News & HighlightsNews
New approach to treating gastrointestinal disease patches up leaky intestines
Researchers have discovered a new compound that helps fortify the intestine's inner lining, which becomes porous in inflammatory bowel diseases.  
New tool allows scientists to catch elusive protein in action
Scientists still have a lot to learn about the processes that trigger cell division, partly because they happen so quickly. A new chemical probe will make it possible to capture the workings of one of the key players.
Researchers discover a common link among diverse cancer types
Some cancers have been traced to changes in histones, proteins responsible for packaging DNA and regulating genes. Now, research from Rockefeller scientists shows that, among tumors, mutations to these proteins are a lot more common than previously suspected.
Enzyme structure reveals how DNA is opened up for transcription
DNA’s two strands must be separated before its code can be read, or transcribed. By studying the structure of the enzyme RNA polymerase, researchers have elucidated how DNA unwinds and becomes legible.
Study explains how geckos gracefully gallop on water
Geckos are amazingly agile. In addition to running across land and up trees, the animals can prance across the surface of water. A new study reveals how they do it.
Shape-shifting protein protects bacteria from invaders
Researchers have discovered how bacteria manage to destroy enemy DNA, while keeping their own genetic material safe.
First mapping of cells in the early human placenta to advance research on problem pregnancies
Scientists have made the first comprehensive inventory of cells present in the human placenta of the first trimester, a stage when many pregnancy complications are thought to arise. The findings could fuel new research on conditions such as preeclampsia and pre-term birth.
Enzyme structure helps to explain how protein factories are constructed
Researchers characterized the structure of Mdn1, an enzyme key to making ribosomes.
Sohail Tavazoie promoted to professor
Sohail Tavazoie, a physician-scientist who studies the genes that regulate a tumor’s ability to metastasize, has been promoted to professor.
Structural studies help explain how cancer cells resist chemotherapy
New research sheds light on how some cancer cells use molecular pumps to expel chemotherapy drugs before they have a chance to work.
Scientists map the portal to the cell’s nucleus
The gateway to cellular headquarters has 552 components. A new map that shows how all these pieces fit together could help scientists study numerous diseases.
Scientists caution that a rare childhood liver cancer can spread to the brain
A new report details three cases of secondary brain tumors in people with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. The researchers say imaging tests could improve treatment for patients whose cancer spreads to the brain from the liver.
Molecular doorstop could be key to new tuberculosis drugs
In discovering how an antibiotic kills the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, scientists open the door to new treatments for the disease—and possibly others, as well.
Building the machinery that makes proteins
Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to capture the very first snapshots of the large ribosomal subunit—part of the ribosome responsible for forging bonds between amino acids, the building blocks of proteins—coming together.
Molecule discovered in dirt could help against multi-resistant bacteria
In mining soil for natural drugs, scientists have discovered a brand-new antibiotic potent against many bacteria. They hope it could be used to treat infections that cannot be stopped with existing drugs.
In brief: Tweaking RNA protects cells from harmful inflammation
New research has helped explain what goes wrong in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a rare brain disorder. Patients with the disease have genetic abnormalities that may put their cells at risk of accidentally triggering an antiviral response.
Günter Blobel, a Nobel laureate who redefined cell biology, has died
Günter Blobel, a Nobel Prize-winning Rockefeller biologist who discovered the mechanisms by which proteins are targeted for delivery to specific locations within cells, died February 18 at 81.
New images reveal how the ear’s sensory hairs take shape
Our ability to hear relies on tiny bundles of hair-like sensors inside the inner ear. Scientists have identified a key component of the machinery that makes these bundles grow in an orderly fashion.
New immunotherapy approach boosts body’s ability to destroy cancer cells
A new treatment may help cancer patients who don't respond to traditional immunotherapy. Findings from the first-ever clinical trial reveal that it is effective in activating immune cells that kill cancer cells.
3D imaging of fat reveals potential targets for new obesity treatments
With new imaging methods, scientists hope to make significant progress in the fight against obesity. A new report reveals striking images of neural projections within fat tissue, and clues for the development of new drugs.
Neuroscientist Vanessa Ruta promoted to associate professor
Ruta, who explores how brains produce such flexible responses to fixed stimuli, has been promoted to Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden associate professor.
New study points the way to therapy for rare cancer that targets the young
Scientists have engineered a mouse model to study a rare and often-fatal form of liver cancer. They’ve used it to clarify what drives these tumors at the molecular level, and discover new drug concepts.
Targeting a single protein might treat a broad range of viruses
Scientists have identified a protein that many viruses require to spread within a host—a discovery that could lead to fighting diseases as varied as parainfluenza, West Nile, and Zika with a single drug. This finding could also lead to the development of treatments for emerging viruses.
