A ubiquitous environmental chemical may impair female reproductive capacity, according to a study published online on December 2, 2010, in Environmental Health Perspectives. Fertility decreased over time in female mice that had been exposed during fetal and neonatal development to doses of bisphenol-A (BPA) that were comparable to human environmental levels.
For the first time, researchers have made the antibiotic erythromycin A, and two variants, using E. coli as the production host. This is a cost-effective way to make erythromycin A and new drugs to combat antibiotic resistant pathogens. The E. coli host also offers next-generation engineering opportunities for other products with complex biosynthetic pathways.
Breast cancer stem cells, the aggressive cells thought to be resistant to current anti-cancer therapies and which promote metastasis, are stimulated by estrogen via a pathway that mirrors normal stem cell development. Disrupting the pathway, researchers were able to halt the expansion of breast CSCs, a finding that suggests a new drug therapy target. The study, done in mice, is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Early Edition.
A promising new approach to immunization might reduce costs and enable thousands more people around the world to be vaccinated. A team led by researchers at Tufts University developed a vaccine for rotavirus that can be administered through nasal drops. The study in mice, published in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, induced a potent immune response and prevented infection.
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts Univeristy has launched a certificate program designed to build on the core skills, knowledge, and experience of public relations professionals.
A class of compounds that interferes with cell signaling pathways may provide a novel approach to cancer treatment, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Early Edition. The compounds, called PITs, limited tumor growth in mice by inducing cell death.
Researchers from Tufts pooled data from five epidemiological studies to investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in two Boston neighborhoods. Among children born in the United States, low socioeconomic status and exposure to mice and cockroaches were both associated with increased risk of asthma. Neither association was present in children born outside of the United States.
People who consume several servings of whole grains per day while limiting daily intake of refined grains appear to have less of a type of fat tissue thought to play a key role in triggering cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, a new study from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University suggests
A change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in distant pigment cells. This metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. Discovery of this novel bioelectric signal and cell type may help fight cancer, vitiligo and birth defects.
Tufts biologists have regenerated spinal cord and muscle by using a drug cocktail to trigger an influx of sodium ions into injured cells. This approach requires no gene therapy and can be administered after injury has occurred. The treatment applies most directly to spinal cord repair and limb loss. Proof of principle may apply to many tissues.
The Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has issued a landmark report from a multi-state study which calls for a national approach and resources for psychotropic medication oversight for youth in foster care.
Multi-disciplinary program to examine relationship between environmental, animal, human health.
A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. Neuroscientists report that a protein called APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory.
A new study describes a novel pathway of angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Targeting the new pathway, scientists identified two approaches that significantly reduced angiogenesis in mice. These discoveries may lead to novel treatments for diseases caused by excessive angiogenesis, including corneal graft rejection, age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and diabetes.
In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls. The study brings researchers closer to a non-viral gene therapy treatment for degenerative eye disorders.
Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that regulates the processing of microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that regulate cell growth, development, and stress response. The discovery helps researchers understand the links between miRNA expression and chronic disease.
Nutrition security is the focus of Tufts University's 5th Annual Friedman School Symposium, scheduled for November 5-6, 2010 in Boston.
Your teeth need more than daily brushing and flossing. Tufts researchers debunk six dental myths and discuss the role nutrition plays in oral health.
Tougher than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty, silk is a masterpiece of nature so far unmatched in the lab. In the July 30, 2010, issue of Science, Tufts University biomedical engineers report that success unraveling silk's secrets is taking this material from textiles to high-tech, with advances in medicine, electronics and optics.
Biologists studying caterpillars reported a unique two-body locomotion system never previously reported in any animal. The Tufts-led team found the gut of the crawling caterpillar moved forward independently and in advance of the surrounding body wall and legs, not with them. Understanding this motion may impact robotics and human biomechanics.
Tufts University has named neuroscientist Joanne Berger-Sweeney as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. She comes to Tufts from Wellesley College, where she was Associate Dean of the College and the Allene Lummis Russell Professor in Neuroscience. She is widely recognized for her efforts to increase diversity in the biological sciences.
With current public health threats ranging from swine flu to bioterrorism to environmental contamination, innovations that better predict disease outbreaks have vast potential to protect the public. Researchers describe their vision for the future of disease surveillance, detailing innovations on the horizon that may facilitate earlier detection and improved public health preparedness.
New research reveals the unusual structure of a key protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells. This close-up of the herpes virus’s “cell-entry machinery” sheds light on how herpes viruses work and provides a promising new target for antiviral drugs.
Tufts Assistant Professor of Biology Mitch McVey and his research team report that DNA polymerase theta, or PolQ, promotes an inaccurate repair process for double-strand breaks, which can ultimately cause mutations, cell death or cancer. Findings have potential to advance development of new cancer drugs.
Staying in shape may bolster the metabolic profiles of first-year college students, even in those with higher than desirable body fat percentages. An epidemiological study from Tufts University found an association between physical fitness, body fat percentage and certain metabolic risk factors.
Four Tufts graduate students have won $10,000 from the Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge for their research into solutions to some of the world's most urgent social, economic and environmental challenges.Tufts is one of a select number of universities that participate annually in the global competition established by Dow Chemical Co. in 2009.
