Sandra Oh boyfriend: Is Grey's Anatomy's Cristina Yang star in a relationship? Daily Express
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Greys Anatomy star Kate Walsh heaps praise on WA Premier Mark McGowans handling of COVID-19 pandemic – The West Australian
Greys Anatomy star Kate Walsh who has made WA home since the coronavirus pandemic has heaped praise on Premier Mark McGowan for his exemplary handling of the crisis and revealed her plans to bring a streaming show to the State.
Cocooned far away from her home in virus-ravaged New York and family across the US, the actor and producer has felt fortunate to have been grounded in WA after an impromptu holiday to Perth in March.
With little choice but to stay when COVID-19 prompted the Federal Government to close international borders, Walsh has since embraced the West Aussie lifestyle after settling in Cottesloe.
It's a really tricky time. Mark McGowan handled it so well with locking down and people were vigilant about social distancing, paid attention and adhered to the different lockdown phases.
HEAR HER ON THE WEST LIVE IN THE PLAYER BELOW
I wouldn't trade anything for being safe. People back home are like what, you don't wear masks? You're allowed to go to the gym? You can go to a restaurant?
As much as I would like to be able to go home and come back, there are surges and different rounds coming. How it's been handled here, like I said, is so exemplary and I feel very fortunate to be able to have a normal life here.
The Hollywood star has been making the most of her time in the State, from getting her diving ticket off Rottnest and seeing turtles off Exmouth to soaking up some Broome time Walsh has been ticking off bucket list destinations and experiences.
Speaking to The West Live podcast host Jenna Clarke, she revealed Ningaloo Reef was one of her favourite spots.
There's so much to explore and see part of what is so beautiful here. I'm just in love with it, she said.
Ningaloo Reef was like nothing I've ever seen before.
The reef is so pristine and I've gone snorkelling and diving everywhere. A lot of them are bleached out so it's just incredible how healthy Ningaloo is.
To be able to walk right out and snorkel and see there's just mass amounts of marine life we had a perfect day.
We just kayaked out and just snorkelled around, we didn't have to dive. Everything was there.
Mark McGowan handled it so well with locking down and people were vigilant about social distancing, paid attention and adhered to the different lockdown phases.
Walsh said another reason she loved WA so much was because it was literally the only place in the world that's doing theatre.
She has featured front and centre in American playwright Sharr Whites Tony-nominated Broadway drama The Other Place at the new Fremantle Theatre Company. The plays opening night on October 17 was to a sell-out crowd.
We've got an incredible cast of actors Dalip Sondhi, Lucy Kate Westbrook, Mararo Wangai, she said.
Chris Edmund who used to run WAAPA when Jai Courtney was there and Hugh Jackman he's in town so he has directed.
It's just been delightful to be able to get the community together and in to see theatre. Local businesses contributed to help make (Fremantle Theatre Company) happen. It's just incredible.
She renewed calls for WA to become a filmmaking hotspot, after spruiking the State in June on Sevens Perth-produced current affairs program Flashpoint.
Walsh said WA had a unique opportunity to build a production studio that will not only create jobs for local talent but also attract big names.
It was one of the first thoughts I had. Because there isn't a studio here or sound station, you're not accessible to big international productions. WA is not on the map right now. It's not even a consideration, she said.
There's a lot of incredible artists right here in WA, cinematographers, camera operators, crew, post and pre-production and, of course, actors and writers and directors that come out of WAAPA.
You can not only create jobs for them... people can stay here and not have to leave. It'll just build jobs, community and another, I think, viable resource.
It's pretty exciting to bring in another business and be able to compete with the east. It has that ripple effect of catering, restaurants, hotels and rentals and property.
My aim is to also bring a streaming show here in early 2021. Even without a stage being built we could do one, so that's in the works now.
I have an idea already in mind but I'm just very excited to do it here. Hopefully it'll be sort of a bridge between now and when a studio is built.
Walsh will also take up a starring role at Telethon 2020 this weekend.
I'm going right after my play. Sunday night, I'm on the closing panel. I don't know exactly what that means but I'm looking forward to it, she said.
