{"id":230318,"date":"2026-03-03T12:53:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T22:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230318"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:55:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T22:55:24","slug":"stephen-nomura-endowed-professorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/03\/stephen-nomura-endowed-professorship\/","title":{"rendered":"$500K endowed professorship fuels research on rare genetic disease"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The professorship honors the legacy of UH<\/abbr> alumni Stephen Nomura.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A $500,000 investment in the newly established Stephen Nomura Endowed Professorship at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) is helping sustain groundbreaking research into pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE<\/abbr>), a rare genetic disease that affects the skin, eyes and blood vessels.<\/p>\n

\"Oliver
Oliver Le Saux in the lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Approved by the UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents in January 2026, the professorship honors the legacy of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa alumni Steven Nomura<\/a>, remembered for his compassion and dedication to patient care. The endowed fund supports genetics research and graduate training in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The professorship currently supports Olivier Le Saux, endowed professor of genetics and chair of the department. Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is home to one of only two PXE<\/abbr> research centers in the U.S.<\/abbr>, where Le Saux advances experimental therapies and supports clinical trials in Europe and the U.S.<\/abbr><\/p>\n

Understanding PXE<\/abbr><\/h2>\n

PXE<\/abbr> affects an estimated 1 in 25,000 to 50,000 people worldwide. The disorder causes abnormal calcification of elastic fibers, significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications. Though it can have serious consequences, it remains understudied.<\/p>\n

It allows us to train graduate students…to become the next generation of scientists.
—Oliver La Saux<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Le Saux helped transform PXE<\/abbr> from a century-old medical mystery into an active field of research. In 1999, he was part of an intense international race to identify the gene primarily responsible for the disorder.<\/p>\n

“We were sprinting to the finish line, shoulder to shoulder,” he recalled. “We were competing furiously but still working together at the same time.”<\/p>\n

The breakthrough changed the trajectory for families living with the disease.<\/p>\n

“At the time, there was almost no shared knowledge about PXE<\/abbr>,” recalled Sharon Terry, whose two children were diagnosed in the 1990s. “Without a genetic explanation, families were left navigating fear and uncertainty on their own.”<\/p>\n

Investing in future scientists<\/h2>\n

For Le Saux, the endowment represents long-term investment in people and discovery.<\/p>\n

“This kind of support gives us flexibility,” he said. “It allows us to train graduate students in the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program at JABSOM<\/abbr> to become the next generation of scientists.”<\/p>\n

Read more at JABSOM<\/abbr><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Investment strengthens Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s pseudoxanthoma elasticum research center and supports next-generation genetic scientists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":230304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[910,598,1050,31,1467,1363,319,9],"class_list":["post-230318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-cell-and-molecular-biology","tag-faculty-recognition","tag-genetics","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t