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In the News - Newsweek - Casanova

To fight superbugs, scientists are turning toward antibodies   "'The bottom line is that the bacteria now develop resistance to anti-infectious agents faster than we can develop the anti-infectious agents,' says Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova, a professor at Rockefeller University who studies how ge...

Rockefeller University president Tessier-Lavigne chosen to lead Stanford University

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., will step down from his position as president of The Rockefeller University September 1, 2016, to become the 11th president of Stanford University, it was announced today. Tessier-Lavigne was elected 10th president of Rockefeller in September 2010 following an interna...

A newly discovered form of immunity helps explain how bacteria fight off viruses

When seeking to protect themselves from viruses, some bacteria use a seemingly risky strategy: They wait until the invading virus has already begun to replicate. Research at The Rockefeller University shows how the microbes use two newly identified enzymes to fight off an infection even after del...

Talking Science takes high school students on a journey through the history of drug development

by Wynne Parry, science writer   On a recent Saturday, about 350 students and 70 teachers from 50 New York City–regional schools took their seats in Caspary Auditorium for a whirlwind tour through the history of drug discovery. Their guide during the two-part lecture, which is part of the u...

Study reveals how herpes virus tricks the immune system

With over half the U.S. population infected, most people are familiar with the pesky cold sore outbreaks caused by the herpes virus. The virus outsmarts the immune system by interfering with the process that normally allows immune cells to recognize and destroy foreign invaders. How exactly the h...

Jean-Laurent Casanova honored with the Korsmeyer Award

Jean-Laurent Casanova, professor and head of the St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, is the recipient of the 2016 Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award for his work investigating the genetic basis of pediatric infectious diseases. The award, given by the American Society for Clini...

Lewis Thomas Prize to be awarded to Sean B. Carroll

Evolutionary biologist, educator, and author Sean B. Carroll will be presented with The Rockefeller University's Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science at a ceremony on March 14. The award recognizes Carroll's body of work, including his 2013 book Brave Genius: A Scientist, A Philosopher, a...

In the News - The Scientist - Kronauer

Methylation’s Role in Eusocial Insect Behavior Questioned   "'Discovering that there is no evidence to support methylation as a reason why two ants can behave so differently was, on the one hand, a little sobering,' said study coauthor Daniel Kronauer of Rockefeller University in a press rele...

The neurons in our gut help the immune system keep inflammation in check

The immune system exercises constant vigilance to protect the body from external threats—including what we eat and drink. A careful balancing act plays out as digested food travels through the intestine­. Immune cells must remain alert to protect against harmful pathogens like Salmonella, but the...

New findings challenge popular explanation for why a social insect becomes a worker or queen

The exquisite social hierarchy of insect colonies has long fascinated scientists. Take two eggs—both contain identical genetic material, but while one becomes a sterile worker, the other may develop into a queen that can reproduce. Workers perform brood care and other crucial tasks that keep the ...

Winrich Freiwald, who studies facial processing, is promoted to associate professor

Winrich Freiwald, a neuroscientist who studies one of the most basic aspects of social interaction—how the brain processes faces—has been promoted to associate professor as of January 1. Freiwald, who heads the Laboratory of Neural Systems, works on understanding how a specialized system in t...

Winrich Freiwald, who studies facial processing, is promoted to associate professor

by Wynne Parry, science writer Winrich Freiwald, a neuroscientist who studies one of the most basic aspects of social interaction—how the brain processes faces—has been promoted to associate professor as of January 1. Dr. Freiwald, who heads the Laboratory of Neural Systems, works on unde...

Don’t miss these stories about Rockefeller and our scientists

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor In a recent episode of the CUNY TV talk show Conversations in the Digital Age, host Jim Zirin conducts a 30-minute interview with Rockefeller University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne about the university—which Mr. Zirin refers to as an “amazing instituti...

Study identifies signals that make early stem cells

Stem cells work throughout our lives as a sort of handyman, repairing damaged tissues and renewing some normal ones, like the skin we shed. Scientists have come to understand much about how stem cells function when we are adults, but less is known about where these stem cells come from to begin w...

In the News - The Atlantic - Vosshall

The Quest to Make a Better Mosquito Repellent   "It’s not easy for a human to find a mosquito that doesn’t want to be found, but a mosquito can locate us quite easily. It’s a human-seeking machine, sculpted by evolution to track the warmth of our bodies, the carbon dioxide in our breath, ...

