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Small molecule triggers bacterial community
December 22, 2008 - While bacterial cells tend to be rather solitary individuals, they are also known to form intricately structured communities called biofilms. But until now, no one has known the mechanisms that cause isolated bacteria to suddenly aggregate into a social network.
Ancient African exodus mostly involved men, geneticists find
December 21, 2008 - Modern humans left Africa over 60,000 years ago in a migration that many believe was responsible for nearly all of the human population that exist outside Africa today. New research reveals that men and women weren’t equal partners in that exodus.
Progression of retinal disease linked to cell starvation
December 7, 2008 - A new study illuminates an incurable eye disease that afflicts approximately 100,000 Americans. Your retina contains two types of cells that send signals when they detect light—rods and cones. In patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa, first the rods, then the cones, die, leading to blindness. While most cases of the disease are due to mutations in rod-specific genes, cones don’t escape death. New data suggest that the cones die because they are starving.
Happiness is a collective - not just individual - phenomenon
December 4, 2008 - Happiness spreads through social networks like an emotional contagion, according to a study that looked at nearly 5,000 individuals over a period of 20 years. When an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person’s happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only his friends, but his friends’ friends, and his friends’ friends’ friends.
Researchers identify a potentially universal mechanism of aging
November 26, 2008 - Researchers have uncovered what may be a universal cause of aging, one that applies to both single cell organisms such as yeast and multicellular organisms, including mammals. This is the first time that such an evolutionarily conserved aging mechanism has been identified between such diverse organisms.
Flu vaccination rates lag for at-risk adolescents
November 3, 2008 - Influenza vaccination rates are still far too low for adolescents who suffer from asthma and other illnesses that predispose them to complications from the flu.
Simple chemical procedure augments therapeutic potential of stem cells
October 31, 2008 - Researchers have developed a simple method for making a certain class of adult stem cells more therapeutically effective. By attaching a molecule called SLeX to the surface of human cells extracted from bone marrow, researchers have altered how the cells travel through vessels. This might enable the cells to more effectively reach sites of injury and replace damaged tissue.
10 Pioneers receive genome data in phase-one of Personal Genome Project
October 20, 2008 - Ten individuals, many of them world renowned researchers, reviewed—and in most cases released—partial coding region data of their genomes in the first phase of a major initiative to make personal genome sequencing more affordable and accessible.
Researchers Identify Achilles Heel of Common Childhood Tumor
October 19, 2008 - Researchers have, for the first time, found a mechanism for the rapid growth of the benign blood vessel tumor known as infantile hemangiomas, the most common tumor found in children. The findings implicate gene mutations that facilitate the abnormal activity of a hormone called VEGF, and suggest that anti-VEGF therapies—already approved for other conditions—may be an effective treatment.
Novel genetic screens provide panoramic views of cellular systems
October 16, 2008 - Researchers often use the technique of RNA interference (RNAi) to identify genes involved in particular biological processes by knocking them down, one at a time, and observing the result. But this approach fails to capture some key players because many genes are redundant. Thus, cells can mask their distress when they lose a single gene by turning to fail-safes with the same function. A team has now overcome this obstacle, using RNAi to systematically knock down pairs of genes in fruit fly cells..
Cross kingdom conflicts on a beetle's back
October 2, 2008 - There's far more to a pine beetle's back than a hard black shell. Researchers have found that these tiny creatures—responsible for rampant and widespread forest destruction—carry on their backs battling species of fungi, plus a powerful antibiotic molecule that can destroy pathogenic fungi—something that no current medications have achieved.
Private equity companies purchase nursing homes, but care does not suffers
September 10, 2008 - Over the last decade, private equity investors have increasingly purchased publicly traded nursing home chains. Although recent ownership trends raise important oversight questions, these transactions have not adversely affected the quality of care to date.
Eating fish while pregnant, longer breastfeeding, lead to better infant development
September 9, 2008 - Higher prenatal fish consumption leads to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Longer breastfeeding was also independently beneficial.
Value of direct-to-consumer drug advertising oversold, study finds
September 2, 2008 - In the first-ever controlled study measuring the effectiveness of pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), researchers found only a modest effect on drug sales. In some cases, DTCA had no effect at all.
