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Displaying 159 of 2858 articles.
Immune system of intestine
Science News

New study reveals gut segments organized by function, and opportunities for better drug design

New findings provide insights about how the intestine maximizes nutrient uptake, while at the same time protecting the body from potentially dangerous microbes.
Science News
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In Brief

Researchers find genetic link to tuberculosis

Rockefeller scientists have identified a genetic condition that makes people prone to developing tuberculosis. In a British population, they found that the condition underlies one percent of cases of the disease—a finding that may ultimately lead to new treatment options.
Science News
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In Brief

Gene-editing technique opens door for HIV vaccine

Researchers successfully modified immune cells to produce antibodies that fight HIV. This strategy could eventually be used to develop a vaccine against the virus, among other conditions.
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (pictured), can lead to serious health complications. Lysins help fight such infections by destroying the bacterium’s cell wall (green), thereby killing the microbe.
Science News

Lysin therapy offers new hope for fighting drug-resistant bacteria

Increasingly, bacteria do not succumb to antibiotics. Rockefeller researchers have developed a new class of antimicrobial drug, lysin, with one compound showing promising results in a clinical trial—suggesting that an alternative to antibiotics may be on the horizon.
Geckos move through water they slap their arms, generating air bubbles that help them stay afloat.
Science News

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.
Though small and seemingly simple organisms, bacteria are equipped with effective, multifaceted immune systems.
Science News

Shape-shifting protein protects bacteria from invaders

Researchers have discovered how bacteria manage to destroy enemy DNA, while keeping their own genetic material safe.
Science News
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In Brief

New gene-engineering technique will help scientists study the immune system

Using gene editing technology, researchers have developed a new way to study B cell activation in mice. This technique makes research more efficient, and has the potential to improve our understanding of immune responses in humans.
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In Brief

Genetic mutation identified as culprit in rare infectious disease

Researchers have uncovered the genetic factors that make some people susceptible to Whipple's disease, an intestinal inflammatory disorder that causes diarrhea, pain, and weight loss.
Equipment in Nussenzweig lab
Awards and Honors

Gaby Maimon and Luciano Marraffini are named HHMI investigators

Maimon, who studies cognition and decision-making, and Marraffini, who studies the bacterial defense system CRISPR-Cas, are among 19 scientists nationwide to receive this designation.
Jeffrey V. Ravetch
Awards and Honors

Jeffrey V. Ravetch to receive 2018 Robert Koch Award

Ravetch receives the award for his groundbreaking work analyzing the immune system’s antibody response. He has worked for decades on the Fc fragment of the antibody molecule and its binding partners, known as Fc receptors.
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In Brief

New method allows scientists to study how HIV persists

Scientists have developed a new strategy to study the cells that host hidden reserves of dormant HIV, a step that may lead to new treatments that go beyond controlling the infection and instead aim to eradicate the virus entirely.
Stem cells lacking their protective genes are susceptible to infection by the dengue virus, in red.
Science News

From infection-dodging stem cells, new tactics for research on viral disease

Among other superpowers, stem cells have a knack for fending off viruses like dengue and zika. Scientists have gained new insight into these curious defense strategies—knowledge they say could fuel the development of drugs against a range of diseases.
Scientists map the portal to the cell’s nucleus
Science News

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.
A cross section of a metastatic brain tumor from a patient
Science News

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.
Scientists have discovered a brand new antibiotic potent against many bacteria
Science News

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.
Science News
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In Brief

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.
Science News
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In Brief

In brief: Mutation explains why some people are more vulnerable to viral brain infection

Scientists identified mutations in a single gene that impair immunity to viruses in a region of the brain called the brain stem.
A new labeling technique in Victora's lab
Science News

New tool for tracking “kiss-and-run” communication between cells could advance research in multiple fields

Virtually all aspects of life and disease depend of brief exchanges between cells. A new technique to study cell-to-cell contacts lets interacting cells “smear” one another with the biological equivalent of lipstick.
myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Science News

