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In Brief

Building a human ‘pangenome’ to capture global genomic diversity

The human reference genome, the most widely used resource in human genetics, is getting a major update.
tuberculosis
Science News

Hundreds of new drug targets to combat tuberculosis

The study highlights genes that, when silenced, render Mycobacterium tuberculosis vulnerable to antibiotics, and identifies existing drugs that may be effective against one prominent strain.
h1 and ssDNA
Science News

One protein's surprising partnership with single-stranded DNA

Linker histone H1 appears capable of distinguishing between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA, suggesting that its role in maintaining our genomes extends far beyond that of keeping chromosomes compact.
streptococcus pyrogens
Science News

A synthetic antibiotic may help turn the tide against drug-resistant bacteria

The compound attacks MRSA, C. diff, and several other deadly pathogens. Its discovery demonstrates the power of combining computational biology, genetic sequencing, and synthetic chemistry to study bacterial evolution.
staphylococcus aureus
Science News

The genetic underpinnings of severe staph infections

A mutated gene may explain why some Staphylococcus aureus infections turn lethal, a finding with significant implications for people living with 5p- syndrome.
Titia de Lange
Awards and Honors

Titia de Lange elected to the Royal Society

She receives the honor for elucidating mechanisms of telomere protection and genome maintenance.
infusion therapy
Science News
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In Brief

Antibody therapy controls HIV for months in new clinical trial

Unlike conventional antiretroviral drugs, treatment with broadly neutralizing antibodies does not rely on vigilant daily dosing and could potentially reduce the body’s reservoir of latent viruses.
Shixin Liu portrait
Campus News

Shixin Liu, expert in single-molecule studies of biological machines, is promoted to associate professor

Liu’s pioneering research on nano-scale molecular events is furthering our knowledge of how DNA replication and gene expression are regulated.
Kivanç Birsoy portrait
Campus News

Kivanç Birsoy, expert on cancer cell metabolism, is promoted to associate professor 

Birsoy's groundbreaking research has highlighted key nutrients that cancer cells need to survive, while shedding light on debilitating mitochondrial diseases and rare genetic disorders.
Richard P. Lifton portrait
Campus News

Richard P. Lifton to be honored with 2023 Kober Medal

Lifton, who pioneered the use of genomics to identify the basis for diseases, is recognized for a lifetime of contributions in science and mentorship.
Science News

How a narrow-spectrum antibiotic takes aim at C. diff

A new study reveals how the drug fidaxomicin selectively targets a dangerous pathogen without causing harm to beneficial bacteria. The findings could inform the development of new narrow-spectrum antibiotics for treating other types of infection.
dna base pairs
Science News

The human genome is, at long last, complete

Even after 20 years of upgrades, eight percent of the human genome was still left unsequenced and unstudied. Until now.
Collage of new Rockefeller board members
Campus News

The Board of Trustees has eight new members

With a breadth and depth of experience across academia, the pharmaceutical industry, technology, healthcare, and the financial sector, this latest cohort of trustees brings new skill sets and perspectives to the community.
Staphylococcus aureus plaque assay
Science News

How bacteria "self-vaccinate" against viral invaders

In studying how bacteria respond to viral infection, scientists are learning that their defense strategies cooperate in ways reminiscent of the elaborate immune systems of animals.
Portrait of Jennifer Eberhardt
Campus News

Social psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt to be awarded the 2022 Lewis Thomas Prize

The author of Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do will be presented with Rockefeller’s prestigious science writing award on April 7.
Ukranian flag
Campus News

Rockefeller president Richard P. Lifton releases statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton today released the following statement: The Rockefeller University is a vibrant, international community. Our scientists, students, and staff come from all over the world, inclu...
Campus News

Rockefeller Nobelists co-sign open letter condemning Ukraine invasion

Read the letter signed by 168 Nobel Prize winners, including five Rockefeller scientists.
photo of LEED gold seal
Campus News

Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus receives LEED gold certification

One of only a handful of laboratory settings in New York City to receive the designation, the new river campus is recognized for its numerous energy efficient features.
Hippocampus-neurons-RNA-regulation
Science News

Scientists discover new mechanism involved in learning and memory

FMRP, a protein whose loss causes intellectual disability, may regulate a neuron's synaptic response by establishing a feedback loop between the cell's nucleus and its faraway dendrites.
lung image
Science News

Insights into a cystic fibrosis treatment may herald a novel class of drugs 

Protein folding diseases, from Alzheimer's to Gaucher's, may one day be treated by a unique class of protein corrector molecules that are already helping manage cystic fibrosis.  
Campus News

IT upgrades bolster university’s defenses against cybercriminals

Rockefeller’s Information Security team has implemented one of the most substantial upgrades in its history. As backend protections are strengthened, community members also have a critical role to play.
nuclear pore complex
Science News
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In Brief

