Biology
Enhancing the Efficacy of Immunotherapeutic Drugs for Prostate Cancer – Dr Douglas McNeel, MD PhD, University of Wisconsin
Prostate cancer is a leading cause of male cancer deaths worldwide, with one man in every seven likely to contract the disease during his lifetime. As late-stage prostate cancer remains a fatal disease resistant to conventional treatment, the need for effective new...
Efficacy of Wholefoods for Health and Cancer Prevention – Dr Elizabeth Ryan, Colorado State University
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. With up to 70% of new cases predicted to occur in the developing world, finding affordable and effective cancer preventive agents for global use is critical. Dr Elizabeth Ryan, from the Department of Environmental and...
The Impact of Our Environment on Our Well-being – Dr Lei Cao, The Ohio State University
The human body is a bewildering set of interacting systems, a complex web of signals and pathways which are constantly adjusting to the conditions which we find ourselves in. Ground-breaking research by Dr Lei Cao, of Ohio State University, USA, is providing new...
Probing the Link Between Perinatal Nutrition and Puberty in Cattle – Dr Gary Williams and Dr Rodolfo Cardoso, Texas A&M University
For almost two decades, Dr Gary Williams and his graduate students at Texas A&M AgriLife Research/Texas A&M University have worked to unveil the mysteries of puberty in young female cattle. With this research, Dr Williams and his former graduate student and current...
A Box in the Clouds – Professor Jeffrey C. Hoch, UConn Health
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is without doubt one of the most exciting analytic methods available in biomolecular medicine. Applications include structural biology, metabolic studies, disease diagnosis, and drug discovery. However, the use of NMR can be daunting...
The Incredible Ways of DNA Replication – Professor Michael O’Donnell, The Rockefeller University
For over 30 years, Professor Michael O’Donnell, based at the Rockefeller University in New York, has focused on the mechanisms involved in the duplication of genetic material in cells, a process known as DNA replication. Professor O’Donnell’s work spans from the early...
Spinal Cord Damage and Emerging Treatments – Dr Jerry Silver, Case Western Reserve University
Injuries to the spinal cord can cause permanent paralysis and even lead to death, with little to no hope of regaining lost functions once the trauma has occurred. Dr Jerry Silver and his team at Case Western Reserve University Medical School, USA, have been working to...
Let There Be Light – Professor Yubin Zhou, Texas A&M University
Professor Yubin Zhou, from the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Texas A&M University Institute of Biosciences & Technology, USA, is developing ways to use light to control cellular function. The researcher and his team are responsible for a series of...
Health Starts in the Cell Approaching Obesity from the Inside Out – Dr Yi Li, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Over the last few decades, obesity has become substantial public health concern. Obesity is associated with a myriad of other ailments and is on the rise in most developed countries. As with many chronic diseases, the development of an obese body type is often more...
Engineering Solutions for Improved Vaccines – Calder Biosciences Inc.
Designing better vaccines is the end goal for Calder Biosciences Inc., a company that has found a new way to engineer vaccines, ensuring greater stability, prolonging their duration in the body and thereby enhancing protection. Using a natural chemical reaction known...
Teaching the Genome Generation – Dr Charles Wray, The Jackson Laboratory
Since the release of the first human genome, our understanding of genetics has grown significantly. However, keeping up with developments in the field can be overwhelming for students, and even teachers. Dr Charles Wray of The Jackson Laboratory has created a unique...
The Evolution of Genetic Coding – Professor Charles Williams Carter, University of North Carolina
The research of Professor Charles Carter, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, unravels some of the biggest mysteries of molecular evolution. His research is dedicated to investigating how information flows from genes to proteins found in living organisms...
An Enzyme for the Future – Professor Tony Moore, University of Sussex
Professor Tony Moore and his team at the University of Sussex are investigating the alternative oxidase. This enzyme provides an alternative route for molecular oxygen in the pathways of energy production that are often considered to be wasteful of energy but hold the...
Orange Innovation, Creating Citrus Disease Resistance – Professor Fred G. Gmitter, Jr, Professor Zhanao Deng, Professor Yi Li
Florida’s citrus industry is under threat from Huanglongbing (HLB, or citrus greening disease), a devastating plant disease. A collaboration between the University of Florida and the University of Connecticut aims to develop resistance to HLB in citrus plants, using...
Nature’s Vital Signs, Using Bioindicators to Understand Ecosystem Health – Dr Paul Montagna, Texas A&M
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that may take decades to recover. In the immediate wake of the crisis, scientists began to study the developing effects of the spill. Dr Paul Montagna at Texas A&M, Corpus...
