Medical school’s genetics lab opens

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

University of Nevada Medical School researchers opened the door to a new genetics laboratory on Monday, one that will allow them to study the structure of chromosomes carrying the blueprints for life.

What makes the laboratory at 1707 W. Charleston Blvd. unique is the ability to separate and prepare a single gene within a chromosome with micro-dissection equipment. About a dozen labs nationwide have such equipment.

With the special microscopic dissectors, scientists can look at and separate individual genes to discover what is missing and what might cause a disease, Dr. Colleen Morris, chief of the medical school's genetic division, said.

Morris, associate professor of pediatrics and a medical geneticist, is part of a team that worked for 12 years to crack the mystery of Williams syndrome. The syndrome occurs in one person in 20,000, causing physical, mental and emotional problems. She found that losing part of one gene, an elastin on chromosome 7, caused heart disease and unusual facial features in people with Williams syndrome.

Morris and her team are tracking 45 Williams syndrome patients in Nevada and more than 400 nationwide. They have found more missing or damaged genetic material possibly related to the disease.

All of the genetic lab's work was done in Reno until September, when Holly Hobart began directing the laboratory in Southern Nevada.

The Las Vegas lab will allow scientists to search for genetic links in other diseases, such as sudden death syndrome, a condition that attacks people of all ages, Hobart said.

The lab is not yet able to discover all of the secrets locked in the 10,000 folds of a chromosome, but the researchers hope someday to be able to stretch out the chromosomes to search within those folds for flaws in single genes.

"We're looking for the presence or absence of one gene," Hobart said. "You need all of the new laboratory's technology and experts working together."

The genetics lab in Reno received a $9 million Center For Biological Research Excellence grant that has helped initiate the Las Vegas-based research, Hobart said.

"At last there is something besides the gaming industry to attract people who are interested in pursuing scientific research," research associate Kendra Kimberley said.