Focus: Hidden - Massachusetts

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Kelly M. Greenhill, Ph.D., a political science professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship to further her research on how rumors, conspiracy theories, myths, propaganda, and entertainment media influence the beliefs and decision-making of individuals and governments. The NEH, which announced the fellowship today, is one of the largest independent funders of humanities programs in the United States.

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Researchers have discovered a possible explanation for a genetic error that causes over a dozen neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders.

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High school girls with body image behavioral misperceptions are more likely to have had at least one alcoholic drink, as well as engaged in episodes of heavy drinking, than their peers without these misperceptions.

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EMMC Cancer Care, located at the Lafayette Family Cancer Center (Brewer, Maine), is the newest member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative. Participation in the Collaborative reflects a demonstrated commitment to excellence by meeting a wide array of standards and best practices.

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Rhabdoid tumors are among the most recalcitrant childhood cancers, and scientists have long sought ways to understand what drives their resilience and makes them impervious to treatment. Now researchers from Harvard Medical School, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and elsewhere have uncovered a molecular chain of events that interferes with a key mechanism that regulates cell behavior and controls tumor formation.

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A personalized cancer vaccine markedly improved outcomes for patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a potentially lethal blood cancer, in a clinical trial led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). The product of a long-term collaboration among investigators at the Cancer Center at BIDMC and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the vaccine stimulated powerful immune responses against AML cells and resulted in protection from relapse in a majority of patients, the team of researchers reported today in Science Translational Medicine.

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When children are falsely successful at games and other challenges, it can lead them to ignore important information in and about the world around them, according to a new study by an Amherst College professor.

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A new commentary cautions that the Food and Drug Administration’s ban on triclosan and 18 other biocidal chemicals that promote antibiotic resistance is only a starting point. Triclosan’s long-term impact, as well the risks substitute chemicals may pose, must also be addressed.

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Patients who choose primary care doctors with low office visit prices can rack up considerable savings on overall health care costs according to new research from Harvard Medical School. The report, published Dec. 5 in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, suggests that low office visit costs may be a reliable indicator of what a patient will pay for a wide range of services and procedures.

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Debi Kleiman, Executive Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College, has been named a finalist of BostInno’s 2016 50 on Fire. The awards are given annually to honor Boston’s inventors, disrupters, luminaries, and newsmakers across all industries. Winners will be announced and celebrated at the Moakley Courthouse on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

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The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College awards about a dozen entrepreneurs each semester with access to professional and semiprivate workspace to grow their ventures. As part of the Butler Venture Accelerator, the undergraduate and graduate hatcheries provide a vibrant atmosphere conducive to sharing ideas and information amongst student entrepreneurs.

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Stephen Elledge, the Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, has been named a 2017 recipient of the Breakthrough Prize, which recognizes paradigm-shifting discoveries in the life sciences, physics and mathematics.  Elledge is being honored for his wide-ranging contributions across multiple fields in biology.

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The Schlesinger Fund for Global Health Entrepreneurship at Babson College is partnering with the National Association for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals, USAID, and other partner organizations to host Haiti, Entrepreneurship, and Global Health: An Evening to Act, supporting the Diaspora Challenge Initiative. The event will be held on Monday December 5, 2016 at the Babson Wellesley campus.

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Researchers led by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have identified unique genomic changes that may be integral to testicular cancer development and explain why the great majority are highly curable with chemotherapy – unlike most solid tumors.

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This study shows that when patients with PD experience a drop in blood pressure upon standing up – a condition known as orthostatic hypotension (OH) – they exhibit significant cognitive deficits. These deficits reverse when the individual lies down and their blood pressure returns to normal. As a result, these findings are important as clinical providers might miss an important target for intervention when not considering OH as a contributor to cognitive impairment.

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A new study led by researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear found that vestibular thresholds begin to double every 10 years above the age of 40, representing a decline in our ability to receive sensory information about motion, balance and spatial orientation. The report was published online ahead of print in Frontiers in Neurology.

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Learning by taking practice tests, a strategy known as retrieval practice, can protect memory against the negative effects of stress, report scientists from Tufts University in a new study published in Science on Nov. 25.

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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) researchers have identified previously unknown neural circuitry that plays a role in promoting satiety, the feeling of having had enough to eat. The discovery revises the current models for homeostatic control – the mechanisms by which the brain maintains the body’s status quo – of feeding behavior. Published online today in Nature Neuroscience, the findings offer new insight into the regulation of hunger and satiety and could help researchers find solutions to the ongoing obesity epidemic.

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Tufts University School of Dental Medicine celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Tufts Dental Facilities, a network of clinics in Massachusetts that provides comprehensive oral health care for patients with disabilities.

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A newly released on analysis performed over two years by researchers at Harvard Law School outlines key recommendations to improve structural, ethical and legal factors that affect the health of NFL players

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Researchers leading the largest genomic tumor profiling effort of its kind say such studies are technically feasible in a broad population of adult and pediatric patients with many different types of cancer.

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The Susan Lindquist Chair for Women in Science will advance the work of women who are leaders in biomedical research and role models for emerging female scientists. It honors a singular scientist who blazed a path—for women and men alike—into new realms of discovery.

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According to Dr. Julie Bailey, holiday travelers who bring pets along run the risk of compromising their trips or endangering pets, if they don’t plan ahead. Last-minute flyers may not realize airline rules may change, sedative or other drug options for pets depend on advance planning, and pet comfort require preparation.

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An experimental kidney cancer drug outperformed the standard first-line therapy for patients with metastatic disease who are considered at risk for poorer than average outcomes, according to results of a randomized phase II clinical trial by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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A new study led by clinician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) testing the safety and effectiveness of anticoagulant strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo stenting procedures has shown that therapies combining the anticoagulant drug rivaroxaban with either single or dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) were more effective in preventing bleeding complications than the current standard of care.