New comprehensive map of the portal to the cell’s nucleus

The findings, which may have implications for a wide range of human diseases, suggest that nuclear pore complexes vary in structure and function even within a single nucleus.
Soil extracted by Brady lab
Science News

A novel compound might defeat multidrug-resistant bacteria common in hospitals

Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens.
Ashton Murray portrait
Campus News

Ashton Murray is named chief diversity officer

Murray will become Rockefeller’s inaugural chief diversity officer and vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion on January 10.
Coronavirus-intenstines-immunofluorescence
Science News

Waddling water bears, grandmother neurons, and other memorable science stories of 2021

This year's scientific endeavors included multiple attacks on SARS-CoV-2—and a lot more. Here are the most memorable science stories to come out of Rockefeller labs in 2021, from the benefits of brown fat to the pitfalls of modern IVF screening techniques.
Campus News

Sid Strickland will step down from role of dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies

After 21 years, Sidney Strickland will exit his administrative role, returning full time to his laboratory research at Rockefeller.
Theodora Hatziioannou and Bieniasz lab members
Science News

New evidence that boosters may be crucial in protecting against Omicron

Researchers found that the antibodies present in people who have had COVID or taken two doses of mRNA vaccine are inadequate against Omicron. But their protective ability increases significantly after a booster dose.
fly navigation
Science News

How a fly's brain calculates its position in space

New research reveals how neurons in a fly's brain signal the direction in which the body is traveling. The cells appear to literally perform vector math in order to act as a biological compass.
Llama antibodies COVID
Science News

Llama antibodies could help fight SARS-CoV-2 variants

Scientists have identified hundreds of llama-derived antibodies that potentially could be developed into a COVID treatment. They hope such a drug would be potent against different variants of the coronavirus, including Omicron.
Photo of Greg Alushin
Seek Magazine

How cells feel their way 

A single cell has no nerves, yet it can feel and respond to mechanical forces such as pressure. Armed with new technologies, scientists are making headway in understanding how this sensory system operates.
hair follicle stem cells
Science News

Stem cell memories may drive wound repair—and chronic disease

Epidermal stem cells that hail from the hair follicle retain memories of their journey to the skin's surface. Those memories are a boon for wound repair, but may also contribute to chronic diseases and cancer.
antibody fc domain
Science News

New design may boost potency of monoclonal antibodies against COVID

In animal experiments, the structurally altered antibodies activated the immune system more effectively than those currently used in the clinic. They also proved to be more protective against the virus.
Vanessa Ruta working with a graduate student in her lab.
Campus News

A new interdisciplinary center, devoted to the neuroscience of social behavior, has been launched with a $25 million gift

A major gift from Michael and Vikki Price marks the launch of an integrated effort to map and analyze the biological underpinnings of sociality and in turn better understand related disorders such as autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
inflamed fat
Science News

Radiotherapy may explain why childhood cancer survivors often develop metabolic disease

Radiation therapy to treat childhood cancer may damage adipose tissue, causing diabetes and coronary heart disease decades later.
mitochondria
Science News

Scientists discover how mitochondria import antioxidants

The finding offers researchers a direct way to investigate oxidative stress and its damaging effects in aging, cancer and other diseases.
Photo of mice
Seek Magazine

How mice miss the exit 

Thanks to the existence of forgetful mice, scientists have gained clues into the process by which the brain forms short-term memories. They were even able to restore a mouse’s memory by genetic manipulation.
macrophage enteric
Science News

How foodborne diseases protect the gut's nervous system

Prior infections appear to shield enteric neurons, preventing these key components of the body's "second brain" from dying off when future pathogens strike.
drosophila-olfactory-dopamine
Science News

Dopamine’s many roles, explained

Studying fruit flies, researchers ask how a single brain chemical can orchestrate diverse functions such as learning, motivation and movement.
Caspary flooding in Ida storm
Campus News

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida tests flood control measures installed in 2012

The September storm brought record rainfall which quickly overwhelmed drainage systems on campus and throughout the city. But the event did not cause widespread damage on campus thanks to improvements made nine years ago.
fruit fly illustration
Seek Magazine

This fly likes its fruit fresh 

Farmers have a new enemy, a species of fruit fly that lays eggs in ripe produce. To help curtail the problem, scientists are getting to the bottom of how this trait arose in the course of evolution.
Mary E. Hatten, Charles M. Rice, and Leslie B. Vosshall
Awards and Honors

Three Rockefeller researchers are elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Mary E. Hatten, Charles M. Rice, and Leslie B. Vosshall are three of 100 new members elected to the academy today.
Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) laboratory
Science News

Noninfectious versions of SARS-CoV-2 provide powerful research tools

The new experimental system will facilitate efforts to study different coronavirus variants and develop new drugs for
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    • tumor image
    Seek Magazine

