ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 12, 2003 -- Whitaker investigator James J. Collins, who just won a MacArthur "genius award," has published research suggesting how elderly people might avoid one of the most common sources of serious injury: falls.

His paper in the Oct. 4 issue of The Lancet reported that gently vibrating insoles could stimulate better balance and control and keep elderly people on their feet.

This and other research by Collins caught the attention of The John D. and Catherine T. MacAuthur Foundation when it awarded its fellowships, also known as "genius awards," to him and 23 others on Oct. 5.

Each fellowship includes a $500,000 award with no restrictions on how it is spent. The grants recognize creativity by offering the "gift of time and the unfettered opportunity to explore, create and accomplish."

Four days after receiving the surprise phone call from the MacArthur Foundation, Collins said he was still stunned and unsure how he will use the grant.

"I thought it was a hoax," Collins said. He asked the caller for the foundation's phone number so he could expose the sham. But instead he learned otherwise: "It's an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event. I hope everyone can have an experience like this. It's incredible."

Collins, a professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, was cited for work that blends engineering, mathematics and biology. This includes the research related to falls in the elderly as well as a line of investigation into the function of gene networks, an especially hot area that stems from the Human Genome Project.

"Jim is the consummate high-risk-high-payoff thinker and doer," said Kenneth Lutchen, Ph.D., chairman of Boston University's Department of Biomedical Engineering. "Jim has achieved an astonishing range of creativity in applying bioengineering approaches to biology and medicine."

Collins' laboratory has developed a systems engineering approach that combines experiments with computation to determine how different genes in a particular network affect one another. The resulting quantitative network model makes it possible to predict changes throughout the network caused by a drug. This is of great interest in drug design because for a medicine to be effective, it must hit its designated target and avoid other targets that might cause side effects. He is a co-founder of Cellicon Biotechnologies in Boston, which is exploring medical applications of the research.

Collins' current research in The Lancet examined whether stimulating an elderly person's senses of touch and position--the somatosensory system--might restore posture, control and balance that naturally decline with age.

The study involved 15 young volunteers, 10 men and five women with an average age of 23, and 12 elderly participants, eight women and four men with an average age of 73. Each individual stood on gel insoles equipped with a vibrator that could generate an imperceptible quivering.

Each volunteer wore a reflective marker on the right shoulder to measure how much he or she swayed. The sway measurements were made during 30-second intervals when the insoles gently vibrated and during periods of time when the insoles were still. The young group underwent 20 trials, 10 with the vibration and 10 without. The older group experienced only 10 trials to avoid fatigue: five with the vibration and five without.

The vibrating insoles caused both groups to sway less, with a greater effect on the elderly. During the stimulation, members of the elderly group stood as still and steady as the quietly standing youngsters, effectively turning back the clock to a time of greater balance and control.

"Randomly vibrating shoe insoles might be effective in enhancing the performance of dynamic balance activities, such as walking," Collins said. He co-founded Afferent Corporation, a medical device company focusing on commercializing the vibrating insoles and related sensorimotor enhancement technology.

Falls and fear of falling are significant and growing public health problems for elderly people. Falls are a leading cause of injury and death. Associated fears drive many elderly people to long-term care facilities. Meanwhile, the elderly population is increasing worldwide, raising the likelihood of fall-related injuries and placing expensive demands on the health care system.

Contact:
Frank Blanchard, The Whitaker Foundation
James Collins, Boston University