The amount of money that they raise it's just incredible, so I'm excited to be a part of that.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Arizona Was a Great Doctor But a Terrible Partner – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Greys Anatomy is undoubtedly one of the best nighttime shows to have ever aired. In all its 16 seasons, the showrunners have managed to keep audiences tuning in to find out what their favorite on-screen resident doctors have been up to.
The series has had its high and low moments, fan-favorite characters, and those that the fans couldnt stand. Such a character is the attending surgeon Dr. Arizona Robbins.
Arizonas character has been a confusing one, and fans are now speculating that Arizona, although an excellent doctor, was one of Greys Anatomys worst partners.
Greys Anatomy is a medical drama TV series that follows a couple of doctors in the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital trying to balance their challenging work life and personal affairs.
Although the series shows different doctors and their relationships in and outside of work, it primarily focuses on Meredith Greys life.
Each season of the show starts with a voiceover done by Grey, who gives viewers a glimpse of what that season will cover. In each installment, the physicians try to complete their various academic years to qualify for higher surgical field levels.
At the end of every season on the show, something huge and dramatic always happens, including the departure or death of one of the physicians. Greys Anatomy sometimes sets aside medical ethical concerns for character development.
Some of the shows favorite characters include Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Max Sloan, Arizona Robbins, and her partner Callie Torres.
RELATED: Greys Anatomy Needs to Give More Screen Time To Its Friendships
Arizona Robbins is a character on the cult medical show Greys Anatomy. Arizona was introduced to fans in season five of the show as the new head of pediatric surgery. As a pediatrician, Arizonas personality is usually described as quirky, especially in how she dresses.
She wears wheely sneakers and a pink scrub cap to make her younger patients feel more at ease. Arizona was first added to the show to play Erica Hahns love interest. However, the shows writer and executive producer Shonda Rhimes felt that there wasnt any chemistry between the two characters. Thus came in Callie Torres.
Rhimes said that her decision to cast Jessica Capshaw to play Arizona was a massive achievement for her.
Arizonas storyline follows that she joins the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as a replacement for Dr. Jordan Kenley. Here she meets the five-year resident Callie Torres and they fall in love. After Torres father refuses to accept his daughters sexuality, Arizona helps him see that Callies sexuality is a big part of who she is.
Throughout the show, Arizona is shown to share a loving yet tumultuous relationship with her partner Torres. Although Arizona is displayed as an experienced doctor who is good with her patients, fans cant help but feel like she is an awful person in general.
As revealed above, Arizona and Torres didnt have a perfect relationship. The two have had one too many fights in the past.
According to a Reddit thread, Arizona wasnt an excellent partner to Torres. The post went into detail about how the head of pediatrics was a nasty partner, including having cheated on Torres repeatedly and always being manipulative,
The thread continued to state that Arizona abandoned Callie at the airport and afterward demanded that Torres take her back without addressing it. When Arizona got involved in a plane crash, the doctors had to cut off her leg to save her.
After her recovery, she became mean and angry at Torres, not knowing that the latter had to make the tough call to cut off the formers leg to save her life.
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Genetic clues found for cognitive resilience to Alzheimer’s disease – National Institute on Aging
Three genetic variants may be associated with cognitive resilience in Alzheimers disease, according to the results of a large, genome-wide association study (GWAS). The study, funded in part by NIA, identified novel genetic variants, genes and biological pathways that are associated with cognitive resilience, or protection, from memory and thinking issues connected to Alzheimers disease despite the presence of neuropathology in the brain. Notably, the researchers did not see a connection between cognitive resilience and the genetic variations in the APOE gene that are associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimers. The findings, published in Brain, provide new insights into the biology of cognitive resilience and may suggest new pathways and targets for development of Alzheimers treatments.
In the Alzheimers brain, abnormal levels of the naturally occurring protein, beta-amyloid, clump together to form plaques that collect between brain nerve cells and interfere with cell function. However, about 30% of people with significant amyloid plaque buildup do not develop the memory and thinking problems associated with Alzheimers disease. Researchers do not yet understand the biology behind this cognitive protection.
