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Phase III+: The University is open for expanded research operations; only authorized personnel will be admitted on campus. More info here.
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Phase III+: The University is open for expanded research operations; only authorized personnel will be admitted on campus. More info here.

Rockefeller University

News & Highlights > News
Manish Ponda photo
Science News

Rockefeller issues license for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drug

The novel compound, discovered in Jan L. Breslow’s lab and now licensed to Bridge Medicines, will be designed to treat immune-mediated diseases without harming the rest of the immune system.
Daniel Kronauer's new book on bookshelf
Campus News

New book by Rockefeller researcher spotlights one of nature’s fiercest hunters

Daniel Kronauer publishes a comprehensive monograph on army ants, the creatures at the center of his evolutionary-biology research.
Blood taste neurons
Science News

Scientists discover mosquitoes’ unique blood-taste detectors

Female mosquitoes are armed with syringe-like stylets that begin to pump furiously only in the presence of blood. Scientists are now studying the specific neurons that line the stylet, and asking what mosquitoes taste when they bite us.
Charles M. Rice
Awards and Honors

Rockefeller's Charles M. Rice honored with Nobel Prize for research that contributed to a cure for hepatitis C

Rice will receive the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research that led to a cure for hepatitis C, a viral disease affecting 170 million people worldwide. His lab worked on the virus for three decades and became the first to produce a version of it that could be grown and studied i...
Joanne Chory
Campus News

Joanne Chory wins the 2020 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

Joanne Chory, who pioneered the application of molecular genetics to plant biology and transformed our understanding of photosynthesis, will receive the prize in a virtual ceremony hosted by Rockefeller on October 22.
A mouse lung with metastases
Science News

Cancer cells use nerve-cell tricks to spread from one organ to the next

New research suggests that breast and lung tumors metastasize by hijacking a neural signaling pathway, potentially opening the door to better diagnostics and treatments.
Genetically diverse mice
Science News

A revised map of where working memory resides in the brain

Findings from genetically diverse mice challenge long-held assumptions about how the brain is able to briefly hold onto important information.
Image from Casanova lab
Science News

Scientists trace severe COVID-19 to faulty genes and autoimmune condition

The findings explain why some people are so vulnerable to the infection, and suggest new avenues for treatment.
Plates of yeast by SSRP student
Campus News

When the city locked down, RockEDU moved the lab bench to the kitchen table

With input from participating students and scientists who volunteer with RockEDU, a blended Summer Science Research Program for high-school students was developed. The result was a modified SSRP curriculum with five experiential research tracks, complete with lab supply kits that were mailed to s...
illustration for seek
Seek Magazine

Attention needs more attention 

Scientists long believed they knew precisely which nooks of the brain control our ability for selective attention. Now, new findings are redrawing the maps.
Science News
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In Brief

How dividing cells avoid setting off false virus alarms

A new molecular structure explains how cells hold an alarm-triggering protein captive during cell division, preventing cells from targeting their own DNA.
A cross section of the colon with enteric neurons highlighted
Science News

Microbes in the gut may influence metabolism

A growing number of studies find that microbes in the gut directly influence biological processes from bowel movements to behavior. New research reveals how they impact levels of glucose in the blood.
cytonaut illustration
Seek Magazine

Return of the cytonaut 

The lysosome is having a moment. More than 60 years after this bubble-shaped cell structure was first discovered, scientists have found that it is key to our ability to metabolize iron, and a potential target for new cancer drugs.

Bulgari Corporation to support Rockefeller's COVID-19 research and women scientists

Over the next three years, the fund will augment the university's wide-ranging research initiatives aimed at alleviating the COVID-19 pandemic, and also support the its women scientists in their training and careers.

Heritable genome editing technology is not yet ready for clinical use, concludes an international commission co-chaired by President Lifton

A range of scientific and medical issues have yet to be addressed, the committee determined, and many ethical, moral, and societal concerns remain.
Science News
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In Brief

Scientists uncover antiviral protein that blocks coronavirus infection

New research identifies a protein that blocks infection by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, along with several other types. The findings could inform treatment strategies and help us better prepare for future outbreaks.
Epidermal stem cells
Science News

How mechanical forces nudge tumors toward malignancy

Researchers studying two forms of skin cancer identified a long-overlooked factor determining why some tumors are more likely to metastasize than others: the physical properties of the tissue in which the cancer originates. The findings might set the stage for new ways to monitor and treat the di...
Science News
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In Brief

Newly discovered anti-CRISPR protein gives viruses a leg up against bacteria

Molecular CRISPR-Cas systems, most commonly known for their usefulness as gene editing tools, are ancient defense mechanisms employed by bacteria against viruses. The discovery of a counteracting viral trick could inform scientists' efforts to develop future gene-editing technologies.
Mouse cortical neurons
Science News

Study uncovers the molecular events by which popular antidepressants work

Scientists have outlined a molecular program by which serotonin reuptake inhibitors reshape the brain to alleviate depression. Their findings provide clues for how to make better and faster-acting versions of these drugs.
Image of gears
Seek Magazine

Life's inner mechanics 

Cells—and the molecules inside them—are always on the move. They’re being tugged at, prodded, reshuffled. Behind these actions are tiny forces that, after decades of neglect, are emerging as the next big thing in biology.
coronavirus-escape-study-Bieniasz
Science News

Will SARS-CoV-2 escape future drugs by mutating? The answer may be a nuanced “no.”

