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Infectious diseases pioneer and Rockefeller Professor Emeritus John Zabriskie dies at 88

Zabriskie was a leader in the investigation of streptococcal infections and their long-term side effects, including rheumatic fever and autoimmune disorders. He died August 17 at the age of 88.

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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 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.

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.

How the brain recognizes familiar faces

Scientists have located two areas in the brain that help us recognize familiar faces. The discovery will help them delve deeper into the relationship between face recognition, memory, and social knowledge.

First mutant ants shed light on evolution of social behavior

Scientists disrupted a gene essential for sensing pheromones, resulting in severe deficiencies in the ants’ social behaviors and their ability to survive within a colony.

Rockefeller is a leading institution in Nature Index ranking of innovation

The ranking evaluates how research articles are cited in patents, showing the influence of research on the development of products and services.

Hunger-controlling brain cells may offer path for new obesity drugs

Within the oldest part of the brain, scientists have found cells in charge of controlling appetite and eating. The discovery could revitalize efforts to develop drugs for obesity that make us less hungry.

Faster-acting antidepressants may finally be within reach

Neuroscientists have taken a major step toward answering longstanding questions about how Prozac and similar drugs act in the brain. Their findings could lead to better antidepressants that don't take weeks to kick in.

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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.

Bruce Cunningham, former Rockefeller professor, dies at 77

Cunningham, a cell biologist, had been professor and co-head of lab with Gerald M. Edelman for more than 20 years.

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.

Geneticist and Rockefeller emeritus Peter Model dies at 84

Model's research on bacterial viruses provided valuable details about the way genes are expressed and control one another. He died on June 9.

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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.

Scientists use algorithm to peer through opaque brains

A new algorithm allows scientists to record the activity of individual neurons within a volume of brain tissue.

23 students receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 59th convocation

The Rockefeller University today awards doctoral degrees to 23 students who have completed their studies in bioscience. In addition, four distinguished scientists—Anthony B. Evnin, Mary-Claire King, Matthew Meselson, and Steven Weinberg—will receive honorary doctor of science degrees.

Hundreds of children and their families attend Rockefeller’s Science Saturday festival

The fourth annual science festival drew more than 1,000 school-age children and their families to campus. The young explorers participated in hands-on experiments and interactive demonstrations led by scientists.

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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.

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.

Researchers create interactive touchscreen for dolphins

To learn more about dolphin cognition and communication, researchers have developed an underwater touchscreen using optical technology, the first of its kind.

Scientists identify a neural circuit that rotates a fly’s internal compass

Researchers have uncovered the neurons that spin a fly’s internal compass when the insect turns—the first such mechanism identified in any animal.

Newly discovered brain network offers clues to social cognition

By studying rhesus monkeys, researchers have identified a brain network dedicated to processing social interactions—a discovery that offers tantalizing clues to the origins of our ability to understand what other people are thinking.

Rockefeller leads global ranking of scientific impact

Rockefeller has the highest percentage of frequently cited scientific publications among more than 900 universities worldwide, according to a ranking created by the Center for Science and Technology Studies of Leiden University in The Netherlands.  

Rockefeller team makes case for federal research funding to senior White House officials

The meeting, arranged by Rockefeller Trustee Bill Ford, provided an opportunity for leading voices in the academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical sectors to make a case for sustained, robust federal support for biomedical research.

Swirling swarms of bacteria offer insights on turbulence

When bacteria swim at just the right speed, swirling vortices emerge. As those patterns disintegrate into chaos, physicists detect a telling mathematical signature.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 from New ...

Pablo G. Legorreta, founder and chief executive officer of Royalty Pharma, is elected to the Board

Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees elected new member Pablo G. Legorreta, the founder and CEO of Royalty Pharma, at their February 15 meeting. With his election, the university has 49 voting members.

Scientists discover how crucial DNA sequences endure

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.

Rockefeller tops ranking of 1,300 universities in measures of scientific impact and productivity

Released by the European Commission–funded U-Multirank, the survey placed Rockefeller first in categories related to scientific impact and research productivity. The results incorporate data on more than 1,300 institutions in over 90 countries.

Study identifies “night owl” gene variant

Scientists have discovered a common mutation that might explain why some people have trouble going to sleep at night and getting up early. The gene alteration slows the internal biological clock that regulates our sleeping patterns.

Rockefeller president Richard P. Lifton releases statement on proposed federal budget cuts to science

Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton today released the following statement on proposed cuts to federal funding for science: Given the remarkable track record of American science, one can only read with alarm the White House budget proposal recommending an 18 percent reduction in NI...

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.

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.

Changes in the vascular system may trigger Alzheimer’s disease

In some people whose cognitive functions are weakened due to Alzheimer’s, the disease can be traced back to changes in the brain’s blood vasculature. Scientists have found that a protein involved in blood clotting and inflammation might offer a potential path to new drugs.

David Rockefeller, university benefactor for 76 years, dies at 101

"David's integrity, strength, wisdom, and judgment—and especially his unequivocal commitment to excellence—shaped the University and made it the powerhouse of biomedical discovery it is today," said Russell L. Carson, chair of the Board, and Richard P. Lifton, president, in a statement.

For biologists studying tiny worms, new technologies make big improvements

Two new technologies are helping scientists understand new aspects of organ and nervous system development in C. elegans. One allows them to image worms developing in a natural environment, while the other makes it possible to track single neurons as the worms grow.

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...

Study tests the “three-hit” theory of autism

Since the first case was documented in the United States in 1938, the causes of autism have remained elusive. Hundreds of genes, as well as environmental exposures, have been implicated in these brain disorders. Sex also seems to have something to do with it: About 80 percent of children diagnose...

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...

Raphael Cohn wins 2017 Weintraub Graduate Student Award

Raphael Cohn, a graduate fellow in Vanessa Ruta’s Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, is a recipient of this year’s Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, one of the country’s most prestigious graduate student prizes in the biosciences. The award, given by the Fred Hutchinson Canc...

Paul Greengard Professorship established with $5 million gift from the Fisher Center Foundation

Late last year, guests at the President’s House raised a glass in celebration of one of Rockefeller’s most beloved colleagues. In his nearly 35 years at Rockefeller, Paul Greengard has led pioneering studies that have transformed our understanding of how the nervous system works, and have paved ...

Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Mary Hynes donate Ursula von Rydingsvard sculpture to university’s art collection

The former Rockefeller president and his wife made the gift to express their thanks to the university community. The dramatic cedar sculpture, called Plate with Dots, was installed earlier this month in the Abby Lounge.

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...

Rockefeller’s redesigned website set to launch in March

It has been more than a decade since Rockefeller’s most prominent public face received a major overhaul. That’s set to change next month, when the initial phase of a reimagined and redesigned rockefeller.edu launches. The new external site, which has taken two years to carefully plan and rebuild...

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...

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,...

Oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle will receive the 2017 Lewis Thomas Prize

Oceanographer, explorer, and author Sylvia Earle has been named the recipient of this year’s Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science. The award, given annually by Rockefeller University, recognizes Earle’s body of work, which includes memoirs, atlases, and children’s books, as well as adv...

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...

Crowdsourcing effort helps researchers predict how a molecule will smell

You can anticipate a color before you see it, based solely on the length of light waves. Music can be interpreted from notes on a page without being heard. Not so with odor.