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Illuminating the flu: A new technology could make it easier for researchers to fight a host of diseases

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Photo of AIR platform device

A prototype of the AIR platform, which monitors
strains of the flu virus in order to develop effective
vaccines. [Permission granted by Benjamin Miller]

To stop a flu epidemic before it starts, you’ve got to know your enemy. But for epidemiologists and vaccine developers involved in the annual fight against the flu, it’s not enough to identify the mere presence of a flu virus. You’ve got to know exactly which virus you’re dealing with and how widely it has spread.

Figuring that out can be costly and difficult for scientists racing to contain a highly contagious disease, but an innovative, newly-patented test that needs only a drop of blood and a silicon chip offers hope for speeding up the process. And its inventor thinks his device, which may be on the market as early as next year, could be useful for detecting other diseases, too.

“What really excites me is having this tool that people come up to me with exciting applications that I haven’t thought of — that really is neat to me,” says Benjamin Miller, a dermatologist at the University of Rochester in New York.

Read More: Illuminating the flu: A new technology could make it easier for researchers to fight a host of diseases

Thomas Mariani Authors Study on Infant Nose, Lung Cells

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Cells from an infant's nose are remarkably similar to those found in the lungs, a discovery that could lead to much more precise diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other infant lung diseases, according to new URMC research.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, provides a potential avenue for diagnosis that has challenged physicians for years, as infants with respiratory disease are usually so fragile that attempting to obtain lung samples is unsafe. Nasal cells, however, can be captured through a simple swab of the nostril, and their similarity to lung cells on an RNA level would allow physicians to get an accurate representation of how the lung is responding during disease states, without the need for more invasive tests.

"An infant with RSV could potentially have their nasal cells tested to determine if they are among the small group that will develop a severe response that might require hospitalization," said Thomas Mariani, Ph.D., professor of Pediatrics and the study's lead author. "Additionally, we could potentially use this method to examine other at-risk infants, such as those born prematurely who face a greater risk for lung disease throughout life — and identify which of those children should be treated more aggressively."

The research also carries tremendous promise for future studies. While scientists have made significant progress over the past several decades to better understand adult lung diseases — such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung fibrosis — discovery has not been nearly as robust for infant diseases, due to the risks involved in securing lung tissue.

But the relative ease of obtaining nasal cells could accelerate understanding of how infant lungs respond to RSV and other diseases. While this study examined 53 healthy infants as a means of establishing a benchmark for normal cell structure, researchers at URMC have already begun studying the nasal tissue of diseased infants. Early results are promising.

"We're actively working on studies in infants with lung diseases, and we're showing quite clearly that we can identify differences between those with mild disease and those with more severe outcomes," Mariani said.

The research is conducted by URMC's Respiratory Pathogens Research Center, which coordinates its work with the national Respiratory Pathogens Research Center established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Center, under the direction of David Topham, Ph.D., focuses on research that will lead to a better understanding of the interactions between respiratory pathogens, the immune system, and other genetic and environmental factors.

ChinYi Chu, M.S., Xing Qiu, Ph.D., Lu Wang, M.S., Soumyaroop Bhattacharya, M.S., M.Ed., Gerry Lofthus, Ph.D., Anthony Corbett, M.S., Jeanne Holden-Wiltse, M.S., Alex Grier, M.S., Brenda Tesini, M.D., Steve Gill, Ph.D., Ann Falsey, M.D., Mary Caserta, M.D., and Ed Walsh, M.D., from the University of Rochester, contributed to these studies.

Read More: Thomas Mariani Authors Study on Infant Nose, Lung Cells

URMC Researchers Discover Rare Flu-Thwarting Mutation

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

A rare and improbable mutation in a protein encoded by an influenza virus renders the virus defenseless against the body’s immune system. This University of Rochester Medical Center discovery could provide a new strategy for live influenza vaccines in the future.

A new approach to the live flu vaccine would be particularly advantageous right now after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending use of the live attenuate flu vaccine, FluMist® earlier this year. Several studies found that the pain-free nasal spray, which was used in about one-third of young children in the U.S., offered no protection to that especially vulnerable population. The flu shot, on the other hand, performed well and the CDC recommends using this vaccine in place of FluMist®.

“There is a need to understand what's happening with the existing live vaccine and potentially a need to develop a new one,” said David Topham, Ph.D., Marie Curran Wilson and Joseph Chamberlain Wilson Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at URMC and author of the study. “We proposed that the mutation we found could be used to create a live vaccine.”

Read More: URMC Researchers Discover Rare Flu-Thwarting Mutation

Eric Comeau and Denise Hocking present at TERMIS

Friday, July 1, 2016

The latest research from the labs of Professors Diane Dalecki and Denise Hocking was presented at the European Chapter Meeting of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society held in Uppsala Sweden. Eric Comeau presented a lecture titled "Ultrasound as a tool to direct microvessel network formation and morphology." Eric presented another line of his research in a poster titled "Ultrasound fields to non-invasively pattern microparticles in situ". Eric is a doctoral candidate in BME and his research is co-mentored by Professor Diane Dalecki (BME) and Professor Denise Hocking (Pharmacology and Physiology). Additional work from the Dalecki and Hocking labs was presented by Professor Hocking in the poster titled "Therapeutic effects of ultrasound on dermal wound healing in diabetic mice." Dalecki, Hocking, and Comeau are all members of the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound (RCBU).