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NSF funding provides boost to research into the viability of transmitting data through Visible Light Communication. So-called 'Li Fi' is being seen as a possible alternative to Wifi.

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Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how the master transcriptional regulator of the heat shock response, known as heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), is controlled in yeast. Understanding how HSF1 works, how it is regulated, and how to fine tune it in a cell-type specific way could lead to therapies for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Most people struggle with their weight and are less active than ever before. Taken together, this toxic lifestyle can lead to serious health problems. The truth is that 86 million American adults—more than one out of three—have prediabetes. What’s scarier is that nine out of 10 don’t know they have it.

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New nursing leader named at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Anne Gross to start in new role on December 1, 2016.

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A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), in collaboration with scientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and Gilead Sciences, Inc., has demonstrated that combining an experimental vaccine with an innate immune stimulant may help lead to viral remission in people living with HIV. In animal trials, the combination decreased levels of viral DNA in peripheral blood and lymph nodes, and improved viral suppression and delayed viral rebound following discontinuation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). The research team’s findings appeared online today in the journal Nature.

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An epidemiological analysis of data from 1,685 adult Americans finds that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, but not diet soda, is associated with increased risk of prediabetes and increased insulin resistance.

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A gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and nonhuman primates, according to a new study led by neurobiologists at Harvard Medical School.

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Massachusetts Eye and Ear has appointed Daniel B. Polley, Ph.D., leading neuroscientist and hearing researcher, as the first Director of the Lauer Tinnitus Research Center. In this role, Dr. Polley will direct the Center’s efforts to advance research to better understand and treat tinnitus (or “ringing in the ears”), a condition affecting more than 50 million Americans and for which there are currently no widely effective treatments.

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The Babson Entrepreneurship Forum 2016 will take place November 11, 2016 at the Babson College Wellesley campus. Every year, students, faculty, professionals and entrepreneurs from the Boston community gather for this one-day conference to learn and network. Attendees benefit from the latest in entrepreneurial trends, tools, and thought leadership. The Babson Entrepreneurship Forum 2016 is centered on the theme of “Take Action”.

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click to view recent experts and research related to the 2016 Election

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Joslin Diabetes Center investigators are shedding light on how the success of such microbiome treatments may be affected by genetics of the individual or animal being treated.

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The CardioVascular Institute (CVI) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has transformed the delivery of cardiac care with the opening of the new Cardiac Direct Access Unit (CDAc). The first of its kind in New England, the outpatient unit offers immediate evaluation and care, allowing many individuals with heart conditions to avoid preventable and costly Emergency Department visits.

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For millennia, philosophers have struggled to define human consciousness. Now, a team of researchers led by neurologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has pinpointed the regions of the brain that may play a role maintaining it. Their findings, which have already garnered multiple awards from the American Academy of Neurology, were published today in that society’s journal, Neurology.

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While schizophrenia is best known for episodes of psychosis – a break with reality during which an individual may experience delusions and hallucinations – it is also marked by chronic neurocognitive deficits, such as problems with memory and attention. A multi-site cognition study led by psychologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) found that these neurocognitive symptoms are evident prior to the onset of psychosis in a high-risk stage of the disorder called the prodromal phase. The findings suggest that these impairments may serve as early warning signs of schizophrenia, as well as potential targets for intervention that could mitigate the onset of the psychotic disorder and significantly improve cognitive function.

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More than 80 startups will participate in the Babson College Rocket Pitch event for entrepreneurs, Thursday, November 3, 2016 on the Wellesley campus. The 17th annual event showcases Babson (students and alumni), Olin College of Engineering and Wellesley College student entrepreneurs who are invited to pitch their business ideas to a large audience of students, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers.

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Implanted medical devices like catheters, surgical mesh and dialysis systems are ideal surfaces on which bacteria can colonize and form hard-to-kill sheets called biofilms. Known as biofouling, this contamination of devices is responsible for more than half of the 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections in the United States each year.

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Young adult cancer survivors need help navigating health insurance options during open enrollment and beyond. This toolkit helps them understand the basics without becoming overwhelmed.

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Babson College is once again among the top 10 undergraduate schools for salary potential nationwide—this according to the 2016–2017 PayScale College Salary Report.

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New study finds that beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid primarily found in plants, reduces lung cancer development and invasiveness in mouse and cell models. The results support human epidemiological studies associating high beta-cryptoxanthin intake with lower risk of lung cancer in current smokers.

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Researchers using a mouse model of Rett Syndrome find that cortical pyramidal neurons have faults in excitatory and inhibitory signaling; and demonstrate why recombinant human Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 has had therapeutic effects for RTT patients in clinical trials.

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Silencing SIRT2, a member of the sirtuin family of enzymes, reduces the invasiveness of basal-like breast cancer cells in culture and inhibits tumor growth in mice, according to new research led by scientists from Tufts University School of Medicine.

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Opus 12, an innovative environmental startup co-founded by Olin College alumna Etosha Cave, won the Forbes for-profit Change the World Competition at the Under 30 Summit in Boston October 17

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“Sue has meant so much to Whitehead as an institution of science, and as a community of scientists, and her passing leaves us diminished in so many ways,” reflects David C. Page, M.D., Director of Whitehead Institute

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Building on Babson’s leadership in advancing women-led entrepreneurship, the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson launched the WIN Lab in Boston in October 2013 as a first-of-its-kind program designed to help women entrepreneurs launch successful businesses.

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Working with dot-counting mice running through a virtual-reality maze, scientists from Harvard Medical School have found that in order to navigate space rodent brains rely on a cascade of neural signals that culminate in a single decision that prompts the animal to choose one direction over another.