Articles
Building interdisciplinary bridges to study intercellular bridges
Dr Amy Shaub Maddox from the University of North Carolina is leading a diverse team of researchers to uncover the properties of intercellular bridges within multinucleated cells. Known as syncytia, cells with interconnected nuclei can be found in model organisms such as Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans as well as more complex organisms, including humans. Dr Maddox has also placed significant […]
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Peatlands’ past suggests fast-changing future
Minimising and mitigating the effects of global climate change rely on accurate predictions of future climate, vegetation changes, and feedbacks between the Earth and its atmosphere. Prof Sara Hotchkiss, of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and Prof Robert Booth, of Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, have investigated the effects of climate change on an overlooked landscape, the kettle hole ecosystems of […]
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Synthetic cells have senses too
What defines a living cell? How to capture the molecular essence of life? These fundamental questions underpin the collaborative research programme led by Prof Allen Liu at the University of Michigan and Prof Vincent Noireaux at the University of Minnesota. The pair uses molecular components to construct prototypes of synthetic cells displaying the minimal characteristics of life. Their ‘cell analogs’ […]
Crystal clear: how topography affects crystal formation
Dr Hugo Christenson is a Reader in the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group at the University of Leeds. His present research interests lie in crystallisation – an important process across multiple areas of science. Specifically, Dr Christenson’s work provides in-depth insight into why crystals first form in topographical defects, like cracks and crevices. Have you ever sat on a park […]
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From ears to engineering
Sometimes the solutions to engineering questions have already been answered – by animals! Rather than ‘reinvent the wheel,’ therefore, Professor James Windmill and his lab team at the University of Strathclyde choose to learn from some of the remarkable feats of engineering found in the natural world. In particular, his research focuses on using ideas from insect hearing to develop […]
Impaired theory of mind associated with very preterm birth – an invisible handicap
Dr Margot Taylor, Director of Functional Neuroimaging at the Hospital for Sick Children and Professor at the University of Toronto, is investigating how very preterm (VPT) birth impacts social cognitive function including Theory of Mind (ToM), a skill that enables us to appreciate that perspectives and beliefs of others can differ from our own. By using neuroimaging techniques, Dr Taylor […]
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Community collaborations targeting breast cancer
Dr Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch directs the California Breast Cancer Research Program of the University of California. Her latest work with the QuickStart programme in California offers coaching for partnership teams formed between communities and academics to conduct participatory research. With a focus on the environmental factors in breast cancer and social disparities in breast cancer, she has forged an important partnership […]
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Raising antibodies against protein complexes
Dr John LaCava of The Rockefeller University has identified a gap in the current availability of target-specific antibodies for the analysis of intracellular protein-protein interactions. Using the latest antibody production techniques, alongside immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, he aims to identify important interactions between transcription factors and other macromolecules which are implicated in disease. Proteins are vital for the inner workings […]
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A shining light in the fight against childhood leukaemia?
Dr C. James Lim, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, as well as Investigator at the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program at British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada. His research group aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying acquired resistance to chemotherapy in childhood malignancies, with the goal of identifying new treatment […]
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Computational methods of researching cancer treatments
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms have the potential to bring substantial advances in the fields of research exploring complex diseases and trying to identify effective treatments. Dr Benjamin Haibe-Kains, working at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, has spent over a decade developing machine learning tools and databases that could help scientists gain a better understanding of […]
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