On Wednesday, some of the tech world’s most formidable players announced they are forming a new biotechnology company to fight the aging process and the diseases that accompany it. David Sinclair, HMS professor of genetics, is quoted.
Researchers have for the first time converted cultured skin cells into stem cells with near-perfect efficiency. Konrad Hochedlinger, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at FAS and Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Medicine is facing a crisis, but it’s not just about money; it’s about meaning. Nancy Oriol, dean for students and HMS associate professor of anaesthesia at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is quoted.
Scientists are discovering that we contain genetic multitudes. Not long ago, researchers had thought it was rare for the cells in a single healthy person to differ genetically in a significant way. But scientists are finding that it’s quite common for an individual to have multiple genomes. A study by Eugen Dhimolea, HMS research fellow in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is cited. Christopher Walsh, the Bullard Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital, who recently published a related review, is also quoted.
Thirteen people are dead, including the gunman, and eight are wounded following a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. Mass shootings can have a lasting effect on people, even on those who aren’t actually there. Joseph Shrand, HMS instructor of psychiatry, joined NECN to talk about the impact they can have on the mind.
How do fish swim in schools, effortlessly coordinating their every move? The answer appears to be ingrained in their genes. The genetic basis underlying the complex, social behavior of schooling is revealed in two new studies. Clifford Tabin, chair of the Department of Genetics at HMS, led one of the studies.
Using two high-tech imaging techniques custom-built for their field, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School will unveil a new method for examining tumor growth at the Frontiers in Optics annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., in October. Dai Fukumura, HMS associate professor of radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, is one of the researchers.
Despite public perception, body image issues and eating disorders are not exclusively female problems. Aaron Blashill, instructor in psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Alison Field, professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, are quoted.
Two Harvard stem-cell scientists are teaming up with a German biotech company to expand the search for a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Kevin Eggan and Lee Rubin, both professors of stem cell and regenerative biology at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, will conduct amyotrophic lateral sclerosis trials in partnership with Evotec, the university and the company announced.
A new analysis from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers suggests that mammograms prevent breast cancer deaths in women in their 40s by detecting some cancers in an earlier, more curable stage than cancers in women who don’t get screened. Some, however, cast doubt on the study design.
More insurers are expected to cover a range of treatments for obesity now that the AMA has officially deemed obesity a “disease” rather than a psychological failure of will. Lee Kaplan, HMS associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Eddie Phillips, HMS assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, are quoted.
