We have a very special guest speaker this week in our seminar - Dr. Fayez Safadi. Dr. Safadi is Professor
of
Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Northeast Ohio
Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio. One aspect of his research program focuses on the regulation of bone cell development
and function, with specific emphasis on growth factors that can enhance
osteogenesis. Another research interest of Dr. Safadi is the role of osteoactivin as a neuroprotective factor for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer
disease.
UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT: See flyer below
Dr. Safadi gave a really intriguing talk on osteoactivin. He has invested many years into finding a novel therapeutic agent that could help treat diseases like osteoporosis and osteopetrosis. He has taken many steps over the years to find this molecule and get approved for funding to further his research. Thus far, he has found that osteoactivin acts as both a positive and negative regulator of bone. When added with osteoblasts it increases bone formation and, when added with osteoclasts, it increases bone deformation.
ReplyDeleteMy question revolves around one that Dr. Safadi kept asking during his talk – did he personally convince you that osteoactivin could be a possible therapeutic agent for bone diseases, especially with the possibility of it causing tumors/cancer? Also, Dr. Safadi emphasized his struggles with getting funding over the years and all the research he has had to do in order to address the concerns of osteoactivin from different funding organizations. As a researcher, would you have the perseverance to continue this project for many years if you had people continually doubting your work?
Dr. Safadi’s presentation was so interesting to sit through. This is probably the best seminar semester I’ve been through here at YSU as ever presentation we have is engaging and insightful. Dr. Safadi took complicated and long research and made it easy to understand and informative. They always say that to give a good presentation you have to make it into a story and he did just that.
ReplyDeleteTo address Marissa’s first question; based on the research that was presented, I do feel that I’m convinced of the role that osteoactivin could play as a therapeutic agent for bone disease. However, I do feel that research on side effects of osteoactivin treatment should be heavily researched before being applied to treat disease with the possible correlation between osteoactivin and cancer/tumors as the main concern.
The second question Marissa asked about perseverance in research is probably the most applicable to our everyday lives as aspiring scientists. I know I’m not alone in saying that I sometimes have doubts about lab research in general. Dedicating so much time and energy into one project is daunting enough but adding in Dr. Safadi’s experience of having so many rejections and people doubting his work, it seems downright impossible to keep finding purpose and drive to continue on. This is where I believe we all need to think about our research and the passion we have for it. If I were working on a project I had no passion for, I probably would have given up faced with Dr. Safadi’s obstacles. However, being passionate about something is always going to push you to continue with your work because you know that what you’re doing is worth the energy.
As Marissa and Jamielynn said, I also found Dr. Safadi’s research on osteoactivin intriguing. Among other aspects of the talk, I found his explanations and research regarding osteopetrosis to be interesting. It seems like most people are familiar with osteoporosis, but there is much less talk about the “opposite” disease. Regarding Marissa’s first question, I was convinced by Dr. Safadi’s talk that osteoactivin can and possibly will be a therapeutic agent for various bone diseases, but as Jamielynn said there is still a lot of research that is needed before any clinical tests can occur. As far as perusing work that has a lack of funding or is continually doubted, I would like to think that I would continue my work as Dr. Safadi did. It’s unfortunate that sometimes research projects get pushed aside due to a lack of funding or interest by the granting institution. I feel that if you have a strong passion to achieve something, not even necessarily related to science, you have to do your best to strive for it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I was unable to attend this lecture. I can't speak to the nature of the presentation.
ReplyDeleteI think any ?cytokine and/or ?membrane receptor with a gross physiological function is a potential target for therapeutics, especially if its dysfunction is the etiology of a certain pathophysiology, but also if enhanced function can serve as a compensatory mechanism. That’s not to say that appropriate manipulation of osteoactivin in any capacity is the most efficient or safe modality of treatment, especially in these super complex pathways. So my answer is maybe so maybe not haha, but I’m definitely no expert, and again, I wasn’t able to make it to this seminar.
As far as perseverance goes, I have to love what I’m doing. I doubt I would get much done in a field of research that wasn’t gratifying for me and occupied by successive roadblocks. From everyone’s comments on here, it sounds like Dr. Safadi loves what he’s doing and is very good at it. That’s really terrific.
