Study show for the first time that dim red light activates olfactory gene pathways in the antennae of a model species, the yellow peach moth, increasing the sensitivity of males to female sex pheromones, and ultimately promoting reproductive behavior
Credit: Alonso Nichols
David Kaplan, the Stern Family Professor of Engineering, a Distinguished Professor, and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his contributions to silk-based materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Election to the National Academies is one of the foremost professional recognitions available to engineers, scientists, and medical experts. On behalf of my past and current students and colleagues here at Tufts, it is an honor to be recognized by the National Academy of Engineering, said Kaplan.
Kaplan s lab is leading efforts in applying tissue engineering to cellular agriculture (i.e. cell grown meat), the development of 3D brain-like environments in the lab to study neurological diseases and treatments, and the regeneration of tissues, organs and limbs. He is also pioneering methods to manufacture biocompatible medical devices from silk.
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IMAGE: Liu and his lab engineered botulinum toxin to target new proteins, a critical advance that could lead to new treatments for a range of maladies, including nerve and brain damage,. view more
Credit: Casey Atkins Photography, courtesy of Broad Institute
When people hear botulinum toxin, they often think one of two things: a cosmetic that makes frown lines disappear or a deadly poison.
But the miracle poison, as it s also known, has been approved by the F.D.A. to treat a suite of maladies like chronic migraines, uncontrolled blinking, and certain muscle spasms. And now, a team of researchers from Harvard University and the Broad Institute have, for the first time, proved they could rapidly evolve the toxin in the laboratory to target a variety of different proteins, creating a suite of bespoke, super-selective proteins called proteases with the potential to aid in neuroregeneration, regulate growth hormones, calm rampant inflammation, or dampen the life-
A new computational approach for analyzing complex datasets shows that as disease progresses, neurons and astrocytes lose the ability to maintain homeostasis. The Geomic approach can be applied to other diseases, authors say.
Researchers identify a neural pathway critical to correcting behavioral errors
Mount Sinai researchers have identified a neural pathway through which the brain detects errors and guides subsequent behavioral improvement. This process, called cognitive control, is frequently dysregulated in a wide range of psychiatric disorders.
The team s research, published February 19 in
Neuron, also suggests that neurostimulation of this brain pathway could provide an important mechanism for attention adjustments following behavioral errors.
When errors are committed, such as missing a stop sign or running a red light while driving, it s important for our survival to immediately adapt behavior by paying more attention to prevent further errors. This ability to adapt behavior after erroneous actions are one of the key components of human cognitive control.