What's New
DGA Nominates HBO Special on TS
DGA Announces 2005 Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television: Dramatic Series Night, Comedy Series, Musical Variety, Reality Programs, Daytime Serials and Children's Programs
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Directors Guild of America President Michael Apted today announced the DGA's nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 2005 in the television categories of Dramatic Series Night, Comedy Series, Musical Variety, Reality Programs, Daytime Serials and Children's Programs. The winners of all six categories will be announced at the 58th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
"With the landscape of television rapidly widening and productions becoming more complex and more visually ambitious, the role of the director is increasingly critical to the success of television programming," said DGA President Michael Apted. "The DGA Television Awards represent an opportunity for the Guild to recognize this vital role and to honor the broad range of excellence found in television directing today."
Apted continued: "As we celebrate the inauguration of the DGA Reality Television Award this year, I offer my congratulations to the first five nominees -- their work is a strong testament to the importance of the director's role in this genre."
ELLEN GOOSENBERG KENT
"I HAVE TOURETTE'S, BUT TOURETTE'S DOESN'T HAVE ME"
HBO
This is Ms. Goosenberg Kent's first nomination.
Genetic Breakthrough Yields Clue
to Tourette Syndrome
Yale University Investigator Makes Critical Discovery
BAYSIDE, NEW YORK– In what is being called a significant breakthrough in understanding the genetic underpinnings of Tourette Syndrome, researchers have identified a gene mutation that appears to lead to this neurological disorder in some individuals.
In a paper published in Science (October 14, 2005), findings were reported by a team led by Dr. Matthew State, Assistant Professor of Child Psychiatry and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine and Child Study Center. Pursuing genetic analysis of one boy with TS with a known chromosomal abnormality, the group was able to pinpoint a gene (SLITRK1) on Chromosome 13 that is associated with some forms of TS. This gene is expressed in several areas in the brain—specifically the cortex and basal ganglia—the same brain regions previously implicated in causing TS symptoms. When functioning normally, this gene is involved with the growth of neurons in these regions. In other affected individuals, two additional rare abnormalities in this gene were identified.
Dr. State’s group was able to then confirm their findings in a number of ways: by performing several additional tests on non-affected relatives (the initial mutation was not found), and by determining that none of the abnormalities identified in patients were present in many thousands of chromosomes from unaffected individuals. Additional testing in cell cultures showed that the genetic changes identified altered protein function or expression. Taken together, these converging results suggest that this gene is associated with some forms of TS in some families.
The national Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) has provided substantial funding for a significant number of TS genetic studies for over two decades.* It now appears that after many years of support, a critical discovery has been made.
The Association and its Board of Directors has already moved quickly and approved additional support to continue this work.
Last year Dr. State was awarded the TSA Early Career Research Award for his work toward identifying the genes involved in TS. At that time, TSA funding also was awarded to Nenad Sestan, MD, Ph.D. a co-author on the paper.
With this additional TSA funding, Drs. State, Sestan and colleagues will now pursue the development and investigation of a mutant mouse where the suspect gene has been inactivated. Development of such a “knock out” mouse will allow the team to examine the impact of this gene mutation on normal brain development.
“While not a cure, TSA’s funding of this effort is not only a logical ‘next small step,’ but it is also potentially a ‘giant leap’ for the broader field of TS science, and especially for the long-standing efforts by scientists to identify the causes of, and improved treatments for this disorder,” said Dr. Neal Swerdlow, Chair of TSA’s Scientific Advisory Board and neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.
Through newsletter articles and subsequent advertising for families with known chromosomal abnormalities, the TSA was able to locate and then refer the family that proved critical to this study to Dr. Carol Mathews (UCSD) who did a comprehensive assessment of the family. She in turn forwarded that information on to Dr. David Pauls (MGH) who knew that Dr. State’s lab was performing studies on chromosomal abnormalities in TS. Both Drs. Mathews and Pauls are members of the TSA International Consortium for Genetics. Monte Redman, TSA Chairman, said, “We are particularly gratified by the fact that, ultimately, this close collaboration among TS scientists bore such valuable fruit.”
Dr. State commented, “TSA has been indispensable in helping us in our research on Tourette Syndrome. The Association has always been extremely encouraging to me and my research and has continually worked hard to insure that relevant patients are brought to my attention and sent to my lab. Finding these kinds of specific patients is like finding a needle in a haystack, and without the TSA, we would never have gotten this lead.”
Marked by involuntary twitching and vocal tics, TS is an inherited, neurobiological disorder frequently misunderstood and misdiagnosed, affecting more than 200,000 Americans. TSA is a national voluntary organization comprised of a network of 35 chapters with over 300 support groups across the country. For more information on TS, call 1-888-4-Touret and visit http://tsa-usa.org.
*Major support for Dr. State’s laboratory and this work was provided by the NIH/NINDS and several other funding sources.