Scientists hope to deploy antibodies in the quest to end COVID-19. A recent study moves them closer to accomplishing a key step: finding out if the virus may acquire resistance to antibody-based drugs or vaccines, and how to potent...

Structural basis for helicase-polymerase coupling in SARS-CoV-2
Science News

A never-before-seen image of the coronavirus copy machine

The high-resolution 3D image can speed COVID-19 drug discovery.
A neutralizing antibody blocks the entry of a surrogate virus
Science News

How toothless mock viruses could advance research on COVID-19

Scientists have engineered four viruses resembling SARS-CoV-2 to enable faster and safer research on vaccines and treatments.
Microbiota-sympathetic-neurons
Science News

Bacteria in the gut have a direct line to the brain

Scientists find that microbes inside the intestines can control the activities of neurons connecting the gut and brain.
The helicase of the Hepatitis C virus.
Science News

Amid the rush for COVID-19 drugs, a case for the helicase

The enzyme is essential for the virus to replicate itself inside our cells. Scientists already have ideas for how to block it.
sympathetic innervation of adipose tissue
Science News

How neurons in body fat grow to boost calorie-burning capacity

Scientists have found that a hormone tells the brain to dramatically restructure neurons embedded in fat tissue.  Their work widens our understanding of how the body regulates its energy consumption, and how obesity might be treated in the future.
image of jeanne and students
Seek Magazine

Becoming a Scientist: Jeanne Garbarino 

Meet Jeanne Garbarino, the scientist whose job it is to get teens out of their textbooks and into the lab.
Blood droplet
Science News

Novel cells might act as a warning sign for rheumatoid arthritis flares

A genomics study has identified a previously unknown cell type whose blood levels tend to rise and fall in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The findings could make it easier to manage the disease and help scientists understand its root causes.
Photo of Mary Jeanne Kreek
Seek Magazine

Interview: Mary Jeanne Kreek 

Thousands of years after humans discovered opioids, we’re just beginning to understand how these substances warp the brain and change behaviors.
Plant Operations employees making repairs.
Campus News

How Plant Operations maintained essential university functions during shutdown

For the men and women of Plant Operations, there really was no university closure. Even as most of the university’s labs shut down, those that remained still semi-operational required support.
Campus News

Rockefeller tops international ranking of research impact

According to this year’s CWTS Leiden Ranking of over 1100 universities from 65 countries, Rockefeller has the highest proportion of frequently cited scientific publications.
Memory-forming neurons (green) in the brain
Science News

Why memory-forming neurons are vulnerable to Alzheimer's

Scientists have used advanced technology to “micro-dissect” the first brain cells to perish in Alzheimer’s disease. The result is a short list of genes that could represent new drug targets.
Photo of mosquito
Seek Magazine

If humans could hide 

The Aedes aegypti genome might hold clues for developing the most effective repellants yet—including ones that make the mosquito unable to smell us, or less motivated to seek us out.
Zoom screenshot of a CFC class
Campus News

How an adapting Child and Family Center supports the littlest learners in the pandemic

The CFC’s team has had to pivot quickly to create new online programming to support their young charges and provide age appropriate education and enrichment—and a measure of continuity.
Entrance to Founder's Hall
Campus News

Rockefeller statement on executive order suspending visas

The Office of the President today issued the statement below to all Rockefeller University employees. President Donald J. Trump’s ill-conceived executive order to suspend the issuing of temporary visas for foreign workers, including H1-B and J-1 visas, is detrimental to the advance of science a...
Tom Hindmarsh Sten
Campus News

David Rockefeller Fellowship awarded to graduate student Tom Hindmarsh Sten

Hindmarsh Sten receives the university’s most prestigious graduate fellowship for his work exploring the fundamental cognitive and neurological pathways underlying courtship behavior in Drosophila.
virtual convocation image
Campus News

30 young scientists receive Rockefeller Ph.D.s during virtual convocation ceremony

Since its inception, Rockefeller’s graduate program in bioscience has granted doctor of philosophy degrees to more than 1,320 students, including this year's graduates.
SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies
Science News

COVID-19 immunology study reveals universally effective antibodies

New findings characterize human antibody response to SARS-Cov-2, with implications for convalescent plasma therapy, vaccine design, and antibody-based drugs.