URMC receives $3M to advance research on ARDS, gene therapy

Monday, May 23, 2016

David Dean, Ph.D., professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has received a $3 million grant to explore a novel method of gene therapy delivery that could greatly benefit patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

The syndrome, which occurs after trauma such as an injury or pneumonia, causes alveoli (tiny air sacs in the lungs) to take on too much water and prevents the lungs from efficiently processing oxygen. It affects about 150,000 people each year, and there is no cure — about 40 percent of people who are diagnosed die as a result.

Dean’s approach attempts to influence the affected alveoli from the inside out by using gene therapy to communicate with the cells’ nuclei and decision-making centers. Using a carefully-devised DNA compound, the treatment compels lung cells to release their extra water, allowing them to function properly again.

However, our cells are well-equipped to prevent rogue strands of DNA from entering – great for keeping viruses out, but challenging for researchers who are trying to get helpful compounds in. Using a process called electroporation, Dean delivers a measured shock of electricity that causes the cells in a target area to briefly open, allowing DNA inside.

Electroporation is a burgeoning science in the field of gene therapy and there is minimal literature on its use across the chest and lungs. The grant, from the National Institutes of Health, will allow Dean to continue to test its safety and efficacy.

“Our research has generated very encouraging results thus far,” said Dean. “If it continues to show promise, our next step will be a clinical trial.”

Read More: URMC receives $3M to advance research on ARDS, gene therapy

Garry Coles wins 2016 Vincent du Vigneaud Award For Excellence in Graduate Research

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Garry ColesGarry Coles, graduate of the Genetics, Development and Stem Cell program received this years du Vigneaud commencement award. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry recognizes outstanding post-baccalaureate research efforts and promising PhD candidates through the Vincent du Vigneaud Award, in honor of Vincent du Vigneaud, himself a PhD graduate of the University of Rochester and recipient of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Gary's PhD thesis, entitled "KIF7 and microtubule dynamics function to regulate cellular proliferation and cell cycle progression" focuses on deciphering the role of Kinesin family member 7 (Kif7) on cell cycle control during mammalian development. The work was conducted in Dr. Kate Ackerman's laboratory and has been published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), PLoS Genetics and Developmental Biology.

Dr. Wellington Cardoso, Director for the Center for Human Development at Columbia University Medical Center, comments: "I have been closely following the work of Dr. Coles and his mentor Dr. Kate Ackerman, since we share a similar research interest. Dr. Coles has made important contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms regulating diaphragm and lung morphogenesis… I am confident that he will continue to make great contributions to the field in his future career."

This outlook is also shared by Dr. Hartmut Land, Chair of the Department for Biomedical Genetics and Director of Research at the Wilmot Cancer Center: "Garry is an incredibly driven and inquisitive scientist, and he has a fabulous enthusiasm for his work…(He) has grown tremendously during his time in graduate school. His maturity and independence are ahead of the curve for most post-doctoral fellows." Dr. Land concludes, "Given (Garry's) exceptional talent to make things work, his curiosity and great persistence, I am certain that he will contribute significantly to any scientific environment... (and)… become a leader in his field".

Jennifer Judge Wins the University of Rochester’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Jennifer Judge at the 3MT competition

Jennifer Judge presenting at the 3MT competition

Jennifer Judge, a Toxicology graduate student in the Sime Lab, has won the Judge's Vote and People's Choice Award at the University of Rochester's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The event was held today in the Class of '62 auditorium, as 8 finalists delivered their research in only three minutes.

The judges will picked a winner ($1,000 in travel funds), then the students voted for whom they thought should receive the People's Choice award ($500 in travel funds!). Congrats to Jennifer for winning both!

Omega 3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Bacterial Lung Infections Associated with COPD

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Compounds derived from omega-3 fatty acids -- like those found in salmon -- might be the key to helping the body combat lung infections, according to researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The omega-3 derivatives were effective at clearing a type of bacteria called Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), which often plagues people with inflammatory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD, which is most often caused by years of smoking, is characterized by inflammation and excessive mucus in the lungs that blocks airflow. Quitting can slow the progress of COPD, but it doesn't halt the disease. Anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common treatment, however they suppress the immune system, which can put people with COPD at risk for secondary infections, most commonly NTHi bacterial infections.

"Our biggest concern with patients who have COPD is bacterial infections, which often put their lives at risk," says Richard Phipps, Ph.D. professor of Environmental Medicine and director of the URSMD Lung Biology and Disease Program. "If we can figure out how to predict who is likely to get an infection, physicians could put them on a preventative medication."

In his recent study, which was featured in the top ten percent of the March 15 issue of The Journal of Immunology, Phipps and lead author, Amanda Croasdell, a graduate student in the Toxicology program, tested the effectiveness of an inhalable omega-3 derivative to prevent NTHi lung infections in mice.

Read More: Omega 3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Bacterial Lung Infections Associated with COPD