To learn more about genetic factors linked to cognitive resilience in Alzheimers disease, a team led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center conducted a GWAS study. GWAS is a research approach that connects DNA differences, called genetic variations, in a group of people with a certain disease or trait. Genetic variants may increase or decrease a persons risk of developing a particular disease.
Using DNA samples from a past clinical trial on Alzheimers disease and three studies on aging and cognition, the scientists scanned complete sets of DNA, or genomes, from more than 5,100 people. The study data included amyloid brain scans, autopsy, and cognition test results. For each person, the scientists compared the amount of amyloid plaque present and the cognitive test results to develop a measurement of resilience. Next, they looked for genetic patterns in the DNA of the people with high resilience scores.
Three genetic variants linked to cognitive resilience were identified near the ATP8B1 gene. This gene makes a protein that helps with liver metabolism, the process of breaking down fats to produce energy for the body. While more research is needed to determine whether the ATP8B1 gene is responsible for resilience, the researchers saw some signs to suggest that lower levels of this protein in the brain and liver may confer cognitive resilience.
The scientists also found that the level of resilience whether it was high or low was associated with genetic patterns for traits related to levels of education, cardiovascular disease risk, and some mental health disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. For example, people with a genetic risk for smoking and a younger age of starting smoking had lower cognitive resilience. Whereas people with genetic traits linked to higher levels of education showed higher cognitive resilience.
This study provides important new insights into the genetics and biological factors that protect some people from the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimers disease and may inform new approaches for treatments. While this was the largest GWAS study to date on cognitive resilience to Alzheimers disease, additional studies are needed with more racial and economic diversity to better reflect the general population.
This research was supported in part by NIA grants F31-AG059345, K01-AG049164, K24-AG046373, K99-AG061238, P30-AG010161, R01-AG003949, R01-AG017216, R01-AG018023, R01-AG025711, R01-AG032990, R01-AG034962, R01-AG046171, R01-AG056534, R01-AG057914, R01-AG059716, R01-AG15819, R01-AG17917, R01-NS100980 R13-AG030995, R21-AG05994, RF1-AG051550, P30-AG19610, P50-AG005136, P50-AG016574, U01-AG006576, U01-AG006786, U01-AG024904, U01-AG032984, U01-AG046139, U01-AG046152, U01-AG061356, U01-AG006781, U24-AG041689, and 3U01-AG024904-09S4.
These activities relate to NIA's AD+ADRD Research Implementation Milestone 2.S, Determine interrelationships among cerebro- and cardiovascular disease, VCID risk factors, aging, resilience, genetics, amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration including along the life course.
Reference: Dumitrescu L, et al. Genetic variants and functional pathways associated with resilience to Alzheimer's disease. Brain. 2020;143(8):2561-2575. doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa209.
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Genetic clues found for cognitive resilience to Alzheimer's disease - National Institute on Aging
Meet the Researcher: Sarah Tsuruo 21 (CLAS) – UConn Today
Sarah Tsuruo came to the University of Connecticut knowing she was interested in biology, citing the positive influence of her high school science teachers. At UConn, she has turned that interest into a productive undergraduate research career.
Tsuruo is a biological sciences major with a double minor in molecular and cell biology and womens, gender and sexuality studies (WGSS). Tsuruo believes her WGSS minor helps inform her understanding of the biology field.
I love talking about the different intersections that no one talks about in biology, Tsuruo says.
Tsuruo knew she wanted to do research as an undergraduate and reached out to professors whose work aligned with her interests, including professor Daniel Bolnick in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB).
When everything matched up, I was really excited to join his lab, Tsuruo says. So here I am three years later.
In Bolnicks lab, Tsuruo studies the interplay between the immune and endocrine systems, which led to a Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) award from UConns Office of Undergraduate Research this past summer. Tsuruo continues to explore how a fibrosis immune response affects sex hormones in stickleback fish.
As someone who wants to pursue a career in medicine, Tsuruo is interested in how these sex-specific immune differences can be translated to humans.
I think the evolutionary and ecology aspects of my EEB lab provides a more holistic picture of health and how that translates to humans, Tsuruo says.