Research of how Galapagos marine iguanas respond to El Niño could provide insight into how wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico will respond to the current oil spill. In emergencies, animals secrete corticosterone to help them cope. However, prolonged hormone production can also be lethal.
Researchers have zeroed in on a protein that may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The team found that increasing levels of the protein prevented the accumulation of an enzyme linked to Alzheimer’s. The strategy may lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.
A review article describes the carcinogenic effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol A (BPA). Researchers express the need for more complex strategies for studying how these chemicals affect health but report that ample evidence supports changing public health and environmental policies to protect the public, particularly the developing fetus and women of reproductive age.
Tufts trustee emeritus and member of the class of 1950 Edward Merrin and his wife have committed $30M for financial aid at Tufts, on the occasion of Merrin's 60th reunion. This will ultimately create a scholarship fund honoring Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow.
With the rising childhood obesity and associated chronic disease rates posing a serious health threat to American school children, leading nutrition researchers call for developing a modernized home economics curriculum centered on food preparation and nutrition education in schools.
Tufts University has received a $9.5 million grant to create research space for a Collaborative Cluster in Genome Structure & Developmental Patterning in Health & Disease. Research will focus on genome structure and stability, developmental & regenerative biology & tissue engineering.
An in vivo study shows for the first time that there is a local stress-response system within the cochlea that mirrors the signaling pathways of the body’s fight or flight response. This hormone-like signaling system of the inner ear sets baseline hearing sensitivity and helps protect against noise-induced hearing loss.
Best practices for managing medical emergencies in dental clinics have evolved over the past decade to account for advances in knowledge and the development of new medications and medical equipment. A Tufts clinician offers dental providers an updated emergency preparedness checklist and information on emergency medications and equipment.
Biologists have discovered that, contrary to their name, hermit crabs may find new housing using previously unknown social networking skills. These behaviors may shed light on other animals that rely on discrete, reusable resources, from hole-nesting woodpeckers to city apartment dwellers.
Pericytes, cells surrounding capillaries, may use mechanical forces to initiate blood vessel “sprouting” called angiogenesis, according to researchers at Tufts and MIT. The researchers are among the first to examine how mechanical signaling by pericytes is related to angiogenesis, which contributes to the progression of cancer, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration.
An analysis of hospitalization records for adults age 65 and over found that seasonal flu tends to move in traveling waves, peaking earliest in western states and moving east. New England states tend to have the latest peak in seasonal flu. The public health research team detected patterns between peak timing and intensity of seasonal flu. The findings may help healthcare providers prepare for flu outbreaks in this vulnerable population.
Researchers at Tufts Medical Center and collaborators discovered a new biological pathway for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that implicates a role of the hepatic lipase gene, LIPC. This discovery will improve understanding of the disease by providing researchers another developmental pathway to explore for prevention and treatment.
Educating individuals about the costs of healthcare could save money and lead to a more efficient use of the healthcare system, reports a new study. The authors note that healthcare reform offers an unprecedented opportunity to provide incentives to use the healthcare system efficiently and to educate people about the effects of their behavior on overall healthcare costs.
Promising research on superconducting materials, near infra-red spectroscopy, and nanotechnology has earned three faculty at Tufts University's School of Engineering prestigious early career awards from the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy.
Strategy proven for botulism; may lead to improved therapies for many toxins and some chronic diseases.
Simple, common, and mostly inexpensive genetic tests available for most breeds.
Lawrence S. Bacow has announced that he will step down from the presidency of Tufts University in June 2011, after 10 years of service.
Researchers have developed a new tool to deliver DNA in gene therapy. DNA delivered to the retina with a peptide called PEG-POD was expressed 215 times more efficiently than delivery of DNA alone. The finding highlights PEG-POD as a tool for non-viral gene therapy treatments for eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
A study done by Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine finds a large range in calorie content, density, and serving size among weight-control diets for pets.
Breast cancer researchers have identified the progenitor cell that gives rise to the most common form of breast cancer. Using a mouse model, the researchers found that inhibiting a protein essential to these progenitor cells prevented mammary tumor formation. The discovery may provide a new target for breast cancer drugs.
A Tufts University study analyzes the calorie content of 18 side dishes and entrees from national sit-down chain restaurants, 11 side dishes and entrees from national fast food restaurants and 10 frozen meals purchased from supermarkets. Researchers compared their results to the calorie content information provided to the public by the restaurants and food companies.
A canine chromosome 7 locus that confers a high risk of compulsive disorder susceptibility has been identified through a collaboration between the Behavior Service at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the Program in Medical Genetics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The findings are published in the January 2010 edition of Nature Molecular Psychiatry.
Daniel Dennett of Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences has been selected as an AAAS Fellow for transformational contributions to philosophy of the cognitive sciences and philosophy of biology, which have become the most rapidly advancing fields in philosophy of science.
To give his students the hands-on experience of studying water beneath the Earth's surface, Tufts Geology Professor Grant Garven took the ambitious step of having a system of underground boreholes installed on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus. Monitoring wells are uncommon on university campuses in the Boston area. Garven's project will twill enhance his students' understanding of hydrogeology – which is the study of how water moves underground through soil and bedrock.
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