The future of endothelin research: scientific mentoring and beyond

Abstract

Endothelium-dependent regulation of vascular tone was one of the key discoveries in physiology in the 1980s, including the characterization of endothelium-derived vasoactive factors such as endothelin. Young investigators, often while starting research as part of their PhD degree, have been instrumental in carrying out the work that led some of the most important discoveries in the endothelin field. This article reviews the importance of mentoring for research in general and for endothelin research in particular, including examples of outstanding young investigators that have been instrumental in some of the key discoveries in the endothelin field. Recognizing scientific excellence among young investigators has a long tradition in the history of the International Conferences on Endothelin. Winners of "Young Investigator Awards" of the past five endothelin conferences (ET-8, ET-9, ET-10, ET-11, and ET-12) are presented, as well as recipients of the "ET-12 Best Presentation Awards" established on the occasion of the Twelfth International Conference on Endothelin ET-12 in Cambridge in September 2011.

Figure 1

Graphical illustration of number of scientific publications on endothelin listed in the Pubmed/NCBI database. Since 1988, more than 25’000 papers have been published, counting between 42 (1988) and 1409 (2000) publications per year. Data for 2012 (*) are shown from the period from January through May 2012. Information derived from http://www.pubmed.gov.

Figure 2

Three generations of endothelin researchers representing an example of successful scientific mentoring presenting some of the ET-12 Young Investigator Awards (from let to right): Ms. Yoko Suzuki, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Japan; Dr. Nicholas Vignon-Zellweger, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Japan (back) ; Dr. Susi Heiden, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Japan; Professor Noriaki Emoto, Kobe University and Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Japan; Professor Masashi Yanagisawa, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas and University of Tsukuba, Japan; Dr. Bambang Widyantoro, University of Indonesia, Indonesia and Kobe University, Japan; Dr. Anggoro Budi Hartopo, Kobe University, Japan; Dr. Nur Arfian, Kobe University, Japan (photograph by Suzete Sandin, Sherbrooke).

Figure 3. ET-12 Young Investigator Award

Recipients after the ET-12 Award Ceremony at The Riley Auditorium, The Gillespie Centre, Clare College, The University of Cambridge (photograph by Suzete Sandin, Sherbrooke).

Figure 4

The newly established Best Presentation Awards, sponsored by Elsevier Publishers, and inaugurated at the Twelfth International Conference on Endothelin, both went to Dr. Melanie (von Brandenstein, University of Köln, Germany, shown here with Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa (photograph by Suzete Sandin, Sherbrooke).

Figure 5

Quote by Dr. Yanagisawa from his “Highlights of ET-12” lecture given on September 14, 2011 at the Twelfth International Conference on Endothelin in Cambridge.