Category: Biology

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Degenerative Disease, discovery, General Neuroscience, Health and Medicine, Neuroscience

Inhibition of Hydrolytic Enzyme May Protect Against Manifestation of AD-Linked Phenotypes

Author: Vignesh Subramanian, Class of 2024 Figure 1: Barnes maze tests were performed to assess the spatial reference memory of the knock-in AD mouse models. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by significant memory loss and cognitive decline that worsen with age. While the disease’s long-established hallmarks include the aggregation of two misfolded proteins known as beta-amyloid and phosphorylated tau, recent research … Continue reading Inhibition of Hydrolytic Enzyme May Protect Against Manifestation of AD-Linked Phenotypes

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Biology, Brain, General Neuroscience, Health and Medicine

Neuroprotective Therapies Capable of Ameliorating Ischemic Injury in Post-Thrombectomy Care

Vignesh Subramanian, Class of 2024 Figure 1: A thrombectomy is a surgical procedure aimed at removing blood clots lodged in an artery of the brain. A stroke is a medical emergency in which blood flow to the brain is disrupted. Strokes may be ischemic (lacking blood supply to brain tissue due to a blocked artery) or hemorrhagic (involving bleeding into the brain tissue due to … Continue reading Neuroprotective Therapies Capable of Ameliorating Ischemic Injury in Post-Thrombectomy Care

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2023-24, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine, Microbiota

Watermelon Snow: A Medium for Antibiotic Resistance Research

Author: Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 A common adaptation of bacteria is antibiotic resistance, a very important field of study in microbiology and medicine. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can arise naturally and exist as an important natural survival tool for bacteria. ARGs have risen in frequency in human-inhabited regions as a result of increased use of antibiotics. As a result, there is growing concern over … Continue reading Watermelon Snow: A Medium for Antibiotic Resistance Research

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Biology, Environment, General, Natural World

Exploring the Biodiversity Inhabiting Sponges of the Great Barrier Reef

Author: Marie Collison, Class of ‘25 Sponges are a diverse group of multicellular organisms that inhabit aquatic ecosystems all over the globe. Scientists estimate that there are over 9000 unique species of sponges. The vast diversity of sponges enables them to provide a diverse range of habitats for a variety of aquatic taxa. They provide structure to environments that otherwise have minimal variation in elevation. … Continue reading Exploring the Biodiversity Inhabiting Sponges of the Great Barrier Reef

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Biology, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics

Implications of the role sphingosine kinase 1 plays in the formation of tumors in p53 knockout mice

Author: Marie Collison ‘25 Cancer is a universally known disease that can be caused by a variety of defects in the genetic code of cells. A very important molecule in the regulation of cellular proliferation is the tumor suppressor protein 53, more commonly known as p53. Mutations or deletions in the p53 gene sequence are detected in the majority of cancers, including several subtypes of … Continue reading Implications of the role sphingosine kinase 1 plays in the formation of tumors in p53 knockout mice

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Biology, Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Humans Remain Behaviorally Responsive to External Auditory Stimuli During Deep Sleep

Author: Vignesh Subramanian, Class of 2024 It has long been assumed that sleep is a stable state of unconsciousness in which an individual cannot perceive and respond to most external stimuli. However, recent studies have indicated that humans can process information, discriminate between basic sensations, and carry out limited executive functions, such as answering yes–no questions, while still asleep. Some oneirological studies have focused on … Continue reading Humans Remain Behaviorally Responsive to External Auditory Stimuli During Deep Sleep

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Chemistry

Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin in Endometriosis Management

Author: Kimberly Johnston ’26 Endometriosis is defined by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus where it does not belong. It occurs in about 10% of women of reproductive age and leads to chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite the prevalence of this disease, its cause remains unknown. While there is no known cure to endometriosis, there are methods of symptom management, including hormone … Continue reading Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin in Endometriosis Management

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Drug Discovery

Exploring Drug Repurposing for Lacunar Stroke Prevention

Author: Kimberly Johnston ’26 Drug repurposing is a strategy that aims to find new applications for drugs that have already been proven safe and effective in humans. Lacunar stroke, characterized by reduced blood flow to the deep structures of the brain, can significantly impair a person’s movement, speech, and cognitive functions. Preventative treatments typically focus on managing hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol as these conditions … Continue reading Exploring Drug Repurposing for Lacunar Stroke Prevention

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology

Promoters of Neurodegeneration in ALS

 Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. Drosophila melanogaster was used by the Dubnau lab as a model organism to characterize TDP-43 pathology in ALS. TAR-DNA-Binding protein (TDP-43) is an alternative splicing factor that, upon abnormal phosphorylation, can become mislocalized and aggregate in cells. This has been identified as a potential mechanism for the development of impactful neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia … Continue reading Promoters of Neurodegeneration in ALS

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology

Developing Antibodies to Combat Cancer

Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. Antibodies traveling through the bloodstream. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation is a reversible process in which a phosphate group can be added or removed from tyrosine residues of various proteins by protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), respectively. This type of post-translational modification is responsible for regulating many signal transduction pathways in the cell. The activity of a specific … Continue reading Developing Antibodies to Combat Cancer

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Biology, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine

Breast Cancer Insights and Potential Treatments

Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. HER2 is a protein that has been strongly implicated in many human cancers, particularly breast cancer, and has been demonstrated to induce carcinogenesis through a variety of different mechanisms. This breast cancer tissue has been stained for HER2. Some of the latest research by Stephen J. Collins of the Miller lab, a part of Stony Brook University’s Department of Physiology … Continue reading Breast Cancer Insights and Potential Treatments

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology

How Romantic Relationships May Reduce Inflammation

Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein, which means that its expression increases when inflammation occurs, making it a useful inflammatory marker. Social relationships have long been recognized as playing an important role in both mental and physical health, and a groundbreaking study has demonstrated that they may influence inflammation. Recent research published in January of 2023 by Tatum … Continue reading How Romantic Relationships May Reduce Inflammation

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