Protein study could help cure ALS -- reprinted from the alumni newsletter Wat's New in Science

One of her concerns is what happens when mutation causes proteins to abandon their patterns and clump chaotically. This chaos may hold the key to a number of "protein mis-folding" diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

A Waterloo alumna (BSc '88), Meiering came back as a Chemistry professor from Harvard in 1996 after winning one of the coveted Polanyi prizes awarded to outstanding post-doctoral researchers. She describes herself as a physical biochemist. "This is cross-disciplinary research, in that we study biologically and medically important proteins using biophysical and biochemical techniques."

An important long-term goal for Meiering and her research team is to understand how a long chain of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, folds up into a specific, compact structure with a specific function. "The order of amino acids for all proteins in an organism is encoded in the DNA sequence, and the DNA sequences of many organisms have been determined," she says. "So we know what the proteins are, but we don't know how they fold and what they do."

Linking shape to function has led to several collaborations exploring the more immediate applications of Meiering's work. With Jim Lepock of Physics, for one, she is investigating a suspected link between ALS and superoxide dismutase (SOD), a protein involved in protecting cells against oxidative stress, which can lead to inflammation and cell death.

In ALS, the neurons responsible for transmitting electrical impulses from the brain to the muscles fail to do their job, resulting in muscle wasting and death. Among the few known factors, "it's been found that a significant number of people with ALS have a mutated form of this protein." Some have inherited the mutation, in others it has occurred spontaneously. It isn't proven that SOD mutations cause ALS, "but it seems a likely candidate."

Normal protein metabolism is a waltz in a crowded ballroom: graceful instead of disastrous only because of the underlying patterns of the dance. Like new partners cutting in, other molecules find the right places to hook into the clefts of a normal SOD molecule, allowing the protein to carry out its biological function. But the mutated SOD molecules, instead of settling into their normal folds and presenting their normal clefts, clump into "plaques" -- blobs that can't bind with other molecules in the normal way. The result: the biological waltz is thrown into disarray.

"This is basic work in understanding how proteins work," Meiering says. But some day it could mean the music starts again for people with ALS.

Members sought for UW board -- a notice from the university secretariat

Nominations are to be received in the secretariat by November 30, 2001 and will be put into a pool of candidates for consideration when appointments are made.

Prospective candidates must be Canadian citizens, experienced at governance at a senior level, with expertise in finance/investment, law, marketing, fund-raising or major construction, and with commitment to and knowledge of UW. They must also be able to make the commitment of time necessary to do the job.

Copies of the protocol for the appointment of external board members, information about the board of governors and nomination forms are available from Tracy Dietrich, university secretariat, at ext. 6125 or tdietric@uwaterloo.ca.

WLU asks approval for residence

Construction on the new residence would begin almost immediately so that the building can be completed by next August. When finished, WLU says, the new complex would contain 300 single rooms for first-year students that will feature such amenities as adjoining washrooms, Internet and computer access, as well as on-site food services.

Laurier president Bob Rosehart described the initiative as "building on Laurier's commitment to guaranteeing residence to first-year students." He said, "Over the past three years, we've added 700 beds to meet the increasing demands made on Laurier enrollment." The proposed budget for the total project is $13.5 million.

Some neighbours in the Seagram Drive area have expressed opposition to a major construction project on the site at the corner of Lester Street, which is currently occupied by four houses. Tonight's open meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.

The proposed residence is just one part of a construction boom at Laurier this year, partly thanks to SuperBuild funding from the provincial government. Among the current activities, big and small:

• expansion of the "Arts Wing" of WLU's old main academic building;
• renovations to the library building;
• construction of the Schlegel Centre, a business wing attached to the Peters Building;
• expansion of student services facilities at the centre of the campus; and
• a new parking and information kiosk, and pedestrian islands on University Avenue and Albert Street (at the corner of Seagram Drive).

The building has been reconstructed to provide a 40-person computer lab, a 150-seat multi-media classroom, a 100-seat multi-media classroom, six 68-seat classrooms, and four 30-seat classrooms. Overall, the new facility will be able to seat approximately 800 students, "which will go a long way to address Laurier's growing need for classroom space," a news release says.

St. Michael is connected to the main campus by an underground fibre-optic cable that will provide all rooms with voice and data jacks. The cost to convert the former school to its present state has been approximately $250,000, a "fraction of what it would cost to build from scratch," Rosehart said.

And just a few other notes

Campus Recreation is holding Buddy Week today through Friday. Members of campus rec fitness or instructional classes or clubs can bring a friend to class free of charge. There will also be special clinics for sports. More information is available on the campus rec website.

And at noon today at the Kitchener Public Library, Renison College professor Judi Jewinski will speak on the subject "How our language has changed over the past 25 years." This free public lecture is part of the KPL's Ideas and Issues series.

Correction: Friday's bulletin gave incorrect degree information for alumni gold medal winner Lisa Ligori (MAcc, accounting).

CAR with Avvey Peters