News on the money and policy behind biomedical research. Covers foundation and career-development awards, endocrine and neuroscience funding, and university royalties.
Researchers will investigate three projects: one on menopausal symptoms, another on biological activity of botanicals, and a third on interactions with prescription drugs. The goal is to determine the safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements as alternatives to hormone therapy.
Justin Ichida's lab will use cellular reprogramming to transform blood cells of ALS patients into motor nerve cells in a Petri dish. The goal is to rescue the cells by exposing them to normal levels of C9ORF72 protein and reveal its protective mechanism against ALS.
The University of Maryland has received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve Bioconductor, an open-source data visualization software used in genomic marker identification for cancer and other diseases.
A new study reveals that women in social sciences receive slightly larger grants than men, with early career women being more successful. However, women overall receive only 41% of the £127 million allocated, largely due to the scarcity of female professors in senior positions.
The Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science has received a $27 million grant to facilitate clinical trials in the Washington D.C. area, benefiting over four million residents. The award supports clinical researchers, training programs, and community engagement initiatives.
A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology suggests that our brains don't follow a predetermined priority order when categorizing scenery. Instead, they make the easiest judgments first, which can be overridden by manipulating the difficulty level of the task.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a new way to kill cancers driven by the MYC gene, which is responsible for aggressive behavior in many types of malignancies. By inhibiting the spliceosome, a complex machine within cancer cells, scientists can target and destroy tumor cells without harming normal tissues.
Researchers aim to better understand the genomic basis of diseases and tailor medical care to individual patients based on their unique genetic profiles. The NIH-funded projects will explore the potential medical effects of rare genomic variants in various genes and implement these findings in clinical settings.
The Third Coast Center for AIDS Research aims to slow and stop HIV in young gay men, a demographic group experiencing rising infections at 5% annually. The center will unite HIV researchers from different disciplines and provide services through five cores.
Washington State University Tri-Cities associate professor Hanwu Lei received a $494,000 grant to research catalysts for high-energy biofuels. He aims to convert biomass into aromatic hydrocarbons with industrial applications.
The UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center aims to develop preventions and policies protecting communities from environmental toxins and disease. The center focuses on studying toxic exposures and their effects on human health, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley with high pollution levels and ethnic diversity.
Researchers at UNH have developed a new method to identify the nursery grounds of winter flounder using otoliths, revealing regional groupings for stocks from Cape Cod to New Jersey. This technology could help restore plummeting populations along the East Coast and protect essential habitats.
A team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified the molecular mechanisms behind resilience to tinnitus and a possible drug therapy that could reduce susceptibility. The study found that mice exposed to loud noise but not developing tinnitus show a transient reduction in KCNQ2/3 channel activity.
A study of 44,044 Medicare patients with early-stage breast cancer found that the 21-gene recurrence score assay was associated with decreased chemotherapy use in high-risk patients and increased use in low-risk patients. The genetic test appeared to influence chemotherapy use regardless of age.
The £5.4 million grant will support a multidisciplinary team at the University of Nottingham to develop bespoke materials for specific applications in targeted drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and advanced medical devices.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology has selected seven leading physician-researchers to receive a total of $675,000 in awards and grants to advance radiation oncology research. The recipients will support studies in radiation and cancer biology, as well as outcomes/health services research within radiation oncology.
Dr. Theresa Alenghat receives $100,000 grant to study epigenetics role in IBD development and progression. Her research aims to test the hypothesis that dysregulation of epigenomic modifications and microbiota alterations drive IBD.
A pilot study aims to address the national crisis in children's oral health by providing support for parents to prevent tooth decay in their toddlers. The study will develop an intervention that links a dental nurse with young mothers, offering them guidance and materials to protect their child's teeth.
UT Arlington aims to increase underprivileged and minority students pursuing graduate degrees, particularly in healthcare fields. The university will host student researchers from a consortium of 11 institutions, providing mentorship and research opportunities.
A randomized clinical trial found that discontinuing antihypertensive therapy in patients 75 and older with mild cognitive deficits did not improve short-term cognitive or general daily functioning. The study suggests that continuing antihypertensive therapy may be the best option for these patients.