Tsuruo credits Bolnick with helping her understand the work when she first started.
Hes a really incredible mentor who takes the time to break things down, Tsuruo says.
For Tsuruo, this patience and close mentoring is one of the things that prevented her from becoming discouraged and helped her learn about research.
In STEM fields, a lot of undergraduates may be unsupported by the higher ups in the field, so its great to have a mentor who walks you through it, Tsuruo says.
Tsuruo also worked at UConn Health as a clinical research intern with professor Ernst Reichenberger, where she researched quality-of-life measures for keloid patients who suffer from abnormal, tumor-like growths on otherwise healthy skin.
Having the ability to bring a new topic into the research field Im working in and bringing more intersectionality is really exciting, Tsuruo says.
Tsuruos ability to bridge fields and topics is also evident in her work in the community. Through a Change Grant, Tsuruo developed a trauma-informed STEM curriculum for children in a domestic violence shelter this past summer. These children often have different classroom needs from those who have not experienced that kind of trauma. She says she was inspired to take on this challenge thanks to her experiences as a WGSS minor and STEM mentor at UConns Community Outreach 4H Vernon.
We have to understand how to interact with these kids as appropriate for what theyve been through in the way thats going to help them be the best they can be, Tsuruo says.
The curriculum included a focus on fostering connections between children to form a support network.
Its really useful for these kids to be accepted as they are, she says.
Tsuruo is currently working on her honors thesis where she devised her own question and is performing this independent project in Bolnicks lab.
Tsuruo is looking at the interaction between sex hormones and the immune system. She hopes to discover what tradeoffs organisms make in this interaction in order to optimize survival.
While research can be a challenging puzzle at times, Tsuruo says the end results make the effort worth it.
Once you finally get it, its so rewarding to complete work that is significant and is leading to something, Tsuruo observes.
After graduating from UConn, Tsuruo plans to go to medical school to become a pediatrician or OB-GYN. She intends to continue to incorporate research into her career with a special focus on the social determinants of health.
I think research is very important to my career, Tsuruo says.
Tsuruo recommends undergraduates interested in joining a lab take the time to find one that aligns with their interests.
Its really important to give yourself the confidence you need to pick something that fits your goals, Tsuruo says.
One thing Tsuruo has learned from her experiences at UConn is that research calls for determination.
You need to be a quick thinker, resolve problems, and keep working on it, Tsuruo says.
Students interested in learning more about research opportunities at UConn can check out virtual events during the Month of Discovery.
Follow UConn Research on Twitter & LinkedIn.
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Meet the Researcher: Sarah Tsuruo 21 (CLAS) - UConn Today
New blood cancer treatment works by selectively interfering with cancer cell signalling – Science Codex
University of Alberta scientists have identified the mechanism of action behind a new type of precision cancer drug for blood cancers that is set for human trials, according to research published today in Nature Communications.
The research team led by Luc Berthiaume, cell biology professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, spent four years working to understand how the compound PCLX-001 targets enzymes that perform myristoylation, a cellular process in which the fatty acid myristate modifies proteins so they can move to membranes and become part of the cell signalling system.
"The enzymes that transfer myristate onto proteins are overexpressed in some cancer cells, meaning there's more of those enzymes, so they have long been thought of as a logical target for cancer treatment," said Berthiaume, who is also chief scientific officer and co-founder of Pacylex Pharmaceuticals, the U of A spinoff company developing the drug.
"Until now no one has done a thorough analysis of this hypothesis," Berthiaume said. "We actually found that several types of cancer cells have fewer of these enzymes, making them seemingly easier to kill with our lead drug."
To demonstrate this, the researchers tested the drug against 300 different cancer cell types. They reported that blood cancer cells including lymphomas and leukemia, which have fewer of the enzymes, are extremely sensitive to the drug. It also killed other types of cancer cells when given at a higher concentration.
The team found that the drug stopped B-cell lymphoma tumour survival signals, killed B-cell tumour cells in both test-tube and animal experiments, and left non-cancerous cells unharmed, Berthiaume said.
