Alcoholism Research
and the Genetic Equation
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Alcoholism has plagued human societies since ancient times. Long misunderstood as a moral or social problem, it was recognized in the 20th century as a disease. More recently, accumulating evidence from molecular biology and population studies has taught us that this disease has a genetic basis. A major gift to The University of Texas at Austin seeks to clarify that genetic basis at the molecular level. In September 1997, J. Virgil and M. June Waggoner began funding a $5 million pledge from their Waggoners Foundation to establish an alcoholism research program in the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology. This generous contribution will establish an endowed chair and two professorships, as well as a permanent endowment for the research initiative. To augment established alcoholism-related programs at The University, UT will seek to match the Waggoners' gift through fundraising from private sources during the Capital Campaign. 
This remarkable gift is the latest chapter in the Waggoners' long association with UT Austin. Virgil Waggoner, a chemical industry executive, earned a master's degree in chemistry and mathematics from UT in 1950 and is a former chairman of the Natural Sciences Foundation Advisory Council. The Waggoners' support of UT includes an endowed chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "This new gift is not only very generous, but also shows an unusual understanding of the way science should be funded," said Mary Ann Rankin, dean of the UT College of Natural Sciences. The three new research endowments will establish the basis of a center for alcoholism research in UT's expanding molecular biology program, which has already benefited from the arrival of its first permanent director, Dr. Alan Lambowitz, and completion of the Moffett Molecular Biology Building. Rankin emphasizes that the Waggoner gift will also help coordinate other alcoholism research already well established at The University. This ongoing work includes the College of Pharmacy's study of the biochemical effects of alcohol on the nervous system; research in the Department of Psychology and the College of Communication on social and environmental influences in alcohol dependence; and development of a social services delivery system to the State of Texas by the School of Social Work. "The genetic component really is the missing piece," Rankin says. During the annual meeting of the Natural Sciences Foundation Advisory Council in September 1997, guest speaker Dr. Enoch Gordis outlined the state of current research on the genetics of alcoholism. Gordis is director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He noted that while there are degrees of alcohol abuse and dependence, alcoholism as a distinct disease is characterized by a high tolerance for alcohol, an inability to limit consumption, and physical dependence on the drug revealed by severe symptoms during withdrawal. Since the middle part of this century, research on twins has suggested a strong genetic basis for the disease. Identical twins, who have exactly the same genotype, are both more likely to be alcoholic than are fraternal twins or other siblings. Children of alcoholic parents adopted by abstaining families show increased susceptibility to alcoholism, in spite of their environment. While alcoholism has a genetic basis, Gordis explained, the cause of the disease is complex. Alcoholism is multifactorial: it results from both genetic predisposition and social influences. It is also almost certainly polygenic: there is no single "alcoholism gene." Instead, liability to the disease is the effect of many different genes. Unraveling the causes of multifactorial diseases is extremely difficult and a major challenge for biomedical research. Fortunately, recent research has provided points of entry into the problem. Gordis noted a striking instance of a single gene that is known to influence alcohol tolerance. A minority of individuals of Asian descent have very low tolerance for alcohol, expressed as flushing and sweating after ingestion of even small doses of the drug. Such individuals never become alcoholic. In studies carried out in Japan, these individuals have been shown to have two copies of a malfunctioning allele, or variant, of the gene for aldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme required to metabolize alcohol. Alcoholism research has begun to advance rapidly, Gordis explained, due to the development of animal "models" for different aspects of the disease. Mice have been artificially selected to express specific symptoms when exposed to alcohol (or conversely, to be resistant to the drug in specific ways). The application of this research to humans is aided by the fact that rodents and humans have similar genes; further, while rodents and humans have different numbers of chromosomes, the arrangement of genes is the same over long stretches of the chromosomes. As a result, once an alcoholism-related gene is identified in mice, it should be possible to locate the homologous gene in humans. Dean Rankin has noted the exquisite timing of the Waggoners' gift. With background research well under way, the field of alcoholism genetics is ready for dramatic breakthroughs. Similarly, UT's Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology is ready to undertake projects of the complexity and magnitude that the Waggoners' generosity will make possible. In the words of former UT President Peter T. Flawn, "The potential impact of this gift is phenomenal." By Jack Kent, Jr.,
Virgil Waggoner on alcoholism researchVirgil Waggoner says that alcoholism research could improve millions of lives and prevent unnecessary suffering and premature death. In addition to helping at-risk individuals avoid alcohol-related problems, research may identify genetic factors that lead to alcoholism and point the way to effective new treatments. "When we can tell parents if their child has a predisposition to alcoholism," says Waggoner, "and when we can tell drug companies which genes are causing the problem and they design pharmaceuticals that can help, then we'll have made tremendous headway. "With the accelerated rate of research and discovery in genetics at UT, we couldn't think of a better place to fund this research. There are about 14 million identified alcoholics who are seeking help," Waggoner says. "I hope we can help them." "This is the time in the history of alcoholism research to bring molecular tools to bear on the critical questions," says Mary Ann Rankin, dean of the UT College of Natural Sciences. "UT is the best place to do it because of our strength in neuroscience and our new initiative in molecular biology." By Thomas Tarbox Kiersted,