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.
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In Brief

In brief: Variation between strains may account for differences in people’s vulnerability to infection

New research shows that subtle differences between bacterial strains may cause dramatic differences in outcome between people infected with the same microbe.
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In Brief

In brief: How the immune system curbs its own mistakes

Researchers discovered how apoptosis keeps potential cancer-causing mutations in check.
Science News
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In Brief

In brief: Immune cells surveil intestine to prevent infections

Scientists found that immune cells called intraepithelial lymphocytes act as a surveillance force at the intestine, helping to generate an appropriate immune response to both friendly bacteria and dangerous pathogens.
Nussenzweig portrait
Awards and Honors

Michel C. Nussenzweig wins 2017 Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award

Nussenzweig was honored at a ceremony today at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.The award recognizes investigators for past or ongoing work demonstrating real scientific progress in the life sciences.
Science News
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In Brief

In brief: A close look at how HIV-fighting proteins slow the virus down

A new study sheds light on how the body fights back against HIV by mutating the viral DNA.
New study points the way to therapy for rare cancer that targets the young
Science News

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.
A human cell (green) infected with HIV (red)
Science News

In the fight against viral infection, spelling counts

Scientists have discovered a peculiarity in the genetic code of HIV that might explain how this and other viruses evolved ways to dodge our immune system. The findings could make it possible to develop safer vaccines.
Measles virus is suppressed
Science News

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.
Gabriel Victora
Awards and Honors

Gabriel Victora named 2017 MacArthur Fellow

One of the most prestigious funding programs in the world, the MacArthur fellows program awards grants to exceptionally creative individuals as an investment in their potential.
CA3 neurons
Science News

Stress has dramatically different effects on male and female mouse brains

Scientists have found unexpected differences in how male and female mice respond to stress. Their findings are raising big questions about sex discrepancies in the brain and their impact on neuropsychiatric disease.
Avian influenza
Science News

Simple strategy could lead to a “universal” flu vaccine

To keep up with evasive flu viruses, new vaccines must be developed each year. Scientists are devising a strategy to better prevent the disease without annual shots.
Science News
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In Brief

In brief: Alternative CRISPR system is less specific, more robust

Scientists found that a system called CRISPR-Cas10 can target rapidly mutating viruses.
Gut bacteria
Science News

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.
Luciano Marraffini
Awards and Honors

Albany Medical Center Prize awarded to Luciano Marraffini

The prestigious award honors Marraffini and four other scientists for development of the revolutionary genome-editing system known as CRISPR-Cas9.
Science News
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In Brief

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.
Rats HepC
Science News

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.
Science News
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In Brief

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.
Portrait of Jeremy M. Rock
Science News

New faculty member studies the tuberculosis bacterium

Jeremy M. Rock uses genetics to investigate how the microbe causes disease. He will join Rockefeller’s faculty on January 1, 2018.
zika envelop protein domain structure
Science News

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.
macrophage-animation-1
Science News

Scientists engineer human-germ hybrid molecules to attack drug-resistant bacteria

The centromere region of chromosomes retains the same DNA from one generation to the next. Scientists have gained new insights into how it avoids being scrambled in normal cells, and how it becomes unstable in cancer.
Bieniasz_ancient-virus_nw
Science News

Viral fossils reveal how our ancestors eliminated an ancient infection

Some viruses can insert their genetic material into the genome of their host, creating a genetic fossil record. Researchers have uncovered how our ancestors may have wiped out one such virus around 11 million years ago.
Enterobacteria phage T2
Science News

For microbes fighting viruses, a fast response means a better defense

Researchers have found that the bacterial immune system targets an invading virus as soon as it enters the cell. This discovery answers a long-standing question about how microbes defend themselves.
Science News

Early intervention with new treatment provides durable control of HIV-like virus in monkeys

