Focus: Hidden - Massachusetts

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Infection is a serious complication of intravenous drug abuse and a major cause of illness and death among intravenous drug users. As the national problem of opioid abuse, including of heroin, continues to grow, new research by clinicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the VA Boston Healthcare System, published today in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, offers new insights into the significant impact of the trend on opioid-related hospitalizations, infectious complications and health care costs.

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Harvard Medical School scientists have developed an improved method for quantifying how sensitive cells are to cancer drugs. The approach works by zeroing in on an important characteristic that current methods do not take into account: the varying rates at which cells divide. The research team, led by Peter Sorger, the Otto Krayer Professor of Systems Pharmacology at HMS and head of the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, published its findings May 2 in Nature Methods.

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In recent years, hospitals have reported dramatic increases in the number of cases of the highly contagious, difficult-to-treat, and often deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Now, investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have developed a promising method of identifying new antimicrobials that target these organisms. The research is published in April issue of the journal ASSAY and Drug Development Technologies.

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Babson College Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Sadie Burton-Goss and Babson College Vice President of Programming and Community Outreach Jane C. Edmonds have been named two of Boston’s most influential minorities who are shaping the region.

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Babson undergraduates Hanson Grant Class of ’16 and Ken Zhang Class of ‘16 have been recognized for their innovative business, Think Board, by the Terry College of Business for the Next Great Consumer Brands Award.

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– Gordon Weir, M.D., Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation Chair, Co-Head of Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been selected as the recipient of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 2016 Albert Renold Award.

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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Barbara B. Kahn, MD, an international leader in the field of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism whose research has identified fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, will receive the 2016 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) at the ADA Scientific Sessions in June.

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In Washington, D.C., stakeholders in frontotemporal dementia came together to apply lessons learned from setbacks of Alzheimer’s drug development to the emerging field of therapy evaluation in FTD.

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For the second time, all four hospitals in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) system have been recognized for their commitments to patient safety with “A” grades in The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2016 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham and Beth Israel Hospital–Plymouth are among only 31 percent of general hospitals in the United States to receive the honor.

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Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have developed a smartphone application that projects a magnified smartphone screen to Google Glass, which users can navigate using head movements to view a corresponding portion of the magnified screen. They have shown that the technology can potentially benefit low-vision users, many of whom find the smartphone’s built-in zoom feature to be difficult to use due to the loss of context.

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Babson College Professor Dessi Pachamanova has co-authored Portfolio Construction and Analytics—a new book from the Frank J. Fabozzi Series of J. Wiley & Sons that provides an up-to-date understanding of the analytic investment process for students and professionals alike.

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Last month, scientists gathered to powwow about where we are with FTD, DLB, and cerebrovascular disorders and how best to target research dollars to them. Researchers articulated funding priorities for each of these diseases, which will inform the next bypass budget, and, hopefully, the next funding allocation.

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Harvard Medical School scientists have found a compound that in laboratory dishes blocks the dengue virus in two ways, raising hopes for a future drug whose dual activity could suppress the otherwise likely emergence of drug resistance. The HMS team, led by Priscilla Yang, an HMS associate professor of microbiology and immunobiology, reported its findings April 21 in Cell Chemical Biology.

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Aaron D. Boes, MD, PhD, Clinical Neuroscience Fellow in the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) received the 2016 S. Weir Mitchell Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) at a ceremony held at the AAN annual meeting in Vancouver. This prestigious honor recognizes a junior investigator based on a manuscript likely to make a significant contribution to the field of neurology.

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Using a novel method, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how mutations that are not located within genes are identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and can contribute to sporadic Parkinson’s disease, the most common form of the condition. The approach could be used to analyze GWAS results for other sporadic diseases with genetic causes, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.

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Babson College’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) announced a partnership with leading business organizations in a new initiative - WE Decide 2016 - created to encourage women in business to raise their voice this election season, and monitor issues of importance to them and their business from now until November 2016.

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Babson College Assistant Professor of Marketing, Lauren Beitelspacher, has been recognized by Poets & Quants as one of the Most Outstanding 40 under 40 Business School Professors.

