Engineering Escherichia coli cells to express Melittin in response to the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
By Gurkamal Kaur, Janki Patel, Tenging Lama, Helen Liu, Gregory Poterewicz
Abstract
The growth of antibiotic resistance is quickly becoming a global public health concern. Infections caused by pathogenic bacteria are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to the misuse, overuse and abuse of antibiotics. In addition, infections caused by some harmful strains of bacteria, particularly gram-negative bacteria, cannot easily be treated with antibiotics or other common forms of treatment. To combat this issue, E. coli were engineered to recognize the pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and produce the antimicrobial peptide melittin in response. In order to do so, nonpathogenic E. coli were transformed with plasmids that control the production of melittin and the reception of communication signals from cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Researchers Create Antireflective Surface to Improve Solar Cells
By Ashwin Kelkar The advent of the solar panel has allowed us to harness the energy of the sun, similar to plants. However, unlike plants, solar panels run into a predicament; though we can utilize some of the sun’s rays, most waves end up being reflected off the surface of solar panels. This massive amount of reflected sunlight demonstrates how inefficient solar panels are, even … Continue reading Researchers Create Antireflective Surface to Improve Solar Cells
Groundbreaking Fossil Transforms Current Evolution Views
By Surya Chalil Gondwanatheria is an extinct group of mammals that has only been known through a few isolated teeth and fragmented jaw pieces. As a result, their clade largely remained a mystery and their placement among the evolutionary tree was uncertain and debatable. However, Stony Brook University paleontologist, David Krause, Ph.D., led the research team that discovered an almost complete cranium of a new … Continue reading Groundbreaking Fossil Transforms Current Evolution Views
Pioneering X-Ray Techniques Used to Design More Efficient Batteries
By Ashwin Kelkar Have you ever wondered why your iPhone battery only lasts 3 hours instead of the projected 8? It can be frustrating to many people around the world, but it can be even worse when that battery is powering a pacemaker, a tool that allows people’s hearts to continue pumping blood. Imagine what would happen if a battery like this suddenly dies and … Continue reading Pioneering X-Ray Techniques Used to Design More Efficient Batteries
Infectious Diseases may Cause Major Depressive Disorder
By: Marianna Catege Depression may actually be infectious, according to Dr. Turhan Canli, the Associate Professor of Psychology and Radiology at Stony Brook University. His claim puts Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a new light, one that suggests it can be caused by parasitc bacterial or viral infections. In this highly prevalent disease, with roughly 7 percent of the U.S. population developing MDD, symptoms can … Continue reading Infectious Diseases may Cause Major Depressive Disorder
Understanding the Fear Circuits in The Brain
By: Ashwin Kelkar Fear and fear memory have long been a subject of study by both scientists and philosophers. Our understanding of fear and how it may exert control to the point of phobia is imperative to eventually finding the underlying cause of fear itself. Researchers around the world have tapped into the brain to try to elucidate this enigma. In a groundbreaking study conducted … Continue reading Understanding the Fear Circuits in The Brain
Cerebral Blood Flow Imaging Technique Can be Applied to Disease Diagnosis
By  Marianna Catege Dr. Yingtian Pan, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook, and his team, have discovered a new imaging technique that allows for a clearer picture of the direction, speed, and quantity of cerebral blood flow. This discovery expands upon and provides an ultrahigh-resolution picture for Stony Brook Medical scientists’ newly developed method for measuring how cocaine interrupts blood flow … Continue reading Cerebral Blood Flow Imaging Technique Can be Applied to Disease Diagnosis
The Immuno-Matrix Skin Patch: A Needleless Approach to Vaccination
By Preston Kung Kataryzna (Kasia) M. Sawicka, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Dermatology, won the national Collegiate Inventors Competition for her “Immuno-Matrix” in November 2014. The Immuno-matrix is a skin patch held together by nanofibers to deliver a vaccine through skin absorption; it’s a needleless vaccination that’s as simple and painless as putting on a Band-Aid. The Immuno-matrix has the potential to … Continue reading The Immuno-Matrix Skin Patch: A Needleless Approach to Vaccination
Mechanisms of General Anesthetics
By Sherin Kuriakose What is Anesthesia? The discovery of general anesthetics in 1846 has advanced the work of physicians and surgeons in medical science and clinical care, and has also eased the trauma that surgery can cause for patients. In the past, surgery without anesthesia was the only option, and only the simplest and quickest of operations could be tolerated such as amputations, bladder stones … Continue reading Mechanisms of General Anesthetics
Ecology of Zoonotic Transmissions: The Impact of Bos taurus indicus Fertilizer on the Health of Malagasy Farmers
Photo Courtesy of Rachel Lordahl By Zuri S. Dawkins Central ValBio Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar Undergraduate Program in Anthropology and Biology, Stony Brook University Madagascar Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (MICET) Contact Info: Zuri.Dawkins@stonybrook.edu ABSTRACT Emerging infectious diseases in livestock pose a huge threat to human health, animal efficiency and biodiversity. Zoonotic diseases are highly contagious diseases that spread amongst animals and humans via … Continue reading Ecology of Zoonotic Transmissions: The Impact of Bos taurus indicus Fertilizer on the Health of Malagasy Farmers
Evaluations of the First Dissolvable Cardiovascular Stent
By Jessica Desamero Heart disease in the U.S. is one of the leading causes of death. The most common type is coronary heart disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attacks. It is caused by plaque buildup in arteries that supply the heart with blood, causing them to narrow. To this day, bare-metal stents have been inserted in CAD patients to counter-act this blockage. But … Continue reading Evaluations of the First Dissolvable Cardiovascular Stent
Sleep duration is related to poor diet in teens
By Katherine Maiorisi A study conducted by Dr. Hale at Stony Brook University has developed data that shows a direct link between sleep deprivation and obesity in teens. This study, which was supported by the “National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases”, was done on a sample of 13,284 teenagers [1]. Dr. Hale specified that this study group of teens were asked questions … Continue reading Sleep duration is related to poor diet in teens
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