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Wednesday, October 22
2-2:50pm
Location: Casanova 601
NIH Botanical Research Center Overview #2
Research from Purdue
University-University of Alabama Botanical Center for Age-Related
Diseases
The Purdue University-University of Alabama Botanical Center has
focused on plant polyphenols that may be beneficial for age-related
diseases. Dr. Connie Weaver is investigating the effect of genistein and
the interaction with other soy isoflavones on calcium absorption in
postmenopausal women, and the dose response of genistein, kudzu and
equol on bone and bone quality. A complementary pilot project is
investigating the potential of gut microflora in the production of equol
from ingested isoflavones. Dr. J. Michael Wyss is studying the effects
of kudzu on cardiovascular and cognitive function. Dr. Steven Barnes is
investigating the potential of grape seed extract to prevent the
formation of cataracts. Pilot projects are investigating the potential
benefit of green tea in preventing or treating diabetes and the
potential of blueberry extracts for the prevention of Alzheimer’s
disease.
Speaker: Elsa M. Janle, Ph.D., associate research professor,
Foods and Nutrition Department, Purdue University; co-director, In Vivo
Core, Purdue University-University of Alabama NIH Botanical Center for
Age Related Diseases
Botanicals in the Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome describes the presence of coexisting traditional
risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and con-tributes greatly
to increased morbidity and mortality in humans. The overall goal of the
Center for the Study of Botanicals and Metabolic Syndrome is to
comprehensively evaluate botanicals that may favorably affect the
development of metabolic syndrome and associated insulin resistance.
Currently, each of three individual research projects evaluates a
specific botanical to assess their effects on pathogenic mechanisms
leading to the development of insulin resistance. These projects
encompass a wide range of approaches including genomics, proteomics,
metabolomics, and cell signaling and include cell culture models, animal
models and clinical trials. A botanicals screening program generates new
leads for future investigations.
Speaker: Michael Lefevre, Ph.D., Utah Science, Technology and
Research professor, Utah State University Center for Advanced Nutrition
Moderator:
 Christine A. Swanson, Ph.D., is director,
Botanical Research Center Program in the Office of Dietary Supplements
(ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Swanson
transferred to the ODS from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and
Genetics within the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where she worked as
a senior staff fellow in nutritional epidemiology. Prior to joining NCI,
she was a visiting senior scientist at the Néstle Human Nutrition
Research Center in Switzerland. Previously, she worked as a postdoctoral
fellow at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md.
Dr. Swanson’s research efforts have been focused on various aspects of
human nutrition with public health applications. As part of her doctoral
and post-doctoral work, she studied zinc and selenium requirements of
pregnant and non-pregnant women, conducting some of the earliest human
studies using stable isotope methodology. Data from these studies were
used in formulating early Recommended Dietary Allowances for zinc and
selenium. After her postdoctoral work, Dr. Swanson conducted several
epidemiological studies to evaluate the relation of diet and nutritional
status to cancer risk. Much of her work at NCI focused on alcohol
consumption and body size as risk factors for a variety of cancers. In
1994 and 1995, Dr. Swanson joined a group of U.S. scientists organized
to teach a course in epidemiology for graduate students and clinicians
at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta. At the ODS, Dr. Swanson works
with a team of scientists and program administrators to facilitate
research to explore the potential role of dietary supplements in
maintaining health and preventing chronic disease. In response to a
Congressional mandate to develop a botanical research initiative in
1999, Dr. Swanson directed activities to establish the first NIH-funded
Dietary Supplement Research Centers focused on botanicals. She is
currently the Director of the Botanical Research Center Program which is
jointly funded by ODS and the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The overall focus of the Botanical
Research Center Program is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in
order to develop systematic approaches to evaluate the safety and
efficacy of botanicals used in dietary supplements. Dr. Swanson also led
an effort to respond to a Congressional mandate to compile a public
database known as CARDS (Computer Access to Research on Dietary
Supplements) to identify and track federally funded research on dietary
supplements. Dr. Swanson is a member of several professional
organizations, including the American Society for Nutrition and the
American Society for Pharmacognosy. She served on the Editorial Board
of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition from 2002-2007 and
is an ad-hoc reviewer for a number of other professional journals. Dr.
Swanson received two graduate degrees from the University of California
at Berkeley. She obtained her doctorate in nutritional sciences in 1980
and earned a masters of public health in 1984. She received her
bachelor’s of science in dietetics at Montana State University in 1974.
Speakers:
 Elsa M. Janle, Ph.D., is an associate
research professor in the Foods and Nutrition Department at Purdue
University and co-director of the In Vivo Core of the Purdue
University-University of Alabama NIH Botanical Center for Age Related
Diseases. She has both a doctorate in physiology and a master’s of
science in organic chemistry from Purdue University. Dr. Janle
previously held positions as director of research for Metabolic Diseases
at Bioanalytical Systems in West Lafayette, Ind., and project manager
for Sensor Technology, at Ash Medical Systems in West Lafayette, Ind.
Her research interests are in the area of diabetes, and her current
studies focus on the potential benefit of green tea to improve glucose
tolerance. As co-director of the Botanical Center In Vivo Core, Dr.
Janle studies bioavailability and tissue distribution of plant
polyphenols with potential benefits in age-related diseases.
 Michael Lefevre, Ph.D., is a USTAR (Utah
Science, Technology and Research) professor in the Center of Advanced
Nutrition at Utah State University. His research program is engaged in
several specific areas of investigation including defining the impact of
dietary constituents on risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD);
studying the effects of alternate dietary approaches to reduce CAD risk;
identifying genetic, anthropometric, and other factors which contribute
to the substantial variations in CAD risk factor response to dietary
manipulation; and examining the effects of phytochemical dietary
components on health. Dr. Lefevre is a member of the American Heart
Association’s Council on Nutrition, Metabolism and Physical Activity and
a fellow of the Council on Arteriosclerosis. He currently serves as a
member of Kraft’s Worldwide Health and Wellness Advisory Council and is
a scientific advisor to ILSI North America’s Food, Nutrition and Safety
Program and Technical Committee on Fatty Acids.
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