Soundings (9/6/11)

Posted by Stowe Talbot 
 
 

Flag Salute & Invocation by Lance Calloway 

Visiting Rotarians: Ray George (Whatcom North Club)

Guests: Mitchell Krell, Roberta Scott.

Grape & Gourmet: Dennis says the next meeting will be this Wednesday 5pm at his office.

Rotary Leadership Conference Sept 24th in Mount Vernon (Dennis and Christine will be attending).

International Committee will meet this Thursday at 5pm at Mary Humphries house.

Board Meeting this Thursday morning 7:30am at Barkley office.

Bucks in the Bay

  • Bill Gorman missed meetings away on work, wife new job teaching PR at WWU in Journalism Dept.
  • John Sleeth 47 year wedding anniversary;
  • Phil X  missing meeting,
  • Curtis Dye son limited out on crab out in front of house, Lummi Island;
  • Curt Smith Husky bucks, trying to sell remaining copies of his book, trying to hock his (time share) resort house in Sedona CA which he can't use first week in October - anyone interested?
  • Henry Klos leaving early, next week playing golf Homestead fundraiser if interested see him;
  • Scott Walker for missed meetings, spend family time in Sun River OR - really active and fun!
  • Stan's wife birthday today!
  • Pete Rittmueller had a birthday!
  • Mary Humphries left BTC and now with an organization called "Forest Ethics", also daughter got a job yesterday!
  • Bill Geyer trip to see grandkids in Oregon, and another trip to Knoxville;
  • Harold Scott glad daughter joining him at Rotary today, son may be coming out to Bellingham.
  • Matt Rose been away from the club, been consulting, some with Costco, more recently consulting for construction companies;

 

aSergeant at Arms by Matt Rose

$ for Matt's return, fishers, new members, Husky fans, Cougar fans, Lance, trivia.

Program

Dennis introduced WWU's Clint Speigel Phd. biochemists.  Research on blood coagulation and hemophilia. 

Blood clotting is a complex, coordinated response (a "cell response" and a "protein response").  The balance of these processes is called "hemostasis".

Problems can be:

  1. overactive clotting "hypercoagulation"
  2. under-active clotting "hemophilia" 

Queen Victoria was a famous carrier of a hemophilia gene, and several of her children were hemophiliacs.

Today 1 in 5,000 males have it.  Symptoms:

  • interarticulate bleeding (in joints) very painful
  • intermuscular hemorhage
  • hematuria and renal disease (bleed through kidneys) 

Most Common form is called "Hemophilia A" (Factor VIII).  Treatable, by transfusing Factor VIII to patients.  

Clints project deals with finding ways to overcome immune response to treatments of Factor VIII.  Understanding the atomic structure of these molecules.  Understanding the immune response.  They do this by shooting small samples of Factor VIII with X-rays, and then looking at reflected images and figuring out the atomic structure.  Re-engineer the Factor VIII molecule so that is will be less binding to antibody immune molecules.

Respectfully submitted,

Stowe Talbot