Dr. Safadi made it clear that he is a big fan of bone. It provides mechanical support, protects sensitive organs, and is a reservoir for maintaining ion homeostasis. It is synthesized by osteoblasts, and degraded by osteoclasts. Dr. Safadi discovered a protein, osteoactivin, which positively regulates osteoblasts (i.e., stimulates bone growth) and negatively regulates osteoclasts (i.e., inhibits bone degradation). Understanding osteoactivin function could lead to exciting, new treatments for bone diseases. Very cool stuff, and I am pretty convinced that Dr. Safadi’s research is legitimate. He has moxie, which is something all research scientists need when their work comes under scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteOne would obviously need perseverance to deal with potential rejection of grants, manuscripts, etc. In the words of Taylor Swift, “and the haters gonna hate hate hate.” Dr. Safadi’s commitment to his research is an inspiration, especially since I learned that my first manuscript submission received harsh criticism from one reviewer, who suggests major revisions before the paper is publishable. It was a minor defeat, but I will work with Dr. Butcher to write a letter of response and address this reviewers concerns. Like Dr. Safadi, I am also committed to my research, and my manuscript will see that light of publication!
Dr. Safadi’s presentation regarding his discovered protein of osteoactivin was very interesting. His presentation was easy to follow as he gave a great depth of background to fully understand the research. I learned a lot about bone formation and degradation that I previously did not know about. His devotion to his research is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteAfter Dr. Safadi’s presentation I can say that I am personally convinced that osteoactivin could be used in the future as a therapeutic agent for various bone diseases and conditions. Identification of this protein that can assist in the formation and degradation of bone has potential to be life changing. Like previously said in other comments, more research will be needed to see a connection between tumors and osteoactivin before human use.
If you believe in something you should never let criticism from other people knock you down. Just because others don’t see the potential in you, does not mean you should give up. Dr. Safadi is a notable example of not letting others shut him down. After all the obstacles with funding and rejections, he continued to do more research and proved that his research is important. His arduous work and dedication is amazing and inspires me to keep pursuing my dreams!
“Just keep swimming!”
I agree with everyone else that Dr. Safadi gave a very convincing presentation on osteoactivin. He made his research clear and easy to follow which I believe helped to convince me osteoactivin does play a major role in bone activity. I think there is potential for it to be used in therapeutic cases, but further research needs to be done. As Jamielynn mentioned, there needs to be a clear knowledge of side effects and outcomes of osteoactivin use especially if it can cause cancer/tumors. With that being said, Dr. Safadi's research is still very significant. I think there was enough information presented that funding for his research would prove to be very beneficial. Further research in the future could perhaps make osteoactivin the best therapeutic agent on the market for diseases.
ReplyDeleteDr. Safadi delivered a fantastic presentation which kept us attentive to the very end. As was previously mentioned, his presentation read more like a story which is very difficult to do with research. It was also obvious that Dr. Safadi tremendously enjoys his work with bone, despite all of his setbacks. This enthusiasm was transferred to his audience.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Marissa's first question, I don't like the connotation of "convinced." It sounds very close to "prove," which is a word we are told to avoid in research. I think his research is very compelling to say that osteoactivin could be a possible therapeutic agent for bone diseases. Even after all of the negative criticism he has received about osteoactivin, he has been able to design experiments to reject their criticism. I do think though that the possibility of it forming tumors needs to be researched extensively before it is applied to human studies.
To answer the second question, I'd like to think I'd be as stubborn as Dr. Safadi in pursuing osteoactivin despite being rejected so many times for grants. There are so many examples of stubborn scientists going against criticism that end up being recognized for their research in the end. Barry Marshal was dismissed by mainstream gastroenterologists for his hypothesis that it wasn't stress that caused ulcers, but rather the bacterial species H. pylori. He was unable to make his case in studies with lab mice, but he didn't give up. He eventually convinced the haters (by actually drinking H. pylori-infected broth which gave him a stomach ulcer) and received a Nobel Prize.
