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
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
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
Urea-Resistability of Shark Myosin: Insights into Protein Stability and Potential Therapeutic Implications
Justin Lim ’26 Figure 1: White shark.jpg Urea, a common byproduct of protein metabolism, is excreted through urine in most urea-producing organisms due to its toxic properties in high concentrations. Specifically, urea’s nitrogen content can destabilize the structure of proteins by weakening their folded structure. Sharks have chemical countermeasures to halt the progression of protein denaturation through the use of trymethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO), a molecule … Continue reading Urea-Resistability of Shark Myosin: Insights into Protein Stability and Potential Therapeutic Implications
Exploiting Replication Fork and Checkpoint Mechanisms: ATR Signaling and Checkpoint Inhibitors Unveil New Avenues for Targeting Cancer Replication Stress
Justin Lim ’26 Figure 1: Breast cancer cells (1).jpg Cancer, a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled and abnormal cell growth, is generally recognized by its genomic instability built up by bypassing important biological checkpoints. These checkpoints are scattered throughout a cell’s growth period to limit the amount of DNA replication errors and other deleterious mutations during cell division. Due to the evasion of growth … Continue reading Exploiting Replication Fork and Checkpoint Mechanisms: ATR Signaling and Checkpoint Inhibitors Unveil New Avenues for Targeting Cancer Replication Stress
Understanding how the Aging of Germline Cells “Resets” in Offspring
Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. Section of a DNA double helix People have long been fascinated by the process of aging as well as the potential to reverse or prevent it. In particular, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) has been found to potentially play a role in aging. As aging occurs, rDNA repeats in the germline are gradually lost over time, as evidenced by the lab’s work … Continue reading Understanding how the Aging of Germline Cells “Resets” in Offspring
Exciting New Approach to Targeting the Mitochondria to Fight Cancer
Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. Visualization of the mitochondria Unbeknownst to many, the mitochondria plays a significant role in carcinogenesis given the importance of metabolic processes in the formation and maintenance of tumors. CPI-613, more commonly known as devimistat, is a recently developed drug that targets a key metabolic cycle that takes place in the mitochondria of cancer cells, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The … Continue reading Exciting New Approach to Targeting the Mitochondria to Fight Cancer
Improved initial assessments of severe skin burns allow for more accurate assertion of whether or not surgical intervention is required for healing
Maria Sazonova ’26 Burn injuries can result in significant skin necrosis and deep tissue damage. Severe skin burn injuries are dynamic and hard to predict; therefore, initial assessment is paramount because it forms the basis for a subsequent treatment plan. A group of Stony Brook University scientists led by M. Hassan Arbab, funded by The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, created a neural network … Continue reading Improved initial assessments of severe skin burns allow for more accurate assertion of whether or not surgical intervention is required for healing
Gold nanoparticles act as catalysts for CO oxidation
Maria Sazonova ’26 Figure 1: Electron micrograph scan of hexagonal gold nanowire array Gold nanoparticles can effectively convert carbon monoxide from harmful waste products into usable fuels. Alexander Orlov and his research team, in collaboration with Brookhaven National Lab scientists and U.S. Air Force Laboratory, conducted a study to explore how gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), widely studied for their high catalytic activity, can accelerate the … Continue reading Gold nanoparticles act as catalysts for CO oxidation
Investigating the Taxonomy of KNM-ER 1500’s Fossil Remains
Julia Chivu ’23 In the 1970s, archaeologists discovered a 15-piece fossil named KNM-ER 1500 in East Turkana, Kenya. Despite previous examinations, the classification of this fossil has not been determined, due to severe weathering and fragmentation of the bones. Given the discovery location and morphological features, it has been suggested that KNM-ER 1500 could potentially belong to Paranthropus boisei, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, or Homo … Continue reading Investigating the Taxonomy of KNM-ER 1500’s Fossil Remains
The Influence of Epigenetic Age on Cognitive Decline
Julia Chivu ’23 As people age, their cognitive abilities tend to decline. While chronological age is commonly cited as a reason for this decline, it often fails to explain why some individuals have higher cognitive performance than others of the same age. To address this, epigenetic clocks, which analyze DNA methylation at specific genomic sites correlated with aging, are emerging as useful tools for predicting … Continue reading The Influence of Epigenetic Age on Cognitive Decline
Quantifying Affectionate Touch in Romantic Relationships
Julia Chivu ’23 Across cultures and continents, affection serves as a universal bond that unites romantic partners. Researchers from various institutions worldwide collaborated on two studies to better understand and quantify the dynamic between love and touch. The first study sought to investigate the global association between love and touch-related behaviors. The second study examined the correlation between frequencies of affectionate touch and love amongst … Continue reading Quantifying Affectionate Touch in Romantic Relationships
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