Having completed the necessary biosafety studies, Pacylex plans to initiate Phase 1 trials of PCLX-001 in lymphoma, leukemia, breast and colon cancer patients at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, the B.C. Cancer Centre in Vancouver and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto later this year, Berthiaume said.
"We think PCLX-001 is a compound with a large therapeutic window that can kill the cancer cells at a much lower concentration than what is needed to kill normal cells," he said. "That is the holy grail of cancer therapies.""Because of the highly selective nature of our drug, it's often referred to as a precision medicine, and we anticipate minimal side-effects," he said.
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ONCURIOUS I-O Portfolio Directed at Boosting T Cell Influx and Activity in Solid Tumors Announcing First Preclinical Proof of Concept in Proprietary…
Leuven, Belgium - October 22, 2020-6.45 PM CET, ONCURIOUS NV, a Belgium-based biotech company focused on developing innovative immune-oncology treatments, today presents its strategy directed at boosting T cell migration, infiltration and activity into solid tumors, and announcesthat it has reached preclinical proof of concept and has entered the lead optimization phase with its proprietary CCR8 Treg program.
This important milestone follows Oncurious decision to focus its development activities on a pipeline of promising novel immune-oncology targets and drug discovery projects.
Oncurious scientists, in collaboration with world-class immuno-oncology experts in T cell and endothelial cell biology Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bergers (VIB-KU Leuven), Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven) and Prof. Dr. Jo Van Ginderachter (VIB-VUB), and the drug discovery unit at VIB, are building a pipeline of proprietary investigational I-O therapies withdistinct mode of actions.
The team has discovered a potent and diverse panel of leads targeting human CCR8, has reached preclinical proof of concept and is entering the final lead optimization stages nearing preclinical candidate selection. Oncurious is now accelerating its efforts towards initiation of preclinical development of the therapeutic antibody program in early 2021.
CCR8 has been validated to be a tumor-infiltrating Treg-specific marker in solid tumors in both patients and animal models, making it the preferred target for therapeutic depletion of Tregs in cancer.
Oncurious CCR8 leads have been generated using an antibody technology platformthat has been validated and used for more than a decade to generate high quality binders against G-protein coupled receptors. Molecules discovered using this technology were tested in several preclinical tumor models, and showed that targeting CCR8, depleted Tregs specifically in the tumor microenvironment and resulted in strong anti-tumor responses in monotherapy as well as in combination with anti-PD1. The treatments led to the establishment of immunological memory.
Next to the anti-CCR8 program, Oncurious is focusing on 2 other programs aimed at boosting anti-tumor T cell influx and activity in immune excluded tumors. Exclusion of T cells is an immunosuppressive mechanism commonly used by cancers to evade the immune system and as such is an attractive target for new therapeutic modalities.
The company expects to make further announcements regarding its progress in the near future.
Patrik De Haes, M.D., Executive Chairman of ONCURIOUS NVcomments, I am excited about the future of Oncurious based on its portfolio of novel, differentiated I-O therapies. The companys approach is to generate novel drug candidates to treat immune excluded solid tumors that are not adequately addressed by immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are rapidly becoming the mainstay of cancer therapy. Today we are announcing significant progress in both hit and lead generation against novel I-O targets, including CCR8, which we believe could play a key role in the development of innovative immunotherapies to overcome solid tumor resistance. Working with leading scientists in the field, we aim to be at the forefront of a new wave of the I-O revolution and are confident that by delivering on our goals we can build Oncurious into a company of significant value in the years ahead. We look forward to updating you on our further progress.
Jrme Van Biervliet, Managing Director at VIB comments: We are very pleased to see Oncurious anti-CCR8 antibody reach this important step towards preclinical development, not least thanks to the model collaboration with VIB Discovery Sciences. Side-by-side with the Oncurious team, they are accelerating a promising pipeline of investigational immuno-oncology therapies.
