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Marina Caskey
Science News

In clinical trials, new antibody therapy controls HIV for months after treatment

A new clinical trial shows that broadly neutralizing antibodies can suppress HIV for up to four months, far longer than currently available drugs.
ASTN2 naturally expressed by purkinje cells in the mouse cerebellum
Science News

Study of protein “trafficker” provides insight into autism and other brain disorders

Researchers have discovered that the protein ASTN2 shuttles receptors away from the surface of neurons, a process that facilitates efficient brain activity.
Jennifer Dounda portrait
Campus News

Jennifer Doudna to receive the 2018 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

Doudna, a pioneer in the study of RNA, will be given the prize during a ceremony on the Rockefeller campus on Tuesday, October 2.
Awards and Honors

C. David Allis wins 2018 Lasker Award for discovery of new mechanisms regulating gene expression

Allis receives the nation's top science award for research on epigenetic gene regulation and its role in disease.
Alex Oefeli, on-site executive chef and Katherine Guerrero-Butler, catering manager
Campus News

New campus caterer to focus on fresh food, variety, and sustainability

Committed to innovative cuisine, Great Performances will be introducing changes over the next weeks and months as they get to know Rockefeller tastes and culture.
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.
Cryo-EM assembly
Campus News

Third Rockefeller cryo-EM to help tame poorly behaved proteins

With a new transmission cryo-electron microscope, Rockefeller researchers will be prepared to sleuth out complicated protein structures in increasingly sophisticated ways.
Time-lapse video of ants
Science News

Ant-y social: study of clonal raider ants reveals the evolutionary benefits of group living

A new study in ants demonstrates that living in groups leads to improved fitness. The researchers show that, in larger groups, ants take on specialized roles and colony stability increases.
Viviana I. Risca
Campus News

New faculty member studies the architecture of the genome

Risca explores the three-dimensional structures that organize and support DNA, and the biochemical rules that govern the organization of the genome. She will join Rockefeller as an assistant professor on January 2, 2019.
Mosquito image
Science News

Structure of ion channel reveals how insects smell their way around the world

Researchers describe, for the first time, the structure of a smell-receptor protein common among insects. Its inner architecture illuminates how insects evolved to detect an amazing diversity of odors.
Keratinocyte skin cells
Science News

Researchers uncover molecular mechanisms of rare skin disease

Scientists describe a group of proteins that protect cells from a subtype of human papilloma virus. They also outline genetic mutations that make this virus unusually harmful in people with epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare skin condition.
Stellate neuron
Science News

Lack of a single molecule may indicate severe and treatment-resistant depression

Researchers find that a deficiency of acetyl-L-carnitine is associated with a particular subtype of depression. Individuals with very low levels of this molecule often have highly severe symptoms and don’t respond to traditional antidepressants.
Clonal ants and big queen
Science News

Ant study sheds light on the evolution of workers and queens

A new study in ants identifies a peptide that plays an important role in regulating reproduction. This research illuminates a potential trajectory for the evolution of distinct social castes—workers and queens.
Neurons release nitric oxide
Science News

Giant neurons in the brain may play similarly giant role in awareness and cognition

Scientists find that certain neurons release nitric oxide onto nearby blood vessels, and potentially use this mechanism to control awareness in the brain.
Campus News

Erich Jarvis receives grant from W.M. Keck foundation

With a new grant from the W.M. Keck foundation, the Jarvis Lab will further their research on the genes and neural circuits involved in speech production.
Soulful rhesus macaque monkeys
Science News

Studies reveal possible origin of human speech

Scientists have long debated the evolutionary origins of human speech. New research reveals neural circuits in the brains of monkeys that may represent the source of our unique speech capabilities.
PARP inhibitors
Science News

Scientists discover a mechanism of drug resistance in breast and ovarian cancer

A new study helps explain why certain cancers don't respond to treatment, and offers hope for overcoming this deadly resistance.
Amy Shyer Portrait
Campus News

New faculty member studies the mechanics of development, challenging long-held assumptions

Earlier this month, developmental biologist Amy Shyer joined the Rockefeller community as an assistant professor. Shyer combines mechanical and molecular perspectives to better understand how patterns form and how tissues develop.
Brady, Freiwald, and Marraffini
Campus News

Three Rockefeller scientists promoted to professor

Sean Brady, Winrich Freiwald, and Luciano Marraffini have been promoted to professor. Respectively, these scientists have characterized previously unknown small molecules, provided insight into how the brain processes faces, and revolutionized gene editing.
Rockefeller University Press editors
Campus News

Rockefeller University Press launches new science journal with the publishing arms of EMBO and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Life Science Alliance is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal with a streamlined manuscript submission and review process.
Drosophila melanogaster
Science News

Deep in the fly brain, a clue to how evolution changes minds

A new study sheds light on the mysterious ways in which evolution may tweak the brain to shape behavior. It started with a close look at two Drosophila species and their mating maneuvers.
Krithika Venkataraman
Campus News