UT Austin names genetics expert R. Adron Harris to head Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research
Dr. R. Adron Harris, one of the world's foremost experts in the genetics of alcoholism, has joined The University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences. Harris has been awarded the M. June and J. Virgil Waggoner Chair in Molecular Biology and will head the Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research. Before accepting the position, Harris was a professor of pharmacology at the University of Colorado Health Science Center, the nation's No. 1 department of pharmacology in National Institute of Health research funding. Awarded the prestigious MERIT Award in 1989 by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Harris has expanded the frontier of knowledge about addiction. For example, he and his research associates at the University of Colorado were involved in examining the molecular basis of nerve cell sensitivity to both alcohol and anesthetics. Recent research suggests that the sedative and pleasurable effects of alcohol occur through different biochemical pathways, perhaps explaining why individuals prone to alcohol abuse often are less sensitive than average to the drug's sedative side effects. By focusing on the molecular reasons why people vary in their tolerance for alcohol, Harris's research may suggest possibilities for intervention in the disease and will add an additional dimension to his study of alcoholism and addiction at UT Austin. "Dr. Harris's appointment provides a nucleus around which the University's broad research initiatives will undoubtedly coalesce," said College of Natural Sciences Dean Mary Ann Rankin. "We are very pleased that Dr. Harris has chosen UT as the university where he will continue his exceptional work." A recent $5 million gift by June and Virgil Waggoner of Houston paved the way for the Harris offer. Said UT President Larry R. Faulkner, "Dr. Harris is a distinguished scholar who is very widely respected for his work. The University of Texas at Austin is committed to understanding the disease of alcoholism, and Dr. Harris will provide the leadership for UT to succeed in this area." It is the University's intention to match the Waggoners' gift by raising an additional $5 million to support alcohol and drug-dependence investigations. "The combination of public and private funds is almost unheard of in alcohol research and is vitally important for several reasons," said Harris. "First, the resources pave the way for new advances in molecular biology, pushing the science forward. And it makes Texas a leader, breaking through the social barriers that have kept funding for alcoholism research historically at such a low level." The economic impact of alcoholism is estimated to be $146 billion annually, yet federal funding for alcoholism research is among the lowest for any public health problem in the United States. R. Adron Harris has published more than 225 scholarly articles based on his research. He has served on the Medical Advisory Council of the Alcohol Beverage Medical Research Foundation and the NIAAA Grant Review Board. He was also the director of the University of Colorado Alcohol Research Center and scientific director of the Denver VA Alcoholism Research Center. UT Austin is one of 30 universities in the country to have received an NIAAA Training Grant, promoting cross-disciplinary research among the UT Colleges of Natural Sciences, Pharmacy, and Liberal Arts. Research into the social causes and consequences of alcohol abuse is under way at the UT College of Communication and the School of Social Work. Office of Public Affairs, Dedication of Waggoner Wing launches research initiative on alcoholism and addictionWith a small snip of the flowing orange and white ribbons, M. June and J. Virgil Waggoner officially dedicated the Waggoner Wing of the Louise and James Robert Moffett Molecular Biology Building on Oct. 2, 1998, commemorating the start of a momentous research initiative in alcoholism at UT Austin. 
UT President Larry R. Faulkner; Dean Mary Ann Rankin; Dr. Alan Lambowitz, director of the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology; and world-renowned molecular geneticist Dr. R. Adron Harris joined the Waggoners at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with members of the Natural Sciences Foundation Advisory Council and other college administrators, staff members, and friends. The Waggoners' lead gift of $5 million paved the way for Adron Harris's move to UT, where he is developing the Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research. Harris's research lab is housed in the Waggoner Wing. "Texans know how to tackle huge problems, and they understand the important role that funding plays in fighting disease," said Harris. "Alcoholism has a greater impact, but receives the least public funding, of any major health issue. A real difference can be made by individuals who see these problems and take opportunities to positively change the world in which we live." In a short speech following the ceremony, J. Virgil Waggoner said he believes that for successful professionals, giving back to their communities is not an opportunity, but an obligation. "There is no excuse, we simply must help others," he said. "Right here at this University there are students, our children, who are different from others, and for whom drinking is the most dangerous action they can take." He called on all scientific researchers to work tirelessly in their search for genetic markers and additional tools that will aid in the prevention of alcoholism. Alcoholism and dependency research in the UT College of Natural Sciences, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Communication, the College of Liberal Arts, and the School of Social Work will benefit from the bright national spotlight on the Waggoner Center. The University's commitment to raise funds for this work already has added an additional $3.2 million in fellowships for researchers. "We wish to match Virgil and June Waggoners' generous gift many times over, and thereby provide the resources to build at UT the premier research center on alcoholism in the world," Dean Rankin said. On Campus (October 13, 1998),
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