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THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 98, ISSUE 122
MONDAY JULY 23, 2012
Protein shown to prevent flu
SDSU laboratory testing finds new defense for the flu campus Elisse Miller Staff Writer
Researchers at San Diego State may have discovered a protein that would offer a new cure for the flu virus. This synthetic protein, dubbed EP67, “induces the innate immune system, which is the most primitive immune system; it’s the first line of defense,” research assistant professor of SDSU’s Donald P. Shiley BioScience Center Libby Virts, Ph.D said. A team of four including Virts and another research assistant professor of SDSU’s Donald P. Shiley BioScience Center Joy Phillips, Ph.D, was investigating the use of EP67 in flu vaccines when Phillips decided to expand on the nature of EP67. “EP67 has been part of trying to make a better flu vaccine … you still had your normal flu vaccine but maybe it would be better because you had this protein attached to it,” Phillip said. “I had thought that we should test to make sure
Research Assistant Professor Dr. Joy Phillips in her research lab.
that it does or doesn’t do anything by itself, not really anticipating it would, and certainly not to the extent that it did.” During laboratory testing, it was discovered that the administration of the protein into the body of mice proved to be effective in stopping the flu virus before it showed any symptoms. The use of EP67 stops the flu virus within the first few days of infection when physical symptoms are not yet present. Mice who had the flu lost approximately 20 perecent of their body weight, a common symptom of the flu in mice. Those who were
dustin micheslon, senior staff photographer
given EP67 showed an average of only six perecent weight loss. In a second test, the mice that were given a lethal dose of the flu vaccine, only one group received the protein 24 hours later. Those who received no treatment died, but those who were administered EP67 lived. The bottom line, as Phillips puts it is, “if they [the mice] got the EP67 either the day before they were infected with the flu, the day of the infection, or the day after the infection, they didn’t get sick.” Flu vaccines only target a few of the most popular flu strains of that season and when
specific viruses are targeted, they can evolve and create a resistance to vaccines. But EP67 is unique because it doesn’t aim to harm the virus, but rather strengthen the immune system, making its coverage far more expansive. “There’s so many different possible ways to take it, because of the way this protein works … by starting up your own immune system, it should work against lots of disease, not just the flu … And it should work in both humans and animals, so there could be a significant veterinary medicine application as well,” Phillips said. SDSU has played a massive role in this discovery. “Certainly one thing that has been fantastic is that people have been glad we’re here and people have been supportive of the research … Just the overall interest in promoting the research has been wonderful,” Phillips said. Professors made the goal of the research more tangible with their support and collaboration. “The professors have been extremely willing to collaborate … Which has expanded what we know now about EP67, what it does and what its potential might be,” Virts said.
Despite budget cuts EOP California State Universities welcomes new students plan budgets for the worst local
Donna P. Crilly Staff Writer
Summer Bridge and Transfer Bridge program students gather in front of Hepner Hall.
campus
Ana Ceballos Assistant News Editor
Two of San Diego State’s summer transitional programs, which have been regarded as some of the nation’s finest, have been forced to face difficult decisions in the past year because of the state budget cuts. The Educational Opportunity Programs Summer Bridge and Transfer Bridge provide first-time freshmen and community college transfer students an opportunity to get a headstart on their college educations. These programs collaborate with SDSU’s enrollment services,
courtesty of brandon williams
career services, assistant deans and other campus related services to allow program attendees to familiarize themselves with the campus in every possible way. The programs are funded by the state budget and donations solicited by Student Affairs, according to EOP Summer Bridge Program coordinator Beverly Warren. As budget cuts continue to increase, admittance to the programs has become more and more difficult. The free Summer Bridge Program provides students with room and board, textbooks, academic summer enrollment for up to six units, food, extracurricular activities and transportation for EOP PROGRAMS continued on page 2
The ongoing budget deficit could affect the California State University system by more than $250 million if voters don’t approve Gov. Jerry Brown’s Nov. tax initiative. The Chancellor’s Office has taken a “prudent planning approach” and will not distribute the $250 million to CSU universities, according to a recent San Diego State budget update. “The idea is we won’t know the outcome of that obviously until November, yet we have to budget for the year,” SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin said. Because the elections are in the middle of the fall semester, “you can’t have classes going on and try to cut things,” Marlin said. “So the idea is we’re actually going to withhold it, because, sadly, even if it passes, there’s no guarantee that money will go to higher education. It’s possible there could still be cuts.” Since 2007, there has been more than $1 billion reduction in state funding, according to CSU Budget Central.
“The bottom really fell out of the economy so we ended up taking a series of cuts,” CSU Media Relations Specialist Erik Fallis said. At SDSU, state appropriations have decreased by more than half since 2007, a difference of about $118 million, according to the budget report. The decrease in funding has resulted in increased tuition for students, fewer programs and courses offered, larger class sizes and a loss of roughly 100 tenured and tenure-track faculty at SDSU. “That’s just decimating to a university. The faculty are the people who do the research and teaching and service,” Marlin said. However, that’s not the entire picture. “Now the second shoe drops. Consider this all the first shoe,” Fallis said. “And that is, what is going to happen in future years? And that’s where our fate at the university gets really closely tied to the tax initiative that the governor put on the November ballot.” If the tax initiative passes, the CSU system will stay at record-low levels of funding. However if it CSU BUDGET continued on page 2
Rare comic art donated campus Donna P. Crilly Staff Writer
San Diego State’s Library Comic Arts Committee bridged the gap between entertainment and education at this year’s ComicCon International on July 14. “One of our goals is to create connections to other academics in the comics research community,” Comic Arts Committee member and reference librarian Markel Tumlin said. The presentation included controversial underground comics and rare zines. Among those featured was Donna Barr’s collection of drawn books. The density of her content, as well as her artistry, is an example of what transforms comics from the general conception of lowbrow to highbrow art, according to head of the Department of Special Collections and University Archives Robert Ray. “They have that underground and edgy content that really is the hallmark of the comics collection,” Ray said. “Which also has a focus on the drawn book, which is why the Donna Barr collection is so important.” SDSU alumni Dan Hager, who traded coffee with Barr for artwork, donated Barr’s rare collection of drawn books. “I was in contact with Donna Barr, who was a favorite artist of mine. She was at the time trading art for coffee. She would send sketches and doodles and things of that nature,” Hager said. Hager acted as middleman between SDSU and Barr. As a result, she donated an extensive collection of her work to the Love Library. Some of Barr’s works that were presented include the “Black Manuscripts” and her controversial World War II comic called “The Desert Peach.” In conjunction with the presentation, Media Center Supervisor Michael Lapins played a DVD with interviews from some of the co-founders of Comic-Con, including Mike Towry and Jackie Estrada. The project also paid homage to Richard Alf, another founding member of Comic-Con who passed away in January. Alf’s family is donating “The Papers of Richard Alf” to Special Collections and University Archives at SDSU. The collections are a series of documents and various materials relating to Comic-Con and Alf’s work. They are expected to arrive in special collections by late July or early August, according to Ray. “The Oral History Project has an ‘obligation to his legacy,’” Lapins said.