Lab pioneers new approach to RNAi screen data-sharing
August 10, 2008 - The recent explosion of genetic screens fostered by a process called RNA interference (RNAi) imbues scientists with new responsibilities when it comes to sharing information. One HMS lab has risen to the challenge.
Researchers halt spread of HIV with RNAi
August 7, 2008 - Using a novel method to deliver small molecules called siRNAs into T cells, researchers dramatically suppressed HIV in the first-ever animal model that mirrors progression of the disease in humans. The siRNAs knocked down three key genes and kept the infection from spreading in mice containing human immune cells infected with the virus.
XDR-TB Can Be Cured, Study Finds
August 7, 2008 - Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) no longer has to be a death sentence. A recent study shows XDR-TB can be cured in HIV-negative patients through individualized outpatient treatment, even in countries with limited resources and a heavy burden of TB.
Being a control freak aids dividing cells
July 28, 2008 - A dividing cell tags more than 14,000 different sites on its proteins with phosphate, a molecule that typically serves as a signal for a variety of biological processes. This preponderance of signals—more than twice the number identified by past studies—suggests that the cell may become a control freak during the division process, regulating each of its parts, no matter how obscure.
Biology
enters "The Matrix" through new computer language
July 22, 2008 - A new computer language
for modeling biological phenomenon can “think” like cells and
molecular mechanisms think, thereby simulating the dynamics of biological
phenomenon. Through incorporating basic principles of engineering,
the new language, called Little b, surpasses current biological
modeling software in that it goes beyond simply representing
biological information. It allows biologists to create programs
that can reason about biological knowledge and thereby help
overcome the barrier of complexity.
Harvard Medical School receives major NIH grant for galvanizing translational science
May 28, 2008 - A new NIH grant will launch a center to transform patient-oriented
medical research at the School and create an unprecedented level of unity
and communication across the University’s disparate schools and affiliated
medical centers.
Intestinal
bacteria promote—and prevent!—inflammatory bowel disease
May 28, 2008 - A sugar molecule produced by a beneficial bacterium in the intestinal
microflora appears to have anti-inflammatory effects that can mitigate symptoms
of colitis in experimental animals. When the molecule is administered to animal
models of colitis, disease symptoms did not develop.
Smoklng
is addictive, but quitting is contagious
May 21, 2008 - A study of 12,067 people over a period of 32 years has found
that people quit smoking in droves. Through reconstructing the social network
of the 12,067 individuals, researchers discovered that smoking cessation occurs
in network clusters. Those who continue to smoke are increasingly pushed to
the periphery of social networks.
Complex invokes executive privilege over protein production
May 1, 2008 - Your cells do something akin to editing a major motion picture every day. They take raw footage in the form of genes and turn it into sophisticated proteins with lots of bells and whistles. Many different professionals play a role in this process, including the exon junction complex (EJC), which resembles a movie studio executive. HMS researchers recently turned the spotlight on the EJC.
Sickest
patients still struggle under new Medicare Part D benefit
April 22, 2008 - While the new Medicare
Part D drug benefit has produced positive outcomes, the sickest patients
still skip medications for financial reasons.
Young Students Celebrate Science & Health at HMS Social Justice Event
That Event Honors Massachusetts
Department of Public Health Commissioner John M. Auerbach
April 15, 2008 - In front of an audience of hundreds of schoolchildren, John M. Auerbach, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, received this year's Ruth M. Batson Social Justice Award.
Genetic test offers clues about cardiac hypertrophy in children
April 9, 2008 - Some children with unexplained cardiac hypertrophy—a thickening of the heart muscle—harbor mutations in the same 10 genes responsible for the condition in many adults. Regardless of the age at which symptoms appear, cardiac hypertrophy can share common genetic roots.
Less sleep, more TV leads to overweight infants and toddlers
April 7, 2008 - Infants and toddlers who sleep less than 12
hours a day and who watch two or more hours of television
per day are twice as likely to become overweight by age 3
than children who sleep longer.
Restrictive
drug policies often cause schizophrenic patients to discontinue
medication, study finds
April 1, 2008 - Schizophrenic patients in Maine’s Medicaid program
experienced more frequent interruptions in treatment when the state began
requiring physicians to seek prior authorization for medications not on
the programs’ preferred drug list.