An Integrated Approach To Fighting Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Dr Claudio Fiocchi, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) causes significant pain and discomfort to sufferers and severely affects quality of life. Research on IBD focusing on the individual contributing factors has failed to provide truly effective treatment options, and the broader picture...
HTLV-1 The Forgotten Cousin of HIV – Professor Charles Bangham, Imperial College London
The catastrophic impact of HIV – human immunodeficiency virus – is well-known worldwide. Not so well known is its distant cousin HTLV-1, human T cell leukaemia virus type 1, which also has the potential to destroy lives. The study of HTLV-1 can shed light on HIV...
Bile Acids Are Not Just for Digestion – Professors Phillip Hylemon and Huiping Zhou, Virginia Commonwealth University
Over the last two decades, bile acids have gone from being thought of as mere helpers during digestion of fats and fat-soluble vitamins, to crucial players in the signalling pathways operating in the liver. Professor Phillip Hylemon and Professor Huiping Zhou, from...
New Perspectives on Marine Ecology: Technology Informs Oceanic Carbon Models – Dr Mark D. Ohman, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
The world’s oceans are responsible for absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate its warming effect on the planet. However, the way in which marine ecosystems respond to temperature changes can impact the ocean’s ability to...
Combatting the Lionfish Invasion – Dr Mark Hixon and Lab, University of Hawaii
Lionfish are predators that typically inhabit Pacific and Indian Ocean coral reefs. In areas where they have been introduced, they have become troublesome invaders. Populations have spread and grown in some regions to the extent that they are wreaking havoc on local...
Buzzing & Blooming, Bee-Flower Interactions in Crop Production – Professor Johanne Brunet, USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit
Pollination by flying insects is often the forgotten key to high agricultural productivity. Dr Johanne Brunet, research ecologist at the USDA-Agricultural Service, is investigating insect-flower interactions, and their implications for crop production....
Greener Pastures, Transforming Land Management Practices in the Cattle Industry – Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University
In the face of global climate change and challenges to sustainable use of renewable resources, farmers and ranchers are continually seeking best management practices that are economically viable and environmentally friendly. To meet this need, researchers at Auburn...
The Molecular World of Aphid Feeding – Professor Gerald Reeck, Kansas State University
Professor Gerald Reeck and his team at Kansas State University are investigating the molecular basis of aphid herbivory, including suppression of plant defences, using powerful methods of molecular genetics. This research is important for developing new aphid-pest...
Sub-Zero Survival, Revealing How Plants Freeze – Drs David Livingston and Michael Wisniewski, USDA
Watching plants return to life after a spell of cold winter weather can seem like a miracle. For over a century, biologists have understood that plant survival depends on a variety of co-dependent mechanisms, yet their methods for coping with temperatures far below...
Cell Physics, Understanding How Biological Matter Self-Organises – The Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1027 at the Saarland University
The Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1027 at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken and Homburg is an interdisciplinary research team that aims to achieve a quantitative understanding of the physical mechanisms at work when biological matter self-organises into...
Good Bacteria Gone Bad – Professor Hannah M. Wexler, VA Health Care System
Bacteria within our gut play an essential role in breaking down our food, but when they escape to a new environment some can turn nasty in order to survive. Professor Hannah Wexler’s lab at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Health Care System (GLAVAHCS) has been...
Peroxisomes on the Rise – Professor Michael Schrader, University of Exeter
Professor Michael Schrader and his team at the University of Exeter are working to decipher how specialised compartments within cells called peroxisomes are formed and function to perform vital roles in processing the lipids that coat nerve cells and in defending the...
More Reasons to Eat Your Greens Boosting Phytochemicals in Vegetables – Dr C. B. Rajashekar, Kansas State University
Many plants contain phytochemicals – unique chemicals that can prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer and obesity. Dr C. B. Rajashekar and his colleagues at Kansas State University are investigating ways to increase the concentration of these constituents in...
Metal Transport Unlocks Routes to New Antibiotics – Dr Albert Guskov, University of Groningen
Metals have been improving our lives since the bronze age, but they also play a key role in keeping us healthy. We rely on numerous metals, such as cobalt, zinc and magnesium (among others), to perform essential roles in our bodies. Many bacteria also require these...
Controlling Insect Pests with RNA Interference – Professor Paul Dyson and Dr Miranda Whitten, Swansea University
Professor Paul Dyson and Dr Miranda Whitten at Swansea University in the UK are developing insect pest control methods using endosymbiotic bacteria that target the insects ‘from within’ using RNA interference....