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Cancer cells often devise ways to survive even in the presence of toxic chemotherapy. Now, a research team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found a way to attack a process that tumor cells use to escape the effects of standard cancer drugs. The discovery is published online today in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

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Babson College again has been named the No. 1 business college for return on investment (ROI) for business majors, according toPayScale Inc., the world’s leading provider of on-demand compensation data and software.

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Knowing the three-dimensional structures of different kinds of proteins, RNA molecules and other building blocks of the body is essential for understanding how those molecules work, what goes wrong in disease and how abnormalities might be fixed. Unfortunately, it can take years and a lot of money to determine structure using the standard experimental methods of X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance.

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Colorectal cancers heavily bedecked with tumor-related proteins called neoantigens are likely to be permeated with disease-fighting white blood cells, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard report in a new study.

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A complication associated with bone marrow transplantation, graft-versus-host-disease occurs when a transplanted immune system attacks certain parts of a host’s body, and may cause severe dry eye and damage to the cornea. A clinical trial at Massachusetts Eye and Ear showed that topical doses of ultra low-dose tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive medication, is equally effective and showed fewer hypertensive side effects in treating ocular symptoms associated with graft-versus-host-disease than methylprednisolone, a steroid medication that may cause a rise in eye pressure and other ocular complications.

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New research in monkeys exposed to SIV, the animal equivalent of HIV, reveals what happens in the very earliest stages of infection, before virus is even detectable in the blood, which is a critical but difficult period to study in humans. The findings, published online today in the journal Cell, have important implications for vaccine development and other strategies to prevent infection.

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A team of MIT researchers received a $300,000 grant to develop a new diagnostic program that could detect leukemia at its earliest stages.

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In a paper published in the April 13 issue of Nature Communications, investigators from Harvard report on a novel biochemical method that enables the rapid and repeated regeneration of selected molecular constituents in situ after device implantation, which has the potential to substantially extend the lifetime of bioactive films without the need for device removal.

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In an emerging field of research, a study in Nature Communications reveals a mechanism in the regulation of lymphangiogenesis. Scientists identified a new target for drug treatment to prevent conditions caused by lymphangiogenesis, which include some blinding eye diseases, organ transplant rejection, and cancer metastasis.

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In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the body’s own insulin-producing cells. Scientists understand reasonably well how this autoimmune attack progresses, but they don’t understand what triggers the attack or how to stop it, says Stephan Kissler, Ph.D., Investigator in the Section on Immunobiology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

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Professors Mark Potter, Marjorie Feld, Ben Luippold, and Scott Taylor have been promoted at Babson College.

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Longer monsoon seasons with increased daily rainfall, aspects of climate change, are contributing to reduced tea yield in regions of China, with implications for crop management and harvesting strategies, according to findings by a global interdisciplinary team led by Tufts University researchers and published online today in Climate.

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Leader in Investments and Transformative Philanthropist Lulu Chow Wang ’66 to be Wellesley College’s 2016 Commencement Speaker

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Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have identified inflammatory factors that contribute to optic nerve damage following keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation in a mouse model. They have also shown that blocking one of the factors, TNFa, leads to a significant decrease in optic nerve cell death, suggesting a new direction for preventing optic nerve damage in patients with keratoprosthesis implants.

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A simple blood test can rapidly and accurately detect mutations in two key genes in non-small cell lung tumors, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other institutions report in a new study – demonstrating the test’s potential as a clinical tool for identifying patients who can benefit from drugs targeting those mutations.

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Eric Johnson ’72, P’08, Chief Executive Officer and President of Baldwin Richardson Food Co., known for his commitment to giving back to organizations that educate and expand opportunities for those facing economic disadvantages, will be inducted into The Babson College Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on April 13, 2016.

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The Lewis Institute at Babson College will honor three entrepreneurs, each creating significant social impact through game-changing business models, with the 2016 Social Innovator Awards. This year’s recipients - Gavin Armstrong, Founder of Lucky Iron Fish™; Bernie Glassman, Founder of Greyston Bakery and the Greyston Foundation; and Bill Bolling, Founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank - will be recognized at a campus event on April 7, 2016.