    A mission to end metastasis 

    Not all cancer cells are killers. One lab is focusing its energy on only those that enable tumors to spread—and it may have found their kryptonite.
    metastasis
    Science News

    Small molecule may prevent metastasis in colorectal cancer

    The compound works by hindering a key pathway that cancer cells rely upon to hoard energy, and is already undergoing clinical trials.

    synthetic human gastruloid
    Science News

    Study detects origins of Huntington's disease in two-week-old human embryos

    The findings shed new light on the root causes of this disease, which leads to the degeneration of neurons in midlife.
    Seth A. Darst
    Awards and Honors

    Seth A. Darst honored with Gregori Aminoff Prize

    Darst receives the honor for pioneering research on RNA polymerase, the molecular machine that transcribes RNA from DNA. His work is leading to new knowledge about the transcription process, as well as to insights enabling development of urgent antibiotic and antiviral treatments.
    Portrait of Katalin Karikó
    Campus News

    Katalin Karikó named the 2022 recipient of the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

    Katalin Karikó discovered how to keep synthetic RNA from activating the innate immune system, paving the way for RNA vaccines including two for SARS-CoV-2.
    Science News
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    In Brief

    Novel method for trapping HIV inside its host may give rise to new antivirals

    Human cells can be coaxed into preventing certain enveloped viruses (including HIV, Ebola, and parainfluenza) from escaping their membranes in the lab, a finding that could lead to novel treatments for many viral diseases.
    chromosomesseparated
    Science News

    Linker histones tune the length and shape of chromosomes

    A new study finds that proteins known as linker histones control the complex coiling process that determines whether DNA will wind into long and thin chromosomes, made up of many small loops, or short and thick chromosomes with fewer large loops.
    New hospital hallway exhibit
    Campus News

    Hospital hallway installation honors 11 women scientists at Rockefeller

    Uncovering the chemical composition of histones and innovating addiction treatment are only two of the accomplishments of the women scientists featured in a new photographic display.
    Rockefeller pharmacist in clean room
    Campus News

    A refurbished pharmacy supports research trials at Rockefeller

    A new pharmacy with clean room and other features makes it possible for pharmacists to prepare highly specialized compounds and sterile injectable drugs for use in clinical research.
    Image of Kronauer, Mucida, and Ruta
    Awards and Honors

    Three Rockefeller researchers are named HHMI investigators

    Daniel Kronauer, who studies evolution in insect societies, Daniel Mucida, who examines mucosal immunology, and Vanessa Ruta, who investigates neural circuits that underlie innate and learned behaviors, are among 33 scientists nationwide to receive this designation.
    Rockefeller front entrance
    Campus News

    Rockefeller leads global university ranking in measure of top cited publications

    An international ranking of research institutions by U-Multirank placed Rockefeller first in a measure of its impact based on citations.
    Luka Mesin portrait
    Awards and Honors

    Rockefeller postdoc, Luka Mesin, named a Blavatnik Regional Award Finalist

    Mesin, a member of the Victora Lab, receives the honor for developing novel techniques to better understand how B cells in the immune system mature and evolve to create antibodies to fight off pathogens.
    coronavirus-escape-study-Bieniasz
    Science News

    Could future coronavirus variants fully dodge our immune system?

    Studying dozens of naturally occurring and laboratory-selected mutations in SARS-CoV-2, researchers found that the virus will need to pull off a genetic feat to become fully resistant to antibodies.
    Leslie B. Vosshall
    Campus News

    Rockefeller faculty member, Leslie B. Vosshall, named vice president and chief scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

    Vosshall will join the leadership team at HHMI, a major philanthropy that supports basic biomedical scientists and educators.
    Pamela Bjorkman
    Campus News

    Pamela Björkman wins the 2021 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

    Pamela J. Björkman, who discovered key aspects of the immune system that are helping to direct better treatment for infection from viruses and other diseases, will receive the prize in a virtual ceremony hosted by Rockefeller on September 30.
    Internal States Illustration
    Seek Magazine

    Frames of Mind 

    We think of brains as computers—stimulus in, action out. But they’re far more finicky than any iMac. Easily swayed by underlying internal states such as hunger, aggression, or arousal, our neurons are capable of incredible flexibility. For neuroscientists, it’s yet another wrinkle in understandin...
    darnelltest
    Science News

    Rockefeller saliva test for COVID-19 outperforms commercial swab tests

    The DRUL saliva assay is safer, more comfortable, and less expensive than comparable COVID screening tools. Now a new study demonstrates that it is at least as sensitive as swab tests, too.
    Ribosome subunit
    Science News

    Study reveals how ribosomes are assembled in human cells

    Three-dimensional images of human small ribosomal subunits offer the most detailed explanation for how the cell's protein-making machines are assembled.
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