David Rockefeller Fellowship awarded to graduate student Krithika Venkataraman

Venkataraman has been recognized for her study of the hormonal triggers that lead female mosquitoes to toggle between hunting for blood and spawning eggs.
Tumor, imaged in a mouse model
Science News

A new tactic for starving tumors

Scientists have found a metabolic particularity in tumor cells lacking oxygen. The discovery might point to new drugs to target the most difficult-to-treat spots within a tumor.
The subplate (green) as it sits directly below the developing cortex
Science News

Scientists solve the case of the missing subplate, with wide implications for brain science

A new study shows that a group of neurons, previously thought to die in the course of development, in fact become incorporated into the brain’s cortex. This research has implications for understanding—and possibly treating—several brain disorders.
Science Saturday Festival
Campus News

Bacterial art, sheep brains, and a fish race: highlights from our Science Saturday festival

The annual event invites children to campus for an unforgettable day of hands-on experiments and interactive learning.
Convocation at The Rockefeller University
Campus News

30 young scientists receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 60th convocation

Since its first convocation, Rockefeller has granted doctor of philosophy degrees in bioscience to more than 1,260 students, including today’s graduates.
Blood contains tiny traces of exRNA
Science News

Troves from a search for new biomarkers: blood-borne RNA

Scientists have found a new way to trawl blood samples for snippets of RNA released by tumors or diseased organs. The method might eventually help doctors diagnose and track a wide range of medical conditions.
William E. Ford
Campus News

William E. Ford elected Chair of The Rockefeller University Board

Ford succeeds Russell L. Carson, who is retiring after leading the Board for the past 13 years.
Campus News

Rockefeller tops global university ranking in measures of research excellence and patents

The university ranks first in two major categories in a survey of more than 1600 institutions.
Feature thumbnail of worms
Science News

Drowsy worms offer new insights into the neuroscience of sleep

Scientists studying worms have discovered a group of cells that help the body transition from wakefulness to slumber.
A. James Hudspeth portrait
Campus News

A. James Hudspeth to receive Kavli Prize in Neuroscience

Hudspeth is receiving the honor for pioneering work on the molecular and neural mechanisms of hearing.
Science News
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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.
Science News
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In Brief

New molecular views of how neurons pace their signals

Detailed structural images reveal how an ion channel helps curtail a neuron’s firing. The work has relevance for diseases in which this molecule malfunctions.
Human bird chimera
Science News

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...
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.
Sohail Tavazoie portrait
Campus News

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.
Test tubes in lab
Campus News

Rockefeller takes first place in global ranking of scientific impact

Out of over 900 universities from 55 different countries, Rockefeller tops a survey measuring the impact of university research publications, scoring the highest percentage of frequently cited scientific publications.
A mouse’s hippocampal brain neurons flash on and off as the animal walks around with a microlens array on its head.
Science News

A new way to watch brain activity in action

A new imaging tool makes it possible to track the firing of millions of brain cells in mice while the animals move about as normal. The method could help shed new light onto the neural processes that create behavior.
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.
Science News
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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.
DAPI, Gamma-tubulin, Acetylated-tubulin
Campus News

Small molecule from Kapoor lab is accepted as first Bridge Medicines drug candidate

A chemical inhibitor targeting basal cell carcinoma, originating from Tarun Kapoor’s lab, is graduating from the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute into Bridge Medicines.
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.
Science News
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In Brief

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.
Kip Thorne portrait
Campus News

Astrophysicist Kip Thorne to receive Rockefeller’s 2018 science writing prize

Thorne is recognized for his deft explanations that have drawn readers into the space-, time-, and mind-bending realm of Einstein’s ideas. The prize, which honors scientists as inspirational authors, will be presented on April 17.
A dying tail-spike cell
Science News

What happens to a dying cell’s corpse? New findings illuminate an old problem

Scientists have discovered a curious way for cells to die. In studying it, they are learning about how remnants of diseased cells are normally chewed up and removed.
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.
RNA polymerase
Science News

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.
Science News
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In Brief

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.
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.
Günter Blobel
Campus News

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.
C elegans w
Science News

Scientists shed light on biological roots of individuality

A new study illuminates the biology that guides behavior across different stages of life in worms, and suggests how variations in specific neuromodulators in the developing nervous system may lead to occasional variations.
Science News

In brief: New molecular insights on a rare immune disorder

After figuring out the functions of two proteins involved in the rare genetic condition ICF, scientists pieced together the molecular process that is altered in the disease.
Wildtype bundle
Science News

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.
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.
Huntington's neurons
Science News

Uncovering the early origins of Huntington’s disease

The symptoms of Huntington’s typically appear in middle age, but the disease may in fact originate much earlier. New research shows that a patient’s neural abnormalities may arise already during embryonic development—suggesting that treating the disease early may be beneficial.
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.
Science News
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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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