of a ventral hippocampus–medial pre- already-significant risk.
frontal cortex pathway is both necessary and sufficient for an an-
tidepressant response to ketamine” was published in the The researchers developed a database to analyze health care de-
December 2015 Molecular Psychiatry. Daniel Lodge, Ph.D., As- livery, medications and comorbid conditions for more than
sociate Professor of Pharmacology, and Alan Frazer, Ph.D., Pro- 200,000 HMO-enrolled patients who filled at least two prescrip-
fessor and chairman of Pharmacology were co-authors along with tions for opioids for non-cancer pain between 2009 and 2012.
others from the Health Science Center. In this national study, they found that a morphine equivalent
dose of 100 milligrams or more a day significantly increased the
risk of drug overdose, but they also found that even lower doses
32 San Antonio Medicine • May 2016