A study by Danielle Bessett examines the impact of reality TV and fictional programs on pregnant women's perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth. The research reveals clear class differences in how women view television as a source of information, with more educated women downplaying its influence.
A review of survey data from over 300 obese participants found those who rated their primary care doctor's support as helpful lost an average of 11 pounds, compared to just 5 pounds for those with low-rated support. High-quality patient-doctor relationships are linked to better adherence and weight loss outcomes.
Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy, a Northwestern University neurobiologist, has been awarded a $750,000 Beckman Young Investigator grant to discover how chemical neuromodulatory systems work together to support complex behaviors. The award supports her research on using optical microscopy techniques and classical neuroscience technologies.
A new NIH-funded program will assess the health effects of home gardening on 100 Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho families. The study aims to reduce health disparities suffered by Native Americans in nearly every measure of health.
The CTRI will support eight junior faculty through the CTSA grant program, create a new post-doctoral fellowship focused on team science, and develop infrastructure to speed regulatory processes. The institute will also expand biomarker and biocomputational capacity and improve information systems tools for research.
A new laser-based microscope allows researchers to directly measure protein interactions and organization in live cells, providing insights into the chemistry of vision. The project aims to find a potential cure for congenital blindness by understanding how proteins absorb light and trigger visual responses.
Researchers aim to create temperature-activated proteins that can be controlled by temperature to better understand brain disorders. They plan to identify and engineer proteins with different temperature properties.
A $7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports research to eliminate river blindness and elephantiasis, two neglected tropical diseases affecting millions. Researchers will conduct field projects in eight countries and resuming a project suspended due to Ebola.
Researchers found nearly 40% of type 2 diabetes patients with stable heart disease had abnormal troponin levels, indicating ongoing heart injury. Coronary revascularization did not lower troponin levels or reduce risk in these patients.
The UCLA division of geriatrics has received a $2.5 million grant to enhance geriatric education, training and workforce development in Riverside County. The program, called PICATE, will establish new interprofessional curricula for students training in medical, nursing, social work and allied health fields.
The researchers will investigate how variability in neuronal responses contributes to learning and performance in motor tasks. By understanding this connection, they aim to uncover the fundamental mechanisms underlying neural variability and its role in brain function.
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) has selected 5 advocates to attend the 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer, where they will share and learn strategies to increase awareness. The recipients include Hildreth Grossman, Kathleen Mewhiney, Victor Lasebikan, Seda Kansu, and Tetsuya Yamaoka.
Keystone Symposia has received a five-year, $2.25 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support Global Health Series meetings and Travel Awards for scientific investigators and clinicians from low and middle-income countries.
A five-year, $9.97M grant will establish a new Center for Precision Genomics at JAX, leveraging the lab's expertise in mammalian genetics and disease modeling to develop precision models of disease. The Center will accelerate translation to medical benefit through global collaborations and shared resources.
Scientists used Darwinian selection to evolve robot controllers that enable efficient self-organization of tasks. The new method allows the evolution of complex behaviors, surpassing previous complexity achieved in swarm robotics.
Ethicists warn that patient-funded trials threaten scientific rigor, relevance, efficiency, and fairness. The model lacks mechanisms to ensure research is grounded in good science, potentially delaying innovation and harming patients.
Scientists will develop an implantable drug delivery system to deliver antiretroviral drugs, providing protection against HIV infection for up to a year. The project aims to improve upon current methods of prevention, which have low adherence rates.
A new $1.45-million program will enhance the training of scores of Ghanaian researchers in new research methods, grant writing, ethics, and clinical care for TB and HIV patients.
A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology has developed a flu forecasting system that can predict the timing and intensity of influenza outbreaks in subtropical climates. The system was able to forecast peak timing and magnitude for 44 epidemics in 16 years, with an accuracy rate of 93%.
