The Role and Significance of International Cooperation in the Biomedical Sciences: Endocrinology Research at the University of Rome

THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES: ENDOCRINOLOGY RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ROME MARIO ANDREOLI* By way of fulfilling the aims of the organizers of this meeting, I would like to point out the role that international cooperation plays in the development of endocrinological research at the University of Rome. This report, based on my experience in a relatively small university unit, will also focus on the importance of continuous scientific interchanges to the improvement of the standard of teaching programs at the level of our postgraduate school of endocrinology. I consider myself, together with Professor G. Salvatore, to be one of the pioneers of the Italian migration to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since my first stay in 1960 at the Clinical Endocrinology Branch of the Arthritis Institute, at that time directed by J. E. Fall and subsequently by Dr. J. Robbins, I have observed how the flux of Italy-United States scientific relationships has gradually changed from a one-way to a continuous two-way channel. I wish to point out, as shown in table 1, that many scientists have been involved in this informal exchange program. The reciprocal visits have varied from a few weeks to 3 years. The core of our activity has been at the NIH campus. The collaboration has, however, expanded to other American and European institutions that are engaged in both basic and clinical investigations. Our research is concentrated in four main areas, and examples of scientific collaboration follow. In relation to the scientific achievements in the studies on thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), following its initial partial isolation in 1962, TBG has been purified from human serum and, the protein has been recently characterized, in its molecular prop- *Professor of Endocrinology, University of Rome, 2° Clinica Medica—Policlinico Umberto Io—Roma 00100, Italy.© 1986 by The University of Chicago. AU rights reserved. 003 1-5982/86/2932/$0 1.00 S218 I Mario Andreoli ¦ The University ofRome TABLE 1 University of Rome Department of Endocrinology International Exchanges YearInvestigatorStay 1959 ............ . . M. AndreoliParis-Marseilles 1960-1962 ......... M. AndreoliNIH 1968 ............... H. EdelhochRome 1969 ............... M. BlecherRome 1969 ............... J. HicksRome 1969 ............... A. SchneiderRome 1970-1972 ......... F.MonacoNIH 1971-1973 ......... M. D'ArmientoNIH 1973 ............... J. RobbinsRome 1976 ............... R. DominiciParis 1978 ............... A. La PostaNIH 1980-1983 ......... S. GrimaldiNIH 1982-1984 ......... M. De LucaNIH 1982 ............... M. D'ArmientoSan Francisco 1982 ............... F. MonacoGöteborg 1983-1985 ......... A. PontecorviNIH erties, by Dr. Grimaldi in collaboration with Dr. Robbins and co-workers [I]. Concerning the studies on thyroglobulin, the human protein species has been characterized in its subunit structure, in collaboration with Dr. Edelhoch, Dr. Salvatore, and Dr. Schneider [2]. Dr. Monaco, in collaboration with Dr. Robbins and Dr. Salvatore, has demonstrated that, in the rat and human thyroid, carbohydrates play a pivotal role in the biochemical machinery of synthesis and secretion of thyroglobulin [3]. More recently, Dr. De Luca has collaborated with Dr. L. Kohn on various aspects of the membrane receptor for thyroglobulin [4]· On the evolutionary scale, it has been established, in collaboration with Professor Roche, that thyroglobulin precedes the morphological differentiation of thyroid cells and the organization of the thyroid follicle [5]. Regarding investigations on c-AMP, starting from the initial observation in Dr. Pastan's laboratory that the cyclic-nucleotide system is involved as a modulator of cell growth and differentiation, the regulatory role of the c-AMP system in experimental thyroid tumor has been elucidated by Dr. D'Armiento and Dr. Monaco [6]. In addition, the role of the c-AMP system was investigated in experimental hypertension, in collaboration with Dr. Frati [7], showing an alteration in the c-AMP phosphodiesterase activity of the aorta. Concerning human endocrine hypertension, in collaboration with Professor Biglieri the heterozygotes carrying a partial defect of the 17alpha -hydroxylast enzyme have been identified [8]. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 29, 3, Part 2 ¦ Spring 1986 \ S219 The international scientific activity of our department has been supplemented by the organization of several international endocrine meetings , among which I would like to mention the Fifth International Thyroid Conference held in Rome in 1965. Our staffwas responsible for the very rapid publication of the proceedings, and this book [9] is...