By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 Fig. 1: To insert foreign DNA, electroporation is used to form pores on the cell membrane. Genetic engineering involves inserting foreign DNA into cells to perform new functions. In order for DNA to pass the cell membrane, cells are put in a specifically calibrated electric field that opens pores in the membrane in a process called electroporation. Each organism has a … Continue reading Breaking Barriers for DNA Insertion
By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 Most scientists study live cancer cell samples by preparing them on a glass slide and coverslip. However, this method often compresses the sample. Since cancer cells are very sensitive to their surroundings, the compression of the slide affects their behavior and may interfere with the results and overall understanding of cancer cell interactions. Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have designed a … Continue reading A New View of Cancer Cells
By Richard Liang ’18 Sugar has been a widely used household item for centuries. However, a recent study from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center indicates that this simple condiment can lead to increased cancer metastasis, the spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body. The experiment focused on feeding mice two separate diets, one predominantly composed of starches and another … Continue reading From Sugar to Cancer
By Richard Liang ’18 Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative illness that reveals itself primarily in elderly patients. The loss of synapses in the brain leads to memory loss and, more severely, the shutdown of bodily functions. The causes of Alzheimer’s are very poorly understood making early detection particularly difficult. With a lack of early detection, Alzheimer’s is usually discovered too late to be controlled. … Continue reading A Potential New Cure for Alzheimer’s
By Lee Ann Santore ’19 Heart disease is often caused by extended periods of high blood pressure, but its occurrence is not restricted to those individuals with high blood pressure. Traditionally, high blood pressure medications have only been prescribed to patients with systolic blood pressures above the threshold level of 140 mmHg as issued by England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. However, a … Continue reading New Benefits to Lowering Normal Blood Pressure
By Shannon Bohman ’19 Stony Brook University recently incorporated breakthrough microbiome technology into nutrient based compositions. The university incorporated these compositions into two patent applications filed to Ortek Therapeutics, Inc. Ortek had been seeking partners to develop and commercialize these compositions into over-the-counter and commercialized products. These nutrient based products, in particular, will efficiently prevent body odor and staph infections. Stony Brook’s Dr. Israel Kleinberg, … Continue reading Microbiome Technology Developed at Stony Brook
By Richard Liang ’18 After extensive use of their multi-drug regimens, many HIV patients begin suffering from kidney impairment and decreased bone density. These pathologies have been recently associated with the chemical tenofovir in the medication regimens. As a response to this, the FDA approved Genvoya, a pill that minimizes tenofovir’s negative side effects. This novel pill combines dosages of active ingredients from standard medications, … Continue reading A Single-Pill HIV Treatment
By Cerise Carey Americans of African descent are at a higher risk for developing gastrointestinal (GI) cancers than other individuals, but are there racially determined differences in the cancer itself? Dr. Ellen Li and her colleagues from Stony Brook University are teaming up with SUNY Downstate and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to try to find an answer to this question by looking into the biological … Continue reading Are There Racial Differences in Cancer?
By Lee Ann Santore The blood-brain barrier acts as a shield to the brain and prevents toxins from reaching the central nervous system. Unfortunately, it also prevents the passage of medicines into the brain. A team of Canadian researchers from the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, led by Todd Mainprize, has developed a technique to penetrate the blood-brain barrier by injecting microscopic bubbles into the bloodstreams … Continue reading Scientists Penetrate the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Microscopic Bubbles
By Karis Tutuska As bloodsuckers and disease-carriers, ticks are many people’s worst nightmares. However, a recent study conducted by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has shown that the rapid spreading of an aggressively-biting, disease-carrying tick species may be a blessing in disguise. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an often-deadly disease carried by American dog ticks. Since 2012, the number of reported cases has … Continue reading Amblyomma americanum and a New Disease
By Surya Chalil As of October 2013, Stony Brook Medicine has become the first site in Long Island and tenth in North America to clinically offer simultaneous whole-body PET/MRI scans. In this new Siemens Biograph mMR hybrid imaging system, molecular information from positron emission tomography is combined with soft-tissue contrasts from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This lowers the body’s exposure to radiation and further enhances … Continue reading Stony Brook Medicine is among the first in the nation to offer simultaneous PET/MRI
By Anirudh Chandrashekar The role of Y-shaped antibodies to fight viruses, bacteria and different forms of cancers is a heavily researched field. For many years, researchers have sought to develop and optimize antibodies and other protein-based therapies to supplement and revitalize the host’s defense system. At the same time, these antibodies have multiple drawbacks; antibodies are generally extremely bulky and need to be administered intravenously. To … Continue reading A Pill that Mimics the Immune System
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