Researchers help transgenes fit in
April 1, 2008 - A new technique promises to improve the quality of organisms that contain genes manufactured in a lab. Often times, an organism's endogenous DNA unexpectedly switches off these transgenes. Working in flies, researchers developed a technique for sandwiching these transgenes between protective stretches of DNA, thus insulating the foreign genes from their surroundings.
Gender Differences Revealed in Grant Applications and Funding of HMS Faculty
March, 2008 - When a faculty subcommittee of the HMS/HSDM Joint Committee on the Status of Women looked at grant applications and funding for HMS faculty, they found that gender disparities in academic rank play a key role in funding disparities overall.
Harvard medical school reduces financial burden for middle-income families
March 21, 2008 - Harvard Medical School (HMS) Dean Jeffrey Flier today announced that the school is taking steps to reduce the cost of a four-year medical education by up to $50,000 for families with incomes of $120,000 or less.
Neuronal regulators offer potential targets for cancer
March 19, 2008 - Researchers at
Harvard Medical School have identified some of the cellular
switches that control a cell's cancerous transformation, providing
promising new therapeutic targets.
Their results appear in the March 20 issue of Nature.
Life expectancy rises for the educated; the less-educated reap no benefit
March 11, 2008 - While life-expectancy has increased significantly for educated people over the last twenty years, it has plateaued for less educated people. In other words, those whose education level does not exceed high school have not been sharing the benefits of prolonged lifespan.
Total Smoking Ban at Medical School by Spring 2009
March 10, 2008 - Dean Jeffrey Flier has announced that HMS is extending its ban on smoking in conjunction with the Dental School and School of Public Health. In preparation for the total smoking ban on the entire campus, the schools will offer free, voluntary smoking-cessation programs.
New chemical toolkit manipulates mitochondria, reveals insight into drug toxicity
February 24, 2008 - Researchers have developed a chemical toolkit
for manipulating mitochondria in its normal cellular environment.
After introducing nearly 2,500 compounds to this platform—many of
which are FDA-approved—the
researchers immediately discerned new insights into basic mitochondrial
function, which in turn revealed why some commonly used drugs
have particular adverse effects.
Gene
plays “Jekyll and Hyde” in brain cancer
February 6, 2008 - Researchers have found that a particular
gene is central to the brain cancer glioblastoma and will either fight
the tumor or, conversely, help the tumor advance, depending on the tumor’s
genetic makeup.
Interactive
Website Helps Fill Education Void on Sleep
January 31, 2008 - Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine
has launched a “Healthy Sleep” website in collaboration with
WGBH Educational Foundation to help the general public understand sleep.
Visitors to the site will learn about the science of sleep, why sleep matters,
and how to get the sleep they need.
Study
Analyzes Best Approach for Treating Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in the Elderly
January 30, 2008 - The largest study to date of over 45,000
Medicare recipients who had been treated for abdominal aortic
aneurysms (AAA) shows that endovascular repair, a less invasive
way to treat the condition compared with open surgery, has
the best health outcomes for patients.
Genomic Screen Nets Hundreds of Proteins Exploited by HIV
January 10, 2008 - Using a technique called RNA interference
to screen thousands of genes, researchers identified 273
human proteins required for HIV propagation. The vast majority
had not been connected to the virus by previous studies.
Higher Medicare Spending Yields Mixed Bag for Patients
January 8, 2008 - A large-scale study of over 55,000 colorectal cancer patients
found that Medicare beneficiaries in “high spending” areas get
better care in some circumstances, but worse care in others. On net, they
do no better than their peers in lower spending areas
Oral Osteoporosis Meds Appear to Reduce the Risk of Jaw Degradation
January 2, 2008 - Contrary to recent reports, oral osteoporosis medications that
inhibit bone breakdown reduce the risk of jaw problems, based on an analysis
of medical claims.
Health
Coverage Improves Health and Reduces Major Heart Complications
December 25, 2007 - A 12-year study of over 7,000 Americans shows that individuals
without health insurance experience a dramatic improvement in their subsequent
health trends when they become eligible for Medicare at age 65.
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