- END
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About ONCURIOUS
Oncurious is a Belgium-based biotech company focused on developing innovative oncology treatmentsderived froma series of promising new targets that are designed to enhance T cell activity, migration and influx into resistant tumour sites, boosting the patients own immune response against cancer. The company's lead immuno oncology asset is a Treg-depleting asset, targeting a protein specifically expressed on Tregs in the tumour microenvironment. The program is in lead optimization. The company's two other programs are focused on T cell migration and are in the discovery stages.
Immuno-oncology made a major step forward in the treatment of cancer with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are expected to represent a market opportunity of $50bn by 2025 (GlobalData 2020). Despite this clinical and commercial success, there remains an important need to develop new I-O approaches that improve efficacy, overcome resistance, and that can synergize with checkpoint inhibitors so that more patients with solid tumors can benefit from these life-saving therapies.
Oncurious' early stage pipeline of novel immune-oncology programs offer the potential to overcome tumor resistance mechanisms, that current immune checkpoint inhibitors cannot address, and thereby significantly enhance the responses to immunotherapy across multiple tumor types.
More information: http://www.oncurious.com
About VIBVIB is an excellence-based entrepreneurial research institute in life sciences located in Flanders, Belgium. VIBs basic research leads to new and innovative insights into normal and pathological life processes. It unites the expertise of all its collaborators and research groups in a single institute, firmly based on its close partnership with 5 Flemish universities (Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Hasselt University) and supported by a solid funding program from the Flemish government.
VIB has an excellent track record on translating basic scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. Since its foundation in 1996, VIB has created 25 start-up companies, now employing over 900 people. The link between basic research and valorisation has made VIB a catalyst for the ever-growing biotech hotspot in Flanders. In recent years, numerous biotech companies both large and small have settled down in the region, thanks to top-notch infrastructure set up and provided by VIB and the ready availability of new scientific talent from the VIB labs.
More information: http://www.vib.be
USC biological imaging innovator elected to National Academy of Medicine > News > USC Dornsife – USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and…
Provost Professor Scott Fraser is recognized for developing technology that provides unprecedented views of live organisms, from embryonic development to old age. [3 min read]
Provost Professor Scott Fraser, a recognized innovator whose inventions have found wide use in both scientific and clinical settings, is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. (Photo: No Montes.)
Scott Fraser, Provost Professor of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Physiology and Biophysics, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiology and Ophthalmology, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Fraser, who holds joint appointments at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and USC Viterbi School of Engineering as well as the Elizabeth Garrett Chair in Convergent Bioscience, is one of just 90 researchers chosen from among the worlds leading scientists to become members of the academy.
Professor Scott E. Fraser is a brilliant biophysicist and innovator, said USC Provost Charles F. Zukoski. He is being recognized for groundbreaking advancements in biology and medicine. His research, which centers on imaging and molecular analyses of intact biological systems, serves as inspiration for future generations of engineers, scientists and medical professionals.
Among the reasons for his election, the academy noted Frasers work integrating biophysics, quantitative biology, and molecular imaging to enable unprecedented views of normal function and disease in live organisms, from embryonic development to old age.
Ive always been fascinated by interdisciplinary teams that can bring new insights into old problems by combining the insights from science, engineering and medicine, Fraser said.
Applying tricks from other fields
Fraser, who earned his bachelors degree in physics and his Ph.D. in biophysics, says he gravitated toward research in biology because there are so many open questions, and so many things that have been thought to be impossible to answer but tricks from other fields make the impossible possible, if the team is willing to tackle it together.
Frasers research delves into early development, organogenesis (the process by which internal organs emerge and develop) and medical diagnostics. His work has spawned several start-up companies and has been used in a number of instruments and FDA-approved diagnostics.
We keep our eyes open to translation of the work in the lab to industrial and clinical utility, he said, adding that USCs Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering and USC Viterbis National Science Foundation-funded Innovation Corps node have both played key roles and offered important instruction on how to best bring their work to potential customers.
In the last year, our IP (intellectual property) has been licensed by a half-dozen different companies, he said. So, we know the work can lead to new instruments, new diagnostics and new techniques.
Fraser said his team works diligently to ensure collaborators in scientific and clinical fields also benefit from their efforts.
