Upward Bound
Evolving life sciences herald new era

By Eva Emerson

Mathematician-biologist Simon Tavaré studies the evolutionary genetics of primates with natural historians, DNA-chip technology with molecular biologists and the vagaries of cancer with medical scientists—all while advancing his own field of computational biology. Marine biologist Dave Caron works with nanotechnologists and artificial intelligence experts to better study toxic algae blooms. Neuroscientist-engineer Ted Berger bridges the worlds of biology and technology, basic science and applied engineering, and tissue and silicon in his efforts to bioengineer a brain chip.

These are just a few of the varied collaborations undertaken by life scientists at USC College as part of a research network that stretches across traditional disciplines, schools and campuses. From the network’s many hubs and connections emerge the unique qualities of innovation and synergy that define the College’s dynamic life sciences research community.

“The College is already a leader in several important scientific fields, and we are poised to excel in key areas of the life sciences,” says Joseph Aoun, dean of the College. “The work is not yet done, but we now have the momentum to push on to the next tier of excellence.”

Signs of growth abound: New life scientists have been recruited and hired. Plans have been made for a new 100,000-square-foot research facility dedicated to computational and molecular biology. There also are plans for a sharp increase in the number of life sciences faculty and students in the College.

“With the completion of the Human Genome Project, this is one of the most exciting eras in biology, and probably the most exciting time to be a biologist at USC,” says Donal Manahan, USC College dean of research and professor of biological sciences.

Neuroscientist Sarah Bottjer, who chairs the biological sciences department, echoes Manahan’s enthusiasm. “USC life sciences have been incredibly energized by the hiring of a large number of outstanding faculty over the past four years,” she says.

Life sciences at USC College
In 1994, USC made a commitment to expand and strengthen its life sciences research enterprise, explains Beth Meyerowitz, USC College’s dean of faculty. “The university identified a way to do this—encourage interdisciplinary faculty interaction. USC has built the foundation for the vibrant, innovative life sciences research community, and the College lies at the heart of the university’s plan.”

In the College, biological sciences serves as the linchpin of the life sciences, says Bottjer. The department is made up of three strong divisions—molecular and computational biology, neurobiology and marine environmental biology. “These are the areas in which the College already excels and niches we can further exploit,” says Aoun. Notably, they are all built on a collaborative, interdisciplinary model.

Molecular and computational biology
In the division of molecular and computational biology, home to the USC Center for Computational and Experimental Genomics, computational biologists work alongside experimental gene and cell researchers to help unlock the mysteries of the human genome. In the process, they produce original studies of DNA, evolution and bioinformatics. “These two groups have become natural collaborators at the College over the last 10 to 20 years,” Manahan says. “They’ve worked together out of shared interests. It’s this organic kind of collaboration that has made the group so successful.”

Computational biologists are theorists who bridge the worlds of biology, math and computer science to invent ways to analyze and find meaning in biological data. The center’s experimentalists are molecular biologists who, in doing their own work at the forefront of basic genetics, generate questions that inspire advances in computational biology. In turn, the theorists provide the experimentalists with the statistical framework and computer programs necessary to deal with the huge amount of data produced, and both make advances in the process.

“One of the main attractions here at USC,” says molecular biologist Norman Arnheim, a leading genetics researcher, USC Distinguished Professor and director of the center, “is that we’ve long had a group of sophisticated mathematicians interested in analyzing complex biological data.”

University Professor Michael Waterman, frequently called the “father of computational biology,” has been widely recognized for his contributions to the Human Genome Project, and for his pioneering work developing the sophisticated mathematical and computer tools underlying much of modern genetics research.

Without the work of Arnheim, the holder of the Ester M. Dornsife Chair in Biological Sciences, there would not have been as much of a need for Waterman’s brand of sophisticated statistical techniques. Working at Cetus Corp., Arnheim was a co-inventor of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology that allows scientists to amplify a small sample of DNA to a quantity sufficiently large for laboratory study.

Organizing this group’s move into the planned new facility is another prominent biologist, DNA researcher Myron Goodman, who is professor of biological sciences and chief of the molecular and computational biology division.

Neurosciences
College researchers play a key role in the greater USC neurosciences community, which brings together neurobiologists, molecular biologists, biomedical engineers, psychologists, gerontologists, computer scientists, linguists and many others to probe the complexities of the brain and nervous system. More formally, the community is linked through the universitywide, College-run Neuroscience Graduate Program.

USC College neuroscientists have excelled in studies of how the brain works and produces complex behaviors, and are known for research in learning and memory, the neuroscience of aging, computational neuroscience, which involves computer modeling of neural networks, and neural engineering.

“The strength of our programs in linguistics and psychology add greatly to the overall growth of neuroscience in the College,” says Sarah Pratt, dean of the College’s academic programs. “In the last decade, the neurosciences program has become one of our best stories.”

This rise in stature is due in large part to the work of leading faculty members and the recruitment of promising junior faculty. Bottjer’s studies of young songbirds have revealed much about the basic mechanisms of neural development, learning and memory, and have led to discoveries such as how hormones affect the development of neural networks. Psychology professor Irving Biederman focuses on the brain’s role in vision, investigating the brain processes underlying humans’ ability to quickly recognize and interpret what they see. Michel Baudry, professor of biological sciences, neurology and biomedical engineering, investigates learning on a molecular level, revealing details of the changes that occur in neurons during and after learning. Tackling the brain mechanisms underlying anorexia and stress, Alan Watts, associate professor of biological sciences, investigates the neural circuits and hormones that control eating and drinking behavior.

Marine and environmental biology
Recently celebrating its 100th year, the marine sciences program boasts a long tradition of excellence. Invigorated by its association with the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, the program ranks second among the 116 institutions that compete for National Science Foundation funding in the area.

The program’s greatest strength long has been its studies of some of the ocean’s smallest creatures—the microorganisms of the sea.

Marine ecologist Jed Fuhrman, holder of the McCulloch-Crosby Chair in Marine Biology, studies marine microbes and viruses and has worked to develop ways to monitor coastal viruses that cause disease in humans. His work has been bolstered by the arrival of two leading scientists in the field, Doug Capone and Caron.

Doug Capone, the Wrigley Professor of Environmental Biology, studies the causes of plankton blooms, the roles of microbes in the nitrogen cycle and biodiversity. Caron studies marine protozoa and algae, their roles in the ocean food web, and why they sometimes form massive toxic blooms. All three are professors of biological sciences and biological oceanography.

The Wrigley Institute’s research program has expanded to include the growing field of geobiology—a synthesis of the life and earth sciences that explores how living things influence the earth and the earth influences living things.

Blurring lines, crossing boundaries
Manahan and Bottjer believe future advances in science will come as a result of research that crosses all boundaries, based on the model of a network of scientists that has proved successful at USC.

“The challenge of this approach is that it takes more than simply hiring many more faculty,” says Bottjer. “But it is amazing what can happen when you do. The interdisciplinary group brings a synergistic and often novel approach to old problems, and all of the researchers learn new things.”