Healthcare professionals and consumers can voluntarily report adverse drug events directly to the FDA or the manufacturer, but about 10% of serious and unexpected adverse events are not reported under federal regulations. The study analyzed over 1.6 million reports and found that patient death was associated with delayed reporting.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has named six young scientists as winners of the Klerman-Freedman Prizes, recognizing their outstanding work in neurobiological and psychosocial research. The prizes were awarded to Alan Anticevic for his study on cognitive function in schizophrenia and Michael M. Halassa for his work on sensory...
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that endovascular aortic repair provides better outcomes, including lower mortality rates and shorter hospital stays, compared to open surgical repair. The study shows improved long-term results over time, with benefits extending up to eight years after surgery.
The ASBMB's Minority Affairs Committee has received a $500,000 NSF grant to support its Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement (IMAGE) program. The program aims to promote diversity in the scientific workforce by providing grantsmanship skills and career-development strategies to postdoctoral fellows and early-c...
Scientists at the University of Southampton will analyze research investments into infectious disease research, particularly pneumonia and maternal and neonatal infections. The study aims to provide policymakers with a comprehensive picture of where there's been a lack of funding relative to the impact of the disease.
Michigan State University researchers are studying how electric fish signals evolve in a natural hybrid zone along Gabon's Louetsi River. The discovery could help identify genes underlying complex and simple electric signals.
Two studies found increased use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillators, and improved survival rates among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Neurologically intact survival increased significantly with bystander defibrillation and chest compressions.
The Passages Project aims to foster social norms supporting healthy behaviors, like equal rights in family planning. Researchers will develop and test scalable approaches to promote collective change through media, advocacy, and community campaigns.
Freshwater prawns can help control schistosomiasis by preying on parasite-infected snails, providing a source of protein-rich food and reducing the disease burden. The study suggests that stocking prawns in rivers could be an effective natural solution for controlling the disease.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology recommends eight steps to make the scientific enterprise sustainable, including predictable funding and reduced regulations. The recommendations aim to spur action and implement changes at institutions and within the government.
Waldman will lead research on STAG2, a gene commonly mutated in human cancer, aiming to understand its role in Ewing sarcoma and develop new therapies. The $250k grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Innovation Grant will support Waldman's two-year project.
The MCW Medical Scientist Training Program will provide a stipend and full tuition scholarship to students pursuing a dual MD-PhD degree. The grant supports the growth of physician scientists conducting research in basic sciences with academic careers in medicine.
The STEMPREP Project at SMU aims to create diversity in STEM fields by recruiting minority middle school students for a 10-year program. Eighty-three percent of program participants pursue graduate school and go on to become physicians, pharmacists, or engineers.
Researchers developed a wireless device implanted in mice brains that can deliver drugs via remote control. The technology targets specific brain circuits, promising fewer side effects for neurological disorders.
A researcher at Georgia State University has received a grant to study an eye disease that causes vision loss and blindness in HIV-immunosuppressed patients. The goal is to understand the mechanisms of HCMV retinitis and find ways to prevent or treat the debilitating disease.
A team led by Chris Saski from Clemson University will sequence the genome of Upland cotton to unlock its complex secrets, with potential benefits for plant breeding and agriculture. The project aims to improve Upland cotton fiber yield and quality, addressing global challenges like climate change and food security.
Wayne State University has secured a $1.9 million NIH grant to study the role of chemokine receptor CXCR2 in regulating new blood vessel formation and enhancing endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)-based cell therapy for vascular diseases.
Researchers at the University of Illinois will develop a Big Data platform to automate plant breeding using cameras, sensors, and drones. The platform aims to reduce manual measurement costs and increase efficiency in identifying high-yielding sorghum strains.
While some IRB members still feel pressure to approve protocols with biases, significant progress has been made in disclosing and managing conflicts of interest since 2005. The study suggests that formal written definitions of conflict of interests have improved, but more work is needed.
Scientists will investigate how environmental factors like mercury, silica, and nanoparticles trigger autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The three-year project aims to improve understanding of the mechanisms behind autoimmunity.
A study of nearly 24,000 participants found that stroke survivors experienced a faster rate of incident cognitive impairment after the event, as well as accelerated and persistent declines in global cognition and executive function. Cognitive decline is a major cause of disability in stroke survivors.