We have built the Translational Imaging Center on the University Park campus and the Translational Biomedical Imaging Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to help support users with interests in fields ranging from regenerative medicine to cancer and diabetes. This is already empowering them to make new insights into their research challenges.
What we hope to do is to make it possible for researchers and clinicians to have aha moments, when they can see things for the first time.
A career highlighted by innovation
After earning his Ph.D. in 1979, Fraser joined the faculty at the University of California, Irvine, where he rose through the ranks to become chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. In 1990, he moved to Caltech to serve as the Anna L. Rosen Professor of Biology and the director of the Biological Imaging Center. There, he served as the founding director of both the Caltech Brain Imaging Center and the Rosen Center for Biological Engineering and helped found the Kavli Nanoscience Institute.
In Fall 2012, Fraser moved to USC as Provost Professor at USC Dornsife and USC Viterbi, with formal links to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Keck School of Medicine of USC. He serves as the director of science initiatives for USC as well as co-director of the Bridge Institute at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience.
A prolific author and inventor, Fraser has more than 240 peer-reviewed articles and more than 75 issued patents to his credit. He is the recipient of numerous honors and has been elected to the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the European Academy of Science.
About the National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine, and the natural, social and behavioral sciences. Election to the academy recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
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Homes Become Research Labs for Students Studying Opioid Addiction and Pain – Rutgers-Camden NewsNow
Nathan Fried and Ed Waddell assemble lab in a box supplies for students to conduct research at home.
By Jeanne Leong
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdoses killed more than 46,000 people in 2018. Even in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, opioid addiction remains a serious public health issue throughout the United States.
Students in a Rutgers UniversityCamden biology class are working to better understand the neuroscience related to this crisis, thanks to an innovative program that allows them to conduct research from home.
People are struggling with addiction and the loss of loved ones, says Nathan Fried, a Rutgers UniversityCamden assistant teaching professor of biology. It has touched personally each and every one of us.
Fried, a neuroscientist who researches chronic pain and how humans perceive pain, is leading a remote learning course for undergraduates this fall to study the neuroscience of pain and addiction to opioids. From basic cell function to how a neuron communicates from one location to another to deliver pain signals, RutgersCamden students in the Neuroscience of the Opioid Epidemic course are learning how addiction works within the brain.
The Neuroscience of the Opioid Epidemic class meets on Zoom for lectures and discussions about their research
The lab component of the course allows students to conduct research in their homes. Each of the 18 students mostly first-year students conducting research for the first time have received a lab in a box to set up a home laboratory to study pain and addiction in Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly. The supplies, including fruit flies, a microscope, pipettes, and other tools, allow students to perform experiments as they would working in an on-campus lab.
Once they have learned a little bit about cell biology, neuroscience, chronic pain, and these mechanisms of addiction, they can start putting together this larger picture of all of the foundational things that are necessary to understand the opioid epidemic from a public health perspective, explains the RutgersCamden scientist.
Edward Waddell delivering lab in a box to students
Fried taught a similar in-person class before the pandemic, but now he and Edward Waddell, a University of Pennsylvania PennPORT IRACDA post-doctoral fellow who is teaching the course with Fried, designed the remote learning program to engage students through the challenges of learning virtually during the pandemic.
In this virtual environment, planning is essential, Fried said. I think its the same thing for students. When they were in the physical environment, they could just come in to class and see what we are doing today. So many people prepare on the fly, but in this virtual environment, we all have to plan extensively to be able to overcome the hurdles to make this a worthwhile experience.
I am grateful for the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate, says Bradley Mahler, a first-year history major from Laurel Springs. I am interested in how the seminar will address one of the issues that our country continues to deal with.
Bradley Mahler
Remote learning has been challenging for students and faculty, but Fried says he is surprised to see what he calls this wonderful energy flow happening in the class discussions that he usually experiences in an in-person class.
Students are going back and forth, they are highly engaged, and you see the gears moving in their heads, Fried explains. Students are still having those ah ha! moments, life-changing moments that change perspectives. Its gratifying to know that RutgersCamden can provide students with those crucial moments in this virtual environment.
