Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Press Releases - EIN Presswire

Published on October 15, 2024 - 23:46 GMT

#WhyIScience Q&A: A microbiologist and immunologist finds links between our own microbes and disease mechanisms

Though his focus shifted over time, being a scientist was always the plan for Eric Brown since kindergarten. “First it was dinosaurs and whales, and then it turned into birds, and then it turned into microbes,” he said. Years later, Brown began studying …

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Published on October 3, 2024 - 22:12 GMT

Largest-ever genetic study of epilepsy finds possible therapeutic targets

The largest and most diverse study to date of epilepsy’s genetic factors has revealed new potential targets for treatment, both shared by and unique to different subtypes of epilepsy. The findings point to factors involved in how neurons communicate and …

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Published on September 30, 2024 - 21:53 GMT

Q&A: How Terra became a backbone of public health pathogen surveillance

DP: Before Terra, only a handful of state public health labs were analyzing their own genomic data. Most didn't really have a way to do large-scale genomic analysis well. Many relied on the CDC, a neighboring state lab, or an academic partner to assist …

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Published on September 23, 2024 - 17:23 GMT

New approach may yield modified messenger RNAs for treating a wide range of conditions

The life-saving use of messenger RNA (mRNA) in COVID-19 vaccines was a public example of the potential of mRNA-based therapies, which hold great promise for a wide range of treatment applications from cancer immunotherapy to gene editing. Working toward a …

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Published on September 18, 2024 - 17:06 GMT

Scientists identify a unique combination of bacterial strains that could treat antibiotic-resistant gut infections

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections often occur in patients with chronic inflammatory intestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and in patients who have taken antibiotics for a long time. Gram-negative bacteria such as …

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Published on September 17, 2024 - 15:28 GMT

#WhyIScienceQ&A: A data scientist helps researchers solve computational problems

A desire to constantly learn more has fueled Edana Martin’s varied career in science. Growing up in Colombia, she became fascinated with physics and astronomy, seeking to understand how the world around her works. Martin studied nuclear physics and …

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Published on September 5, 2024 - 21:58 GMT

Q&A: Single-cell and spatial proteomics reveal proteins’ nuanced roles in health and disease

When Steve Carr, senior director of the Proteomics Platform at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, began working in proteomics, the field was able to detect only the most abundant proteins in a given sample. In recent years, increasingly sensitive mass …

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Published on August 20, 2024 - 21:18 GMT

#WhyIScience Q&A: A systems biologist develops computational tools to bring scale to cell experiments

At first, Yue Qin thought she wanted to become a doctor. She’d always been interested in disease — why people got sick, why some illnesses could send you to a hospital while others could be treated at home. As she grew older, however, she realized she was …

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Published on August 19, 2024 - 21:51 GMT

A common fatty acid may help restore healthy vaginal bacteria after infection

More than half of women globally experience bacterial vaginosis (BV) — an imbalance of naturally occurring microbes in the female genital tract — at least once in their life. The condition can cause painful symptoms and vaginal discharge, and although …

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Published on August 8, 2024 - 01:13 GMT

Machine learning approach helps researchers design better gene-delivery vehicles for gene therapy

Gene therapy could potentially cure genetic diseases but it remains a challenge to package and deliver new genes to specific cells safely and effectively. Existing methods of engineering one of the most commonly used gene-delivery vehicles, adeno- …

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Published on August 7, 2024 - 18:06 GMT

Six scientists named as new core institute members at Broad

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has named six new core institute members: Gad Getz, Anna Greka, Nir Hacohen, Evan Macosko, Benjamin Neale, and Pardis Sabeti. “We are thrilled to recognize these distinguished scientists for their track record of …

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Published on July 26, 2024 - 10:14 GMT

Researchers identify cheap and effective biomarkers for DCIS tumor stage

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a pre-invasive tumor, accounts for about 25 percent of breast cancer diagnoses, a leading cause of cancer death. While doctors generally recommend treatment, they lack the appropriate evidence to reliably decide which tumor …

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Published on July 25, 2024 - 21:48 GMT

Q&A: How a stem cell bank is helping scientists understand psychiatric disorders

When Ralda Nehme, a cell biologist and neuroscientist, first started her lab at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in 2018, she realized a gap in the field. She was adept at growing stem cells in the lab, …

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Published on July 24, 2024 - 01:13 GMT

#WhyIScience Q&A: A mechanical engineer builds microscopes to give new spatial views of cells and tissues

At some point during her education, self-described “space nerd” Lindsey Erion-Barner traded gazing through telescopes for peering into microscopes. “There are many commonalities between astronomy and microscopy, they’re just at different scales,” she …

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Published on July 19, 2024 - 15:37 GMT

An immune factor in the brain plays critical roles in neuron function and aging

Immune cells in the central nervous system called microglia produce a protein called C1q, which helps the immune system prune synapses (the junctions between neurons) in the developing brain. A new study reveals that C1q can also enter neurons, where it …

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Published on July 18, 2024 - 00:54 GMT

De-risking drug discovery with predictive AI

Developing a new drug can take years of research and cost millions of dollars. Still, more than 90 percent of drug candidates fail in clinical trials, with even more that never make it to the clinical stage. Many drugs fail because they simply aren’t safe. …

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Published on July 12, 2024 - 04:08 GMT

Targeted drug treatment leads tumor cells to imitate viral infection

A number of cancers, including certain brain and liver tumors, as well as myeloid leukemias, are driven by mutations in the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1, or IDH1. Drugs that block mutated IDH1 (mIDH1) have recently come onto the market and effectively …

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Published on July 10, 2024 - 19:59 GMT

Prime editing efficiently corrects cystic fibrosis mutation in human lung cells

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common genetic disorders, causing thick mucus build-up in the lungs and other parts of the body, breathing problems, and infection. A three-drug cocktail known as Trikafta has greatly improved patient quality of life …

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Published on July 9, 2024 - 12:17 GMT

Brain chimeroids offer window into relationships between genetics and exposures

Researchers at the Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a new platform for modeling at the cellular level how the human brain responds to a variety of stimuli. Described …

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Published on June 27, 2024 - 23:12 GMT

A therapy candidate for fatal prion diseases turns off disease-causing gene

Prion diseases lead to rapid neurodegeneration and death and are caused by misshapen versions of the prion protein in the brain. There are currently no treatments, but researchers from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Broad Institute of …

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