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Feature_BrivanlouLab

A first look at the earliest decisions that shape a human embryo

For the first time, scientists have shown that a small cluster of cells in the human embryo dictates the fate of other embryonic cells. The discovery of this developmental “organizer” could advance research into many human diseases, and it suggests we have more in common with birds than meets the eye.

Hair follicle micro-niche
Science News

A cell’s destiny is set earlier than expected

Stem cells in the hair follicle are organized by the cell type they will eventually become in unique compartments, at the ready to regenerate tissue.
C. David Allis
Awards and Honors

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.
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.
Mary Hatten

Mary E. Hatten is elected to the National Academy of Sciences

With Hatten’s election, the Rockefeller faculty now has 39 members or foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences.
squamous carcinoma cells
Science News

A mechanism shared by healing wounds and growing tumors

Scientists have long seen parallels between healing wounds and growing tumors. In studying the molecular changes that occur within both, a research team has discovered a new cancer-fuelling mechanism that potentially could inform drug development.
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.
Campus News

Reem–Kayden Early-Career Innovation Award is established to support newly promoted associate professors at Rockefeller

The unique award, funded by a $7 million gift, is designed to encourage Rockefeller’s early-career faculty members to pursue the most imaginative science in the years leading to a tenure decision. All heads of laboratories are eligible upon their promotion to associate professor.
Tuschl_Nature

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.
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.
School of Striped Bass

Researchers track fish migration by testing DNA in seawater

  A bucket of seawater contains more than meets the eye—it’s chock-full of fish DNA. Scientists are now putting that DNA to good use to track fish migration with a new technique that involves a fraction of the effort and cost of previous methods. DNA strained from samples drawn weekly fro...
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Recent Awards and Honors

Gregory M. Alushin

Gregory M. Alushin honored as a 2018 Pew Scholar

June 14, 2018

Alushin has been named a biomedical science scholar for his investigation of how cells sense and respond to mechanical force.

Kivanç Birsoy

Kivanç Birsoy is a 2018 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research

June 14, 2018

Birsoy received the honor for his study of the metabolic changes that occur in cancer cells during tumor formation and metastasis.

Rockefeller in the News

Scientific American

There’s an “Inverse Piano” in Your Head

As [A. James] Hudspeth explored the neural mechanisms of hearing over the years, he developed a special appreciation for the intricate anatomy of the inner ear—an appreciation that transcends the laboratory. “I think we as scientists tend to underemphasize the aesthetic aspect of science,” he says.

Science

Elusive master organizer of human embryo growth seen for the first time

"'It is mind-blowing' that cells from such evolutionarily distant species can share these developmental instructions, says Ali Brivanlou, a stem cell biologist at The Rockefeller University in New York City and a senior author on the new study. The organizer 'has been conserved evolutionarily over hundreds of millions of years, so not seeing it would have been a surprise,' he says. But, 'There is something really emotional about looking that far back at human origin.'"

NIH Director's Blog

An architectural guide to the nuclear pore complex

"[Michael] Rout and [Brian] Chait have spent more than 20 years trying to solve the structure of NPCs. Not only are NPCs large and constantly engaged in shuttling molecules in and out, they also represent moving machines."

 

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Communications and Public Affairs

The Office of Communications and Public Affairs promotes and disseminates research news and other information about The Rockefeller University.

Contact

Faculty at The Rockefeller University are authoritative sources on a range of topics across the biomedical sciences. For media inquiries, please contact Katherine Fenz.

Recent Scientific Publications

Human CD45 is an F-component-specific receptor for the staphylococcal toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin
Genetic Determinants of High-Level Oxacillin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Pluripotency transcription factors and Tet1/2 maintain Brd4-independent stem cell identity