In the News - The Atlantic - Vosshall

The Quest to Make a Better Mosquito Repellent   "It’s not easy for a human to find a mosquito that doesn’t want to be found, but a mosquito can locate us quite easily. It’s a human-seeking machine, sculpted by evolution to track the warmth of our bodies, the carbon dioxide in our breath, ...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Luciano Marraffini has been recognized with the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work developing a new approach to fight antibiotic resistance. The Hans Sigrist Prize recognizes work in a different academic field each year based on a decision by a faculty co...

In the News - CUNY TV - Tessier-Lavigne

Will We Find a Cure for Cancer and Alzheimer's Anytime Soon?   "Science is on the march in the heart of New York City. With five Nobel Laureates on its faculty, Rockefeller University scientists are working to unlock the mysteries of dreaded diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Rockefelle...

No borders to excellence: Rockefeller’s graduate students come from everywhere, including Cuba

by Wynne Parry, science writer Students arrive from around the world to join Rockefeller’s graduate program; the ratio of international students is higher here than in most equivalent programs in the United States. This year’s entering class has a particularly global character. Of the 27 stude...

Researchers develop gene-filtering tool to identify disease-causing mutations

Despite their bad reputations, the vast majority of mutations are not harmful. Even in very rare genetic disorders, only one or two genetic variations ­— out of tens of thousands — is actually the cause of disease. Distinguishing between harmful and harmless mutations has long been a challenge....

Newly discovered windows of brain plasticity may help with treatment of stress-related disorders

Chronic stress can lead to changes in neural circuitry that leave the brain trapped in states of anxiety and depression. But even under repeated stress, brief opportunities for recovery can open up, according to new research at The Rockefeller University. “Even after a long period of chronic st...

Study links epigenetic processes to the development of the cerebellar circuitry

From before birth through childhood, connections form between neurons in the brain, ultimately making us who we are. So far, scientists have gained a relatively good understanding of how neural circuits become established, but they know less about the genetic control at play during this crucial d...

Experiments explain the events behind molecular ‘bomb’ seen in cancer cells

Since scientists have begun sequencing the genome of cancer cells, they have noticed a curious pattern. In many different types of cancers, there are cells in which a part of a chromosome looks like it has been pulverized, then put back together incorrectly, leading to multiple mutations. For yea...

New research explores how the fly brain reroutes odor information to produce flexible behavior

Some responses come automatically, like reflexes. Others vary with circumstance and experience. A once-delicious smell can be easily overlooked during a stressful moment or when it calls to mind a bout of food poisoning, for instance. This happens because, within the brain, molecules known as neu...

Widespread skewed expression of mRNA components correlate with fine tuning of protein production

Long cast as a simple link between DNA and protein, messenger RNA has never offered much intrigue. But new research at The Rockefeller University suggests the molecule is up to something unexpected. By uncovering widespread disparities in the expression of components of mRNA molecules—something...

Rockefeller fundraising breaks new record

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor It’s been a year of tremendous progress at Rockefeller. In 2015, we welcomed six new faculty members, most recently immunologist Gabriel Victora and biological physicist Alipasha Vaziri; began construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation—David Rockefeller Ri...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Luciano Marraffini has been awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work applying CRISPR-Cas systems to antibiotic resistance. Bestowed by the University of Bern and the Hans Sigrist Foundation, the award recognizes mid-career academics and researchers ...

Luciano Marraffini receives the Hans Sigrist Prize for work on antibiotic resistance

Luciano Marraffini, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Bacteriology, has been recognized with the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work developing a new approach to combat antibiotic resistance. This Swiss award, bestowed by the University of Bern, specifically honors Marraffini for mani...

Mosquitoes are tuned to seek out temperatures that match warm-blooded hosts

Many animals gravitate towards heat, most often to regulate their own body temperatures. In rare cases, certain species—ticks, bedbugs, and some species of mosquitoes—seek out heat for food. For female mosquitoes, finding heat is essential for survival, as they need to feast on warm-blooded prey...