Ashley Smigocki
RutgersCamden junior Ashley Smigocki, who plans a career in health care working with underserved populations, is interested in learning more about addictions.
I believe that the experience of scientific research and interactions with others in a scientific context will give me skills that I will apply for the rest of my academic journey, says Smigocki, a psychology major from Mount Laurel.
During the global pandemic, all national and international research conferences are now virtual, offering a unique opportunity for students in this Rutgers UniversityCamden class to attend a professional biology conference. In December, RutgersCamden students will participate in the conference of the American Society for Cell Biology and the European Molecular Biology Organization to hear from professionals in the discipline. Students will critique selected scientific talks from the conference for the final exam in Frieds course.
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Homes Become Research Labs for Students Studying Opioid Addiction and Pain - Rutgers-Camden NewsNow
UConn faculty reflect on surveillance testing efforts, look to the future – UConn Daily Campus
Rachel ONeill, professor of molecular and cell biology, Kendra Maas, facility scientist at the University of Connecticuts MARS and Suzanne Onorato, executive director of student health and wellness, touched on the success of UConns fall testing efforts and discussed their hopes and plans for the spring.
ONeill began by providing a brief description of why the saliva testing effort is valuable. In essence, she said the pooled testing efforts were done to more efficiently utilize resources while working with UConns low positivity rate.
The overarching goal of this whole collective program is to reduce costs significantly and save critical, clinical-level tests for symptomatic or high-positivity rate areas, ONeill said. Right now, were at a really low positivity rate, so its an ideal approach to take.
Maas further emphasized UConns successful numbers so far. She said this reflects students general willingness to follow CDC guidelines and regulations.
I can say that, so far, the surveillance screening that we have done has been remarkably low positives, and thats been reflected by follow-up point of care tests and that percentage that were seeing at UConn, which is lower than the state, so we can say that students are doing a good job of following those CDC guidelines, Maas said.
In addition to the group testing being done, Onorato wanted to draw attention to Dr. Maass work with wastewater sampling. Onorato said they hope to expand this test to get even more accurate readings of where the COVID-19 increase may have originated.
When a particular wastewater site begins to have an increase in the presence of COVID, we then deploy pooled sampling to screen those students who reside in that area, Onorato said. This then allows for us to locate the positive cases early on and allows for rapid containment of the spread of COVID. We would like to continue to both create more local sources for wastewater testing in order to get even closer to the source with our pooled sampling.
ONeill said one of the major challenges they have faced so far has been clearly communicating everything to students. She said it is their responsibility to convey information to students well.
Weve actually done collaborations with amazing teams on campus who are going to help us translate this information and make it publicly available because I think it is our responsibility to translate that information and allow people to know this is the level when you should be worried, and this is more informational and we need to be keeping track, ONeill said.
ONeill also said it was important to note the expanse of the program and the amount of collaboration it has required. In particular, she noted the work done by UConn facilities to help Dr. Maas install her wastewater monitoring systems.
This project has been collaborative and huge. Its involved many, many groups on campus who have been incredible at stepping up to try to protect the safety of the students, ONeill said. Facilities have been right there every step of the way helping Kendra put these wastewater monitoring systems in place. Its just been absolutely incredible to watch.
Maas wanted to draw attention to the work being done by the student body as well. She said she has several UConn students, both graduate and undergraduate, assisting with her work.
All of the technicians who are doing this are students, Maas said. I have three masters grad students who do most of the lab work, and then I have a couple of undergrads who are helping collect samples and distribute tubing. This is all students.
Onorato spoke about future testing plans and the potential expansion of surveillance testing. She said this would likely be done in addition to educational efforts that showed proper strategies for the UConn student body regarding COVID-19.
ISG is also interested in expanding the surveillance testing strategy across campus in order to meet an increasing desire for expanded testing as well as promoting education to the broader student community regarding UConns COV2 strategy (through a new partnership with the newly establishedDxGroupat UConn), Onorato said. We are also considering a more routine pooled sampling approach for our residential student population.
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UConn faculty reflect on surveillance testing efforts, look to the future - UConn Daily Campus