Potential new treatment for Fragile X targets one gene to affect many
Scientists found that inhibiting a regulatory protein alters the intricate signaling chemistry that is responsible for many of the disease’s symptoms. The findings provide a path to possible therapeutics for disorders associated with Fragile X.
Titia de Lange to receive 2017 Rosenstiel Award
de Lange is honored for her elucidation of the mechanism of telomere protection and the maintenance of genome stability.
Gut bacteria that “talk” to human cells may lead to new treatments
Scientists developed a method to genetically engineer gut bacteria to produce molecules that have the potential to treat certain disorders by altering human metabolism.
In brief: How a microRNA protects against liver cancer
New insights about gene regulation in liver cells could lead to better treatments for a common tumor type.
New animal models for hepatitis C could pave the way for a vaccine
In the rats that roam New York City’s streets and tunnels, scientists have found a virus that resembles hepatitis C. They have used it to create the first animal model of the human disease, a breakthrough that potentially could yield a much-needed vaccine.
In brief: A glimpse into the origins of antibiotic resistance
Scientists have identified several genetic mechanisms by which antibiotic resistance may have arisen in a bacterium that causes deadly infections.
A hidden movement in the molecule that makes RNA
Researchers have uncovered new details about the molecular machine that separates DNA strands before copying a gene's sequence into RNA.
In brief: Mapping the errors that disrupt heartbeat
By determining the structure of a protein linked to a deadly form of arrhythmia, scientists have gained new insights about the condition.
In brief: A closer look at why some drugs cause arrhythmia
Scientists have identified the features that render a potassium channel in the heart vulnerable to interference by a range of drugs.
C. David Allis wins 2017 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
Allis has received the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology. The award, given to investigators whose research offers hope for the prevention and treatment of birth defects and other infant diseases, honors Allis for his groundbreaking work on gene regulation.
Discovery of a Zika antibody offers hope for a vaccine
Searching for a way to thwart Zika, scientists have discovered an antibody with a potent ability to neutralize the virus.
Shooting the messenger: how one protein allows germ cells to develop
Researchers have identified a molecule that guides the formation of eggs and sperm by preventing a host of factors related to cell death and inflammation from killing the precursors to these cells. Their findings reveal new knowledge about how a mutation in this molecule leads to male sterility.
New study resolves the structure of the human protein that causes cystic fibrosis
In order to better understand how genetic mutations give rise to cystic fibrosis, researchers need to map the protein responsible for the disorder. The new structure has led to new insights on how this molecular channel functions.
A new way to reset gene expression in cancer cells shows promise for leukemia treatment
New findings from Rockefeller University researchers could guide the development of potent combination therapies that deliver more effective and durable treatment of leukemia. In recent work published in Nature, they show it’s possible to deactivate cellular programs involved in tumor growth by d...
New structural studies reveal workings of a molecular pump that ejects cancer drugs
Sometimes cells resist medication by spitting it back out. Cancer cells, in particular, have a reputation for defiantly expelling the chemotherapy drugs meant to kill them. Researchers at The Rockefeller University have shed new light on a molecular pump that makes this possible, by determining i...
Howard C. Hang receives 2017 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry
Howard C. Hang, Richard E. Salomon Family Associate Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Microbial Pathogenesis, has won the 2017 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry. The prize, given by the American Chemical Society, recognizes outstanding research in biological chemi...
Atomic-scale view of bacterial proteins offers path to new tuberculosis drugs
With the first detailed analysis of a cellular component from a close relative of the pathogen that causes tuberculosis, Rockefeller scientists are suggesting strategies for new drugs to curb this growing health problem. Each year, nearly half a million people around the world are infected with m...
Study reveals the structure of a protein crucial for DNA replication
Our DNA contains instructions crucial for virtually all forms of life on this planet. But for life to propagate, this blueprint must be copied and passed on to future generations. New findings describing the structure of a key molecule involved in DNA replication place another piece in the puzzle...
MacKinnon lab charts the anatomy of three molecular channels
Using a state-of-the-art imaging technology in which molecules are deep frozen, scientists in Roderick MacKinnon’s lab at Rockefeller University have reconstructed in unprecedented detail the three-dimensional architecture of three channels that provide a path for specific types of ions to travel...
Biophysicist Gregory M. Alushin receives White House honor for early career scientists
Gregory M. Alushin, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Structural Biophysics and Mechanobiology, has been chosen by President Obama as one of 102 researchers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government ...
