Tag: Medicine and Physiology

2017-18

New Technology Optimizes Process for T-Cell Therapy

Rachel Kogan ‘19 T-Cells are cells involved in a particular form of immunity known as the cell-mediated immune response. The cell-mediate immune response does not utilize antibodies, or proteins that bind to and flag foreign substances as dangerous, and instead signals other cells to either engulf of attack these invaders. Typically, T-cells have been used therapeutically to treat certain forms of cancers as well as … Continue reading New Technology Optimizes Process for T-Cell Therapy

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2017-18

Novel Structural Details of Opioid Receptor Identified

Rachel Kogan ‘19 Opioid addiction has been on the rise for decades across the nation. Often times, these addictions are spurred by an initial pain medication prescription administered by health professionals. As a result, the health care field finds itself at a crossroads between administering the medication to aid individuals in living a pain-free life and potentially propagating addictive behaviors. Most pain medications affect the … Continue reading Novel Structural Details of Opioid Receptor Identified

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2017-18

Invasive Hogweed Spreads Throughout North East

Rachel Kogan ‘19 Many plant species that are accidentally transported from one continent to the other by humans become invasive species. The Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum,is one such species. The plant, originally found in the Caucasus Mountains in central Asia, has recently spread throughout Canada and the United States’ Northeastern region. Recently, scientists discovered the hogweed in Virginia, following reports of unusual burns associated with … Continue reading Invasive Hogweed Spreads Throughout North East

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2017-18

Experimental Drugs May Reverse Skin and Hair Conditions

Caleb Sooknanan ‘20 Glycosphingolipids or GSLs are specific biomolecules that function within cell membranes to regulate signal transmission and cell-to-cell recognition, but more research is needed to understand their properties. For example, scientists are trying to understand the relationship between GSL consumption and phenotypes associated with an organism’s skin and hair. In a study performed at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland, doctor … Continue reading Experimental Drugs May Reverse Skin and Hair Conditions

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2017-18

Air Pollution: A Potential Contributor To Diabetes

Rachel Kogan ’19 Despite efforts to diminish industrial contamination, air pollution remains a prominent issue throughout most of the world. This form of pollution has long been associated with the rise of respiratory tract illnesses such as asthma and lung cancer. However, a recent study, conducted by a team of researchers lead by Al-Aly Ziyad of the Department of Medicine at Washington University in St. … Continue reading Air Pollution: A Potential Contributor To Diabetes

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2017-18

The Relationship Between Vitamin D levels and Insulin Resistance in Obese Individuals

Stephanie Budhan ’21 Obesity, or excessive weight, is often associated with insulin resistance. The hormone insulin helps decrease the body’s sugar levels. During insulin resistance, the body cells do not respond to insulin, causing the body’s sugar levels to remain high. Insulin resistance may lead to weight gain and eventually obesity. Previous research has reported that vitamin D concentration appears to be inversely related to … Continue reading The Relationship Between Vitamin D levels and Insulin Resistance in Obese Individuals

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2017-18

Genomic Analysis of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

Gene Yang ‘19 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that infects approximately 90,000 people in the United States each year. This bacteria’s resistance to many common drugs, including penicillin, makes it a rising public health care threat, yet our understanding of MRSA at the genetic level is limited. In order to bridge this gap, scientists at the University of San … Continue reading Genomic Analysis of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

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2017-18

Viral Gene Therapy Protects Tissue from Radiation

Gene Yang ‘19 Lentiviruses are a group of virus that cause deadly diseases, but these same viruses can be modified into harmless versions used in gene therapy, where the virus is used to transport a desired gene into an organism. Using this technique, scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research in London modified lentiviruses to deliver two genes into the tissue cells of rats. The … Continue reading Viral Gene Therapy Protects Tissue from Radiation

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2017-18

How This Tiny Robot Plans to Change the Future of Medicine

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ‘21 Some of the greatest discoveries in medicine have been driven by the advancement of technology. A group of scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Intelligent Systems, lead by Professor Metin Sitti, is hoping to contribute to such progress with their newly designed mili-robot. The robot is four millimeters in length, as flat as a piece of paper, and made of … Continue reading How This Tiny Robot Plans to Change the Future of Medicine

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Figure 1: This is an image of a typical asthma inhaler. With further development of MPPs, the drugs within these inhalers will be more effective than they are currently.
2016-17, Medicine and Physiology

Nanoparticle Drug Delivery

Richard Liang 18’ Mucoadhesive particles (MAPs) are used as the primary method of pulmonary drug delivery since it was believed that they increase drug duration within the lungs. MAPs act by sticking to the mucus layers and are used to treat a variety of illnesses including asthma, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer. However, administered MAPs are, in reality, quickly removed from the body via physiologic … Continue reading Nanoparticle Drug Delivery

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2016-17, Medicine and Physiology

Medicinal Properties Discovered in Certain Toad Species

By Rideeta Raquib ’19 Traditional medicinal compounds utilized to treat various diseases, ranging from stomach disorders to some types of cancers, are common in toads, specifically the Bufonidae family.  Scientists at the University of Panama, Panama’s government research center INDICASAT AIP, Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur, India, came together to identify several chemical components of the traditional medicines acquired from … Continue reading Medicinal Properties Discovered in Certain Toad Species

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2016-17, Biology, Medicine and Physiology

Hearing Restoration Via Gene Delivery

By Rideeta Raquib ’19 Inner ear disease disrupts a key sense of hearing for many people worldwide. However, gene therapy can treat inner ear disease if reagents are introduced into appropriate cells. A group of researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Hospital managed to effectively restore hearing in mice by utilizing gene therapy. The inefficacy of vectors transferred into hair cells is a … Continue reading Hearing Restoration Via Gene Delivery

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