There are more than 25 drugs to control HIV, yet the virus remains one of the world’s biggest health problems. One of the many challenges with existing therapies is that a dormant version of the virus is always lurking in the background, ready to attack the immune system as soon as treatment is i...
Science News

New research explains why a common bacterium can produce severe illness

As much as we try to avoid it, ­we are constantly sharing germs with those around us. But even when two people have the same infection, the resulting illnesses can be dramatically different—mild for one person, severe or even life-threatening for the other. Now, new research from The Rockefell...
Campus News

Talking Science lecture introduces students to the genetic aspects of infectious diseases

As he opened this year’s Talking Science lecture, geneticist Jean-Laurent Casanova made a stark observation to his teenage audience: “If we had been here 150 years ago, about half of you would already have died.” The primary reason, he told the 350 high school students and 60 teachers present,...
Awards and Honors, Science News

Jeffrey V. Ravetch receives 2017 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine

Jeffrey V. Ravetch, Theresa and Eugene M. Lang Professor and head of the Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, has won the 2017 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine. The award, given by The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and its journal Molecular Medicine, honors s...
Awards and Honors

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...
Science News

Encouraging clinical results for an antibody drug to prevent or treat HIV

A new biologic agent—the most potent of its kind so far—is showing early promise as part of a potential new strategy for treating HIV. The drug, known as 10-1074, may also offer a new way to prevent viral infection in people who are at high risk to acquire HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. ...
Science News

Discovery helps explain why only some people develop life-threatening dengue infections

For most people who contract it, dengue fever is a relatively mild-mannered disease—at least the first time around. For some, however, a subsequent infection by the virus unleashes a vicious and potentially deadly illness. New research from a team based at The Rockefeller University has begun t...
Science News

Antibody combination puts HIV on the ropes

Without antiretroviral drug treatment, the majority of people infected with HIV ultimately develop AIDS, as the virus changes and evolves beyond the body’s ability to control it. But a small group of infected individuals—called elite controllers—possess immune systems capable of defeating the ...
Science News

Scientists learn how to ramp up microbes’ ability to make memories

Some microbes can form memories—although, inconveniently for scientists who study the process, they don’t do it very often. Rockefeller University researchers and their colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to make bacteria encode memories much more frequently...
Science News

Researchers develop automated melanoma detector for skin cancer screening

Even experts can be fooled by melanoma. People with this type of skin cancer often have mole-looking growths on their skin that tend to be irregular in shape and color, and can be hard to tell apart from benign ones, making the disease difficult to diagnose. Now, researchers at The Rockefeller Un...
Science News

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...
Awards and Honors

Jean-Laurent Casanova receives the 2016 Inserm Grand Prix

Jean-Laurent Casanova, professor and head of the St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, has won the 2016 Inserm Grand Prix for his work on the genetic basis of infectious diseases. The prestigious award, given annually by Inserm—the French National Institute of Health and ...
Science News

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...
Science News

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...
Science News

Genomic testing could speed research on skin disease and bring new drugs to patients faster

In an ideal world, the newest and most effective drugs for chronic inflammatory conditions would immediately help everyone who took them. Unfortunately, in the real world, it can take several months to determine whether a given patient will respond to one of these medications, which target specif...
Awards and Honors

Rockefeller graduate Monica Mugnier wins 2016 NIH Early Independence Award

Monica Mugnier, who completed her Ph.D. at Rockefeller earlier this year, is one of 16 junior investigators nationwide to receive a National Institutes of Health Director’s Early Independence Award. The award, which is part of the NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, allows early-caree...
Science News

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...
Awards and Honors

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...
Science News

Scientists uncover a clever ranking strategy bacteria use to fight off viruses

Like humans, bacteria come under attack from viruses and rely on an immune system to defend themselves. A bacterial immune system known as CRISPR helps microbes “remember” the viruses they encounter and more easily fend them off in the future. Since researchers first discovered CRISPR in the mid...
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