New molecular map reveals how cells spew out potassium
New research from Roderick MacKinnon's Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at The Rockefeller University has determined, for the first time, the complete structure of an ion channel that plays an important role in cellular electrical signaling by sending potassium ions out of the ...
Pels Family Center for Biochemistry and Structural Biology receives new $10 million grant
by Alexandra MacWade, assistant editor A new $10 million endowment gift made by the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust will provide ongoing support for the university’s chemical and structural biologists through the Pels Family Center for Biochemistry and Structural Biology. Mr. Pels, who was a Roc...
New structure shows how cells assemble protein-making machinery
Scientists at The Rockefeller University have created the most detailed three-dimensional images to date of an important step in the process by which cells make the nano-machines responsible for producing all-important protein. The results, described December 15 in Science, are prompting the rese...
First structural map of the cystic fibrosis protein sheds light on how mutations cause disease
Rockefeller scientists have created the first three-dimensional map of the protein responsible for cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease for which there is no cure. This achievement, described December 1 in Cell, offers the kinds of insights essential to better understanding and treating this oft...
Survey of New York City soil uncovers medicine-making microbes
Microbes have long been an invaluable source of new drugs. And to find more, we may have to look no further than the ground beneath our feet. Researchers at The Rockefeller University have shown that the dirt beneath New York City teems with our tiny allies in the fight against disease. In soil c...
Researchers discover new antibiotics by sifting through the human microbiome
Most antibiotics in use today are based on natural molecules produced by bacteria—and given the rise of antibiotic resistance, there’s an urgent need to find more of them. Yet coaxing bacteria to produce new antibiotics is a tricky proposition. Most bacteria won’t grow in the lab. And even whe...
Researchers shed new light on RNA’s journey out of a cell’s nucleus
Cells secure DNA within their nuclei like a secret code stashed in a vault. However, the tightly controlled borders of the nucleus create a challenge: In order for the cell to produce essential proteins, messages derived from DNA must somehow escape the nucleus in the form of RNA molecules. New w...
Sebastian Klinge receives 2016 NIH New Innovator Award
Sebastian Klinge, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, has won a National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award. The prestigious award, which is given as a five-year grant of up to $1.5 million, supports early-career investigators who...
Study explains how an intestinal microbe protects against other, more dangerous bacteria
Antibiotics save millions of lives. But their tendency to kill helpful and harmful bacteria alike, coupled with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, means that they are not without their downside. Probiotics consisting of beneficial microorganisms, meanwhile, have the potential to delive...
New research clarifies how cells take in cholesterol and offers insight on Ebola
Cholesterol—that waxy substance incriminated in heart attack and stroke—is a precious commodity for cells. In fact, errors in a cell’s ability to import these rod-like molecules can be fatal. In new work, researchers at The Rockefeller University and their colleagues delved into a pivotal p...
A compound that stops cells from making protein factories could lead to new antifungal drugs
Tiny, abundant biological factories, known as ribosomes, produce the cell’s most fundamental building material: protein. If ribosomes don’t work, cells can’t divide—and this can be an advantage for scientists seeking to develop drugs that target invading organisms, such as pathogenic fungi. ...
Four Rockefeller scientists named 2016 HHMI Faculty Scholars
Four Rockefeller University scientists—Daniel Kronauer, Luciano Marraffini, Agata Smogorzewska, and Sohail Tavazoie—have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholars. The Faculty Scholars program, a new collaboration between HHMI, the Simons Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gate...
Charles M. Rice wins Lasker Award for groundbreaking work on the hepatitis C virus
Charles M. Rice, Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor in Virology and head of the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, has been honored with the 2016 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, the country’s most prestigious science prize. Rice shares the award with Ralf F....
Four postdocs honored with 2016 Tri-Institutional Breakout Awards
NEW YORK, NY—Four young life scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medicine are the winners of the 2016 Tri-Institutional Breakout Awards for Junior Investigators. The awards, established last year by three winners of the 2013 Breakt...
Structural images shed new light on a cancer-linked potassium channel
    Most cells in the body carry on their surface tiny pores through which potassium ions travel. In controlling the flow of these positively charged ions, the channel helps the cell maintain its electrical balance. One particular type of potassium channel, called Eag1, has been found...
Postdoc John Maciejowski wins 2016 Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation
John Maciejowski, a postdoctoral fellow in Titia de Lange’s Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, has received the 2016 Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation. The award, given by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recognizes innovative young scientists based on proposals they submit that have ...
New faculty member investigates how cells respond to mechanical forces
Whether maneuvering about under their own power, or being pushed and pulled by the surrounding tissue, cells both give and receive mechanical force. The newest addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Gregory Alushin, is a biophysicist who investigates how cells use their structural filament...
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