I thought Dr. Safadi's presentation was very interesting as he talked about the research and formation of osteoporosis. I was also particularly intrigued when he was discussing the mechanism of osteoactivin and how it could potentially restore the effects of osteoporosis and other forms of bone degradation. Therefore, I am convinced that osteoactivin could be used as a potential therapeutic to treat this. However, as Jamielynn said, I think the side effects of osteoactivin should be thoroughly researched before it is released to the pubic as an official therapeutic. As for the second question, it takes a lot of persistence, dedication, and even some courage to keep standing by your research ad hypotheses even if they keep getting rejected by other researchers. I'm committed to my research, and I think I would definitely keep asking for support (e.g., financial), ideas, opinions, etc. even if not a lot of people are supporting what I am doing. If one is committed to their research, then they can overcome a lot more obstacles. compared to someone who has less commitment.
ReplyDeleteDr. Safadi's presentation was kind of motivation and hoping to me as an inspiring scientist. He talked on challenges he faced on his way to success that made him to focus on both advantage and disadvantage of Osteoactivin. Fortunately, the advantage outdid the disadvantage which he was able to convince for the grant. In my view, Osteoactivin can be the best therapeutic agent since he proved non-interference with biological function within the body although it should be carefully examined before put in use. On the other hand, it take persistence, patient, hardwork and struggle to win a scholar race and therefore as a scientist who is determined and committed to win, I would not dare to lose focus and give up.
ReplyDeleteI was not present for Dr. Safadi’s talk, but the comments on this blog lead me to believe that it was well done. Like Jamielynn, I have been quite impressed with the caliber of seminar presentations so far this semester, and I look forward to it continuing!
ReplyDeleteTo Marissa’s first question, my review of the literature reveals that Osteoactivin certainly seems to increase the ability of certain malignant tumors to metastasize. However, I believe that its therapeutic potential for treating osteoporosis outweighs these setbacks. There does not seem to be any evidence of Osteoactivin promoting the development or mobilization of any bone malignancies. Because of this, localized administration of Osteoactivin into the bone may allow its beneficial effects on osteoblasts and osteoclast progenitors to take place without it’s potential harmful systemic effects. Unfortunately, determining the method of administration is something that takes place much later on in therapeutic trials, and Osteoactivin will have a lot of hoops to jump through before dosing and administration can get figured out.
For the second question, I would say that my perseverance in the face of such doubt would be dependent upon my faith in the potential benefits of the research. In this case, Osteoactivin would represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis and other degenerative bone conditions, acting in ways that current therapies have been unable to achieve. From his perseverance so far, it appears that Dr. Safadi has a great deal of faith in Osteoactivin’s potential, and I would expect nothing less than his resilience in the face of scrutiny. Dr. Safadi is passionate about the changes that Osteoactivin could have on the world one day, and I would be willing to fight for decades in those circumstances as well.
Dr Safadi's presentation was really interesting and he is so motivated about bone research. He talked about osteoclasts and osteoblasts. He also talked about osteoactivin is a novel glycoprotein that is expressed during osteoblast differentiation. Patients suffering from osteopetrosis have high activity of osteoactivin and antibodies against osteopetrosis would be most likely to be a possible treatment for osteopetrosis. (As suggested by Dr. Safadi in the end)
ReplyDeleteDr. Safadi gave a very inspiring story on his research and hopefully provided some motivation to our researchers/future researchers. This was a very realistic scenario in the field of research in general. I am sure it was frustrating, and although he faced some obstacles, he was able to work passed them. His presentation skills were great as well. He was able to explain bone formation and degradation in a very thorough and easy to follow manner. The irony of this presentation is that the day before, we had an exam in histology with Dr. Womble, which covered the bone. I felt like I knew exactly what he was explaining! It made the presentation much more enjoyable since I was familiar with the content. Osteopetrosis was a new condition for me to learn about and appreciate. Based on his presentation, osteoactivin seems to be a promising future treatment for bone diseases (although side effects may need to be further studied); he had me convinced!
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