university health sciences

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) A study shows promise in slowing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Tufts researchers demonstrate for the first time that a gene therapy approach to deliver CD59, an inhibitor of complement, can significantly reduce uncontrolled blood vessel growth and cell death that is typical in AMD, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) Patients infected with cancer-causing HPV may someday have an alternative to surgical and harsh chemical treatments, thanks to research being done at Tufts University School of Medicine.

In a study published online in the FASEB Journal, researchers report on the development of a protein-based inhibitor that could provide a topical treatment for HPV.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) The circadian system that controls sleep patterns is regulated by glial brain cells called astrocytes, according to a study published in Current Biology.

Neuroscientists from Tufts found that disruption of astrocyte function in fruit flies led to altered daily rhythms, an indication that these cells contribute to the control of circadian behavior.

These results provide, for the first time, a tractable genetic model to study the role of astrocytes in circadian rhythms and sleep disorders.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) A paper, "Association of Episodic Physical and Sexual Activity With Triggering of Acute Cardiac Events," published in the March 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), highlights research done by Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) researchers Jessica K.

Paulus, ScD, and Issa J. Dahabreh, MD. This paper was also developed into a JAMA Report video, available on the Tufts CTSI website.

Broadcast formats are available at www.thejamareport.com.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) Researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine have received US patent approval for an antibody-based treatment for hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal outcome of E. coli poisoning and the leading cause of kidney failure in children.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) Tufts University announces the public launch of the Tufts Institute for Biomedical Partnerships website/HUB: www.tuftspharmapartners.org The Institute is university-wide, global pharmaceutical partnering initiative designed to create and manage a diverse portfolio of drug discovery and development partnerships.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) Abraham L. (Linc) Sonenshein, Ph.D., professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and member of the genetics and molecular microbiology program faculties at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts has been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow.

In ongoing work, he is using the harmless B. subtilis bacterium as the basis for low-cost, needle-free and heat-stable vaccines.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) 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 early edition.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) 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.

(Tufts University, Health Sciences) A review article describes the carcinogenic effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol A.

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.