Hair cells in zebrafish organ
Science News

Transparent fish reveal the subtle, cellular dance in which sensory organs take shape

How do primitive cells “know” where to go during development? Scientists studying the fish equivalent of inner-ear hair cells have shown that biochemical and mechanical cues work together to orchestrate a highly complex arrangement.
Campus News

Alipasha Vaziri promoted to professor

Vaziri has created and applied new imaging techniques that capture the activity of vast numbers of neurons with record speed and spatial resolution, and at new depths.
llamas participating in research
Science News

How antibodies from llamas may lead to COVID-19 treatment

Llamas make antibodies that are much smaller than their human counterparts, yet still potent. Scientists hope that future drugs based on these molecules could provide new weapons against SARS-CoV-2.
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 the United States among 227 universities, and first internationally in a measure of its impact based on citations.
Withdapi image
Science News

Brain study finds a molecular “off” switch for nicotine craving

In findings that might lead to better smoking-cessation tools, scientists have shown that manipulating a specific brain receptor can alter a mouse’s nicotine sensitivity.
Hoods from a past Convocation ceremony
Campus News

Rockefeller’s 62nd Convocation to be held virtually this week

The spirit of the occasion will be preserved as this year’s usual in-person event is replaced with a virtual ceremony.
Entrance to Founder's Hall
Campus News

Rockefeller statement calls for justice and inclusivity in the United States

Read the Office of the President’s message to the campus community.
BRCA2 mutation
Science News

Unique mutation reveals a new role for well-known DNA-repair gene

The discovery of a rare mutation in BRCA2, commonly known as the breast cancer gene, has shed new light on how cells safeguard their genetic material.
 
Immune cell clusters
Science News

Study reveals first evidence inherited genetics can drive cancer’s spread

Scientists have long struggled to understand what drives a tumor to seed itself elsewhere in the body. New research implicates our own pre-existing genetics.
Kawasaki disease
Science News

Rockefeller scientists investigate life-threatening inflammation affecting children with COVID-19

The condition resembles a rare childhood illness, Kawasaki disease. Researchers are analyzing blood samples to find genetic clues to what might be causing it.
NFI post wound
Science News

Mice with patchy coats lay bare how stem cells endure

Scientists have discovered how stem cells in the skin maintain their ability to replenish themselves, a process critical for hair growth. The findings suggest that errors in stem cell maintenance might contribute to permanent hair-loss conditions.
DNA code on screen
Science News

The gene hunt to explain why some young, healthy people die from COVID-19

People under 50 without preexisting conditions typically develop mild symptoms of coronavirus infection—but there are exceptions. Researchers are working to identify rare genetic variations that may explain why some in this group have succumbed to the disease.
Blood donation for COVID-19 research
Science News

Scientists are using ‘elite’ antibodies from COVID-19 survivors to develop potent therapies

Most people infected with the coronavirus are able to fight it off because their immune system produces effective antibodies. Rockefeller scientists are working to turn such antibodies into a drug.
Science News
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In Brief

Study captures the molecular architect of cells’ infrastructure

Using atomic-resolution technology, scientists have constructed the most detailed view yet of the molecular complex that decides where microtubules form.
Ekaterina Vinogradova portrait
Campus News

New faculty member designs chemical probes to dissect and alter immune protein function

Ekaterina Vinogradova, an organic chemist, investigates the functions of immune proteins, with the goal of finding new targets for therapies. She will join Rockefeller as an assistant professor on January 1, 2021.
Junyue Cao portrait
Campus News

Researcher studying the dynamics of gene activity, cell by cell, joins Rockefeller faculty

Junyue Cao examines patterns of gene expression in order to better understand how cells differentiate into distinct types and how the body’s organs maintain stable populations of cells throughout life. He will move to Rockefeller as an assistant professor this summer.
Campus News

Stavros Niarchos Foundation donates $3 million to Rockefeller COVID-19 research

The grant bolsters Rockefeller’s round-the-clock research initiatives related to COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes it.
Vessel blockage
Science News
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In Brief

3D imaging of blood vessels could shed new light on cardiovascular disease

The new imaging technique enables researchers to construct a comprehensive image of blockages and other vascular injuries.
Campus News

The Rockefeller University releases statement concerning Knut Wittkowski

The opinions that have been expressed by Knut Wittkowski, discouraging social distancing in order to hasten the development of herd immunity to the novel coronavirus, do not represent the views of The Rockefeller University, its leadership, or its faculty.
Biosafety Level 3
Science News

Rockefeller scientists launch a broad range of studies into novel coronavirus

Over 130 scientists in 18 labs are conducting research to advance the development of new, urgently needed approaches for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
Elaine Fuchs portrait
Awards and Honors, Campus News

Elaine Fuchs awarded 2020 Canada Gairdner International Award for Biomedical Science

Fuchs, a world leader in the study of skin biology, is being recognized for revealing the molecular mechanisms by which skin stem cells make and repair tissues.
Phase separation
Science News

How skin cells embark on a swift yet elaborate death

Scientists have identified the mechanism that allows skin cells to sense changes in their environment, and very quickly respond to reinforce the skin's outermost layer. The findings provide insight into how errors in this process might lead to skin conditions like psoriasis.  
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