Category: Cellular and Molecular Science

2022-23, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Year

Insight on Histone Modification Mechanism Using Arabidopsis thaliana Flower 

Julia Chivu ’23 Histone modifications play an essential role in the development and adaptation of plants. Histones are proteins that are involved in the packaging of DNA into chromatin. Histone modification can result in the regulation of gene expression in response to stress, temperature, light, and pathogen attack. The majority of histone-modifying enzymes– such as histone deubiquitinases– are not able to bind DNA. As a … Continue reading Insight on Histone Modification Mechanism Using Arabidopsis thaliana Flower 

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2022-23, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology

A Genetic Change Delivered via Gel Treatment for Epidermolysis bullosa Patients Shows Promise

Melanie Karniewich ’25 Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic condition that causes serious blisters to the skin from minor occurrences like rubbing or scratching the skin. In severe cases, blistering can happen inside the body like the mouth or lining of the stomach. Mutations in EB disable genes for the specific proteins that allow the layers of someone’s skin and the lining of organs … Continue reading A Genetic Change Delivered via Gel Treatment for Epidermolysis bullosa Patients Shows Promise

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2022-23, Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology

Mosquito Magnets: Coincidence or Chemicals?

Peter Gillespie ’25 Mosquitos continue to become a burden on global health as rampant vectors for disease, embedding threatening viruses beneath itchy welts that are a nuisance in themselves. However, while one person might return from a mosquito-laden environment riddled with these welts, another might escape unscathed. New research from De Olbadia et al. reveals that this phenomenon is not mere unlucky coincidence, but rather … Continue reading Mosquito Magnets: Coincidence or Chemicals?

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2022-23, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics

When Twins Collide: The Role of Genetics in the Risk of Osteopathic Injuries

Peter Gillespie ’25 Why do some people experience one broken bone after another, while others could go their whole lives without a single fracture? Is the likelihood of an osteopathic injury just a coincidence, or is one’s genetic makeup rolling the dice for them? To answer this question, Hyo Geun Choi and his colleagues at Hallym University compared the histories of osteopathic injuries and bone … Continue reading When Twins Collide: The Role of Genetics in the Risk of Osteopathic Injuries

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2022-23, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, COVID-19, General Psychology

Why Do Some Young People Develop Severe COVID-19?

Zhifei Zeng ’23 COVID-19, which has ravaged the world, is still a public health concern and there are multiple theories about the cause of severe COVID-19 infection in young people. Previous research on genetic factors associated with severe COVID-19 has been limited to the gene pool of European populations. Coincidentally, while comparing the gene pools of Japanese and European patients, a large Japanese genetic research … Continue reading Why Do Some Young People Develop Severe COVID-19?

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2022-23, Biology, Brain, Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience

Lack of CLOCK Regulator Protein May Predict Focal Seizure Susceptibility

By Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Focal seizure activity originates at particular foci﹣those being lobes, regions or hemispheres – of abnormal brain tissue and may emanate outward.  Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain that triggers recurrent, spontaneous seizures. The majority of new epilepsy cases involve focal epilepsy, in which seizure activity originates in a particular “focus” or … Continue reading Lack of CLOCK Regulator Protein May Predict Focal Seizure Susceptibility

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2022-23, Artificial Intelligence, Biology, Genetics

Are Doppelgängers Really Just a Coincidence?

Lydia Wang ’26 Human faces and the ability to recognize different facial identities have played a key role in evolution. It has been observed that human faces have evolved to uniquely distinguish themselves from others. However, many people know someone they resemble; some comparisons are so similar that they are labeled as a doppelgänger, or a living double. Doppelgängers have been an ongoing phenomenon that … Continue reading Are Doppelgängers Really Just a Coincidence?

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2021-22, Cellular and Molecular Science, Depression, Neuroscience

Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Glia are non-neuronal cells that host and provide a number of homeostatic ancillary functions in both the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. Though only recently discovered and characterized, glial cells vastly outnumber neurons and provide them with structural support and insular protection, driving their myelination (the process of forming coverings known as myelin sheaths that coat neurons’ signaling axons), facilitating … Continue reading Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms

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2021-22, Cellular and Molecular Science, Neuroscience

Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in the brain that triggers repeated, spontaneous seizures. Treatment-resistant epilepsy has previously been linked to disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a semipermeable network of close-packed endothelial (border) cells and capillaries that controls the influx of solutes circulating in the bloodstream into the extracellular fluid of the brain. The … Continue reading Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity

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2021-22, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine

A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Cancer is a disease in which there is uncontrollable cell growth in any part of the body. The migration of the cancer cells from the origin to other parts of the body is called metastasis, causing malignant tumors. Cancerous cells can be aided by other cells found in tissues such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMS) that stimulate tumor growth, prompt metastasis, and promote … Continue reading A New Treatment Can Reprogram Macrophages to Kill Cancer Cells

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2021-22, Cellular and Molecular Science, Evolution, Genetics, Natural World

Fish Out of Water: Uncovering the Mechanisms for Survival in Extreme Environments

Peter Gillespie ’25 Most fish, when left without water, will simply not survive. However, research from Dr. Chi-Kuo Hu from Stony Brook University reveals how the embryos of the African turquoise killifish can survive eight-month long droughts in a dormant state known as diapause. Diapause is a state of suspended animation during which a fully developed killifish may temporarily halt its development. Dr. Hu and … Continue reading Fish Out of Water: Uncovering the Mechanisms for Survival in Extreme Environments

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2021-22, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science

An Enzyme-Activating Protein may be a Switch for Invasive Cancer

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Many breast cancer (BC) patients suffer from complications of metastatic disease. In order to form metastasis, cancer cells must switch from a proliferative to an invasive state and overcome several physical barriers to reach another site. Interestingly, increased invasiveness of the tumor is accompanied by a decrease in its cell proliferation capacity. For breast cancer, some proteins may help this proliferative-to-invasive switch … Continue reading An Enzyme-Activating Protein may be a Switch for Invasive Cancer

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