Employee art show reveals hidden talents

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor   Late one evening last fall, Rockefeller postdoctoral associate He Tian was setting up her camera on a tripod in the North Welch Garden outside the Markus Library. With a telephoto lens aimed toward the sky, and the exposure parameters carefully adjusted, she s...

Trustee Elizabeth Curry dies at 74

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Elizabeth “Beth” Curry, a member of Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees, died in November at the age of 74. She had a deep passion for science and relished learning about the work of the investigators at the university, and will be missed by the Rocke...

Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of construction on East River seawall repairs

The university has started to refurbish the damaged seawall that supports the East River Esplanade between 63rd and 68th Streets as part of the campus extension project. The esplanade will also be improved, with a new bike lane, landscaping, and a noise barrier along the FDR Drive.

In the News - Scientific American - Greengard turns 90

A Nobel Laureate Turning 90 Continues to Churn Out Ideas for New Drugs   "Paul Greengard has been busy. In August he co-authored a paper on molecules that appear to regulate genes that might protect against Parkinson’s. That same month he took the lead on another paper that describes a protei...

Researchers discover new aspect of gene regulation and a possible target for cancer drugs

There are about 20,000 genes in the human genome, but not all are used in all cells at all times. At any given moment, a cell is converting only roughly half its genes into proteins. And of those active genes, about 75 percent are regulated by a process known as “RNA polymerase pausing.” This...

Study suggests new way to help the immune system fight off sleeping sickness parasite

Some infectious diseases are particularly difficult to treat because of their ability to evade the immune system. One such illness, African sleeping sickness, is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, transmitted by the tsetse fly, and is fatal if left untreated. The trypanosome parasite is t...

Helen Hobbs receives Rockefeller’s Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager Helen Hobbs, a cardiology researcher, received the 2015 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize during a festive event in the Caspary Auditorium last month. The award, which Dr. Hobbs received for her pioneering research into the genetics of high cholesterol and ...

New research helps to explain how temperature shifts the circadian clock

For many living things, a roughly 24-hour internal clock governs the rhythms of life—everything from sleep in animals, to leaf opening in plants and reproduction in bread mold. Scientists have come to understand much about this internal time-keeping system, but one important aspect, its complex r...

Study reveals new mechanism in nicotine addiction

Part of the reason people find smoking difficult to quit is that each time they have a cigarette, feelings of craving, irritability and anxiety melt away. This component of addiction is known as negative reward and is controlled in part by a region of the brain called the habenula. The neurotrans...

In the News - STAT - McEwen

There's no such thing as a male or female brain, study finds   "These results add to a complex picture that you’d never guess from media accounts and pop psych books. After decades of research, 'we’re still debating the question of whether there are sex differences in the [human] brain and ...

A newly discovered signaling molecule helps neurons find their way in the developing brain

During embryonic development, billions of neurons nimbly reposition themselves within the brain and spinal cord, and connect branches to form the neural circuits that ultimately control our movements, perception, and memory. Scientists have long sought to understand the driving forces in this met...

In the News - The Lancet - Dubos

Antibiotic antagonist: the curious career of René Dubos   "Fortunately, Lederberg had been paying attention and in the late 1980s he used his position as head of the Rockefeller University to revive Dubos's warnings about the mutability and adaptability of pathogens in the face of shifting diseas...

Mutations in key cancer protein suggest new route to treatments

For years, scientists have struggled to find a way to block a protein known to play an important role in many cancers. The protein, STAT3, acts as a transcription factor—it performs the crucial task of helping convert DNA into the RNA instructions used to make new proteins. But when overly acti...

Board of Trustees gains two new members

by Wynne Parry, science writer Two new members have joined the university’s Board of Trustees: Katherine Farley, a real estate investment and development executive, and Kathryn A. Murdoch, a philanthropist interested in aligning economic and environmental health. With their elections, the board ...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member investigates how antibodies are made

When a pathogen invades the body, the immune system responds by producing proteins called antibodies that are precisely targeted at the invader. Gabriel Victora, an immunologist who studies how these finely tuned antibodies are generated, is the most recent addition to Rockefeller’s tenure-track ...

Rockefeller’s newest faculty member investigates how antibodies are made

by Katherine Fenz, media relations manager When a pathogen invades the body, the immune system responds by producing antibodies that are precisely targeted at the invader. Gabriel Victora, an immunologist who studies how these finely tuned antibodies are generated, is the most recent addition t...