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Only 15% of children achieve the recommended daily average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and only 8% achieve the school-time recommendation of 30 minutes. Girls, compared to boys, had significantly fewer minutes of physical activity.

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Joseph F. Rizzo III, M.D., has been awarded grant funding as part of the Vision Prosthesis Pilot Study, a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the United States Department of Defense. Director of Neuro-Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rizzo is one of three investigators to receive funding as part of the Vision Prosthesis Pilot Study Awards. His research team will use the support to develop and test a visual prosthesis to restore vision to those with severe visual impairment.

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HMS graduate student and first author Hayden Schmidt describes the strange characteristics of the structure of the sigma-1 receptor, which has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Video: Stephanie Dutchen Sigma-1 isn’t genetically related to any other protein in the human body. It’s the adopted child of the opioid receptor family, preferring mirror image versions of the drugs that bind to “true” opioid receptors.

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Understanding the motivations that drive humans to eat is an important consideration in the development of weight loss therapies. Now a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) helps explain how the diabetes and weight loss drug liraglutide acts on brain receptors to make enticing foods seems less desirable. The findings were recently presented at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, and will appear in the May issue of the journal Diabetologia.

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The Babson Latin American Club announced their list of speakers for the 8th annual Babson Latin American Entrepreneurship Forum on Friday, April 8, 2016. The event, this year named ‘Decision Makers’, will convene Latin American leaders and participants to share their views on entrepreneurship and business in the region.

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Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have shown an association between a defective myogenic response — the regulatory increase or decrease in blood pressure to keep blood flow within the vessels of the retina constant — and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. These findings, published online today in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, identify one mechanism to explain why some patients develop diabetic retinopathy sooner than others. Furthermore, the findings provide a target for future study, which may lead to therapies to delay or prevent the development of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy.

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The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College is hosting the annual B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action®) Challenge, recognizing major milestones Babson businesses have achieved by taking action.

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In obesity, the body’s immune system can treat tissues as if they are suffering from a low-grade chronic infection. This obesity-induced inflammation is an important contributor to insulin resistance, a condition that can progress into type 2 diabetes.

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Cancer cells are notorious for their genomes gone haywire, often yielding fusion proteins — mash-ups of two disparate genes that, once united, assume new and harmful capabilities. Exactly how such genome scrambling impacts RNA, particularly the vast and mysterious world of non-coding RNA, has been largely unexplored. Now, a team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers some early answers by studying an intriguing class of non-coding RNAs known as circular RNAs.

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Babson College announces the appointment of Michael D. Johnson as provost. Johnson comes to Babson from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, where he is the Bradley H. Stone Dean and E.M. Statler Professor.

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Massachusetts Eye and Ear has awarded five research grants through the Curing Kids Fund to support projects aimed at advancing treatments for pediatric diseases related to the institution’s areas of expertise.

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Scott A. Armstrong, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned pediatric hematologist/oncologist, has been named Chair of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School.

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Assistant professor Javier Apfeld plumbs the cellular mechanisms driving the aging process in worms, uncovering insights that could increase our own longevity.

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Nearly 1 million people in the United States receive coronary artery stents each year. Nearly all stent patients are expected to take dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) using the combination of aspirin and a second antiplatelet medication to prevent the formation of blood clots. Exactly how long patients should receive DAPT has been debatable.

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Through an agreement with City Year, Fellows in the Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Service Learning program will now be able to serve in urban school districts in the U.S. Tufts 1+4 offers accepted applicants the chance to learn from a year of service before starting as undergraduates at Tufts. This is City Year's first formal relationship with a university bridge-year program.

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Linda Carli's "Stereotypes About Gender and Science: Women ≠ Science” shows that despite significant progress made, women are still thought to lack the qualities needed to be successful scientists, and the findings suggest this may contribute to discrimination and prejudice against women in those fields.