EFTA00646511.pdf

From: Ma> To: [email protected]> Subject: Hi Jeffrey Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:01:03 +0000 Attachments: Hall-ICapt_genetics_2012.pdf; FINAL_MD_paper 11.27.12.pdf I hope this email finds you well. I thought I'd send a quick update on our work. But first an invitation: I think I mentioned that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has given us an education grant to expand the dialogue and forge new collaborations in placebo studies. Our plan is to hold a series of symposia that will bring together international experts in various fields and move toward multi-disciplinary models. The first in the series, scheduled for next June 19 and 20, will address "The Science of Placebo" and involves the world's leading experts on placebo: Fabrizio Benedetti (Turin, Italy), Predrag Petrovic (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), Tor Wager (Colorado) and myself. In the last years, they've published all the breakthrough articles in such journals as Science, Neuron, Brain, New England Journal and Lancet, especially elucidating the neurobiology of placebo effects. In addition to these public talks, there will be an invitation-only seminar on the topic "What don't we know about the placebo effect?" I wanted to let you know that you will receive a formal invitation to attend these and all related events. The remainder of the series will take place over the subsequent two years. Our first genetic finding on placebo responses was published last month. (I think I sent you the unpublished manuscript before, but I'm now attaching the pdf) Following up on it, we obtained the data on a major cardiovascular prevention trial and it appears to supports the genetic association with response to placebo. Once we and others figure out in what situations this association holds, we believe it could have significant implications. Also, Molecular Psychiatry (the highest impact psychiatry journal) has just accepted our first study neuroimaging the physician's brain while treating patients. The results showed that they activate their own brain regions that has to do with expectancy of pain relief. I've attached the still unpublished manuscript for you information. We're hoping to expand this model in a series of innovative experiments where we monitor the brain and autonomic information simultaneous between physician and patient. Also, last month, I visited the FDA and met with the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (Janet Woodcock) and her team. They want our Harvard program to team up with them and with the pharmaceutical industry to create a non-profit consortium that would further explore placebo effects as they pertain to drug development. I'm still deciding whether this option makes scientific sense. But it may be a win- win. Finally, I wanted to say that we're still looking for partnerships and collaborations with independent foundations and philanthropists. If your interests align with ours, we hope you will keep us in mind. Best, EFTA00646511