Bigger data, bigger opportunities: Meet Rockefeller’s new chief information officer

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor According to some estimates, more than 90 percent of information created by humanity has been generated only in the last couple of years. The need for new technologies to handle large and complex data sets is particularly evident in the area of bioscience, where mo...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Jesse Ausubel has been awarded an American Geographical Society honorary fellowship. The fellowship recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of geography. Certificates of this honor will be presented during the so...

Safe science: The fight against caustic splashes, toxic waste, and other common lab threats

by Julie Grisham, freelance writer In every Rockefeller lab and office, people are dedicated to improving human health, and the Office of Laboratory Safety and Environmental Health is no exception. In fact, its team members support the university’s mission by maintaining the health of one spec...

Rockefeller welcomes hundreds of visitors during Open House New York weekend

by Eva Kiesler, managing editor   Rockefeller is sometimes described as a scientific village within New York City. But for Upper East Side residents and other passersby who don’t work here, our campus may seem more like a secret garden, whose magnificent trees and deft architecture loom myste...

DNA strands often “wiggle” as part of genetic repair

Sometimes, the molecules that make up life exhibit strange behavior. For instance, in simple organisms such as yeast, when genetic material becomes damaged, the affected DNA strands increase their motion, waving about inside the cell like a sail unfurled. Over the years, scientists have seen more...

In the News - Today - Flajolet

Alzheimer's was 'abstract' until it affected my family   "November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and the Fisher Center at Rockefeller University is on the frontlines of the battle against the disease. Howard Lutnick, who leads the board at the Fisher Center, and Dr. Marc Flajolet, who is resear...

In the News - Newsday - O'Donnell

  Researchers at Brookhaven lab, Stony Brook and Rockefeller universities make new discoveries about double helix copying   "In Manhattan, Michael O'Donnell, who heads Rockefeller's Laboratory of DNA Replication, said the finding will change how students understand DNA replication. 'It's a pa...

Study reveals the architecture of the molecular machine that copies DNA

DNA replication is essential to all life, yet many basic mechanisms in that process remain unknown to scientists. The structure of the replisome—a block of proteins responsible for unwinding the DNA helix and then creating duplicate helices for cell division—is one such mystery. Now, for the ...

Researchers examine how a face represents a whole person in the brain

The sight of a face offers the brain something special. More than a set of features, it conveys the emotions, intent, and identity of the whole individual. The same is not true for the body; cues such as posture convey some social information, but the image of a body does not substitute for a fac...

Discovery of genes involved in inner ear development hints at a way to restore hearing and balance

Loud noise, trauma, infections, plain old aging—many things can destroy hair cells, the delicate sensors of balance and sound within the inner ear. And once these sensors are gone, that’s it; the delicate hair cells don’t grow back in humans, leading to hearing loss and problems with balance. ...

Researchers explore how a cell’s protein-making factories are assembled

Ribosomes, the molecular factories that produce all the proteins a cell needs to grow and function, are themselves made up of many different proteins and four RNAs. And just as an assembly line must be built before it can manufacture cars, these tiny factories must be constructed before they can ...

Researchers identify potential new leukemia drug target

New treatment options are badly needed for acute myeloid leukemia, a relatively rare form of cancer. The malignancy begins in the bone marrow, and from there can spread rapidly to the bloodstream, depriving the body of the essential blood cells that carry oxygen and fight infections. Now, new wor...

Jean-Laurent Casanova elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Jean-Laurent Casanova, who investigates genetic vulnerability to infectious diseases among children, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the health and medicine arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Casanova is professor and head of the St. Giles Laboratory of Human Gen...

Helmsley Trust renews $15 million grant for novel digestive disorders research

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded a new three-year, $15-million grant to The Rockefeller University to help support the interdisciplinary Center for Basic and Translational Research on Disorders of the Digestive System. Established in 2012 with an initial $15-million...

New faculty member develops light-based tools to study the brain

When the brain is at work, large numbers of neurons within it interact rapidly, passing messages, sometimes across large distances. The most recent addition to Rockefeller University’s faculty, Alipasha Vaziri, devises optical tools for capturing and manipulating these interactions to create dyna...