HHMI

These worms have rhythm

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 27, 2023

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Dec. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a rhythm to developing life.

Key Points: 
  • COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Dec. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a rhythm to developing life.
  • Losing the rhythm can lead to diseases like cancer.
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Christopher Hammell has found that in the worm C. elegans, this genetic orchestra has no single conductor.
  • Understanding how the worm's clock is regulated could help explain how time affects development in other animals.

You say genome editing, I say natural mutation

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 8, 2023

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For tens of thousands of years, evolution shaped tomatoes through natural mutations .

Key Points: 
  • COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For tens of thousands of years, evolution shaped tomatoes through natural mutations .
  • Today, CRISPR genome editing allows us to make new crop mutations that improve traits even further.
  • And what if just one could dramatically alter the desired outcome of an engineered mutation?
  • (Natural mutation of this gene is known to increase fruit size.)

Study Details Immune Cells Vital to Success of Vaccines against Coronavirus

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A study has revealed new details about a key population of immune system cells critical to successful vaccination against the pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2.

Key Points: 
  • A subset of T cells, labeled with the surface protein CD8, produce molecules that directly kill infected cells.
  • B cells produce antibody proteins that neutralize and label infected cells for removal from the body.
  • The mRNA vaccines deployed against COVID-19 were based on RNA, a genetic material used to encode the spike protein that the virus needs to attach to human cells.
  • "Although our study looks at mRNA vaccination against coronavirus, the antigen-specific CD8+ T cell subpopulations we uncover represent key features of immune responses more broadly, and may help us to study T cells in other disease settings."

Discrimination Lawsuit Against Top Research Institution Moves Forward

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

"Dr. Cheung is universally recognized as a pioneering biologist," said Gary Gilbert, president of Gilbert Employment Law, who represents Dr. Cheung. "She's been credited with numerous breakthrough discoveries -- which is why HHMI selected her in 2008 to be one of just a few hundred HHMI investigators in the entire country, a distinction that comes with roughly $1 million in annual funding, and renewed her contract in 2013."

Key Points: 
  • The trial, scheduled to start December 4, 2023, has massive implications not just for the parties involved, but for millions of other Americans who, like Dr. Cheung, face employer discrimination due to their disability status.
  • "Dr. Cheung is universally recognized as a pioneering biologist," said Gary Gilbert, president of Gilbert Employment Law, who represents Dr. Cheung.
  • "My disability has made me a better and more passionate physician-scientist," said Dr. Cheung.
  • "I owe it to myself -- and my fellow researchers -- to speak up and hold institutions like HHMI accountable for blatant discrimination."

Rapport Therapeutics Names Scientific Advisory Board

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 29, 2023

Rapport Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging the science of receptor-associated proteins to advance precision neuromedicines, today announced the formation of a scientific advisory board comprised of distinguished experts in medicinal chemistry, molecular pharmacology, neurobiology and epilepsy.

Key Points: 
  • Rapport Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging the science of receptor-associated proteins to advance precision neuromedicines, today announced the formation of a scientific advisory board comprised of distinguished experts in medicinal chemistry, molecular pharmacology, neurobiology and epilepsy.
  • Its members are David Julius, Ph.D., David MacMillan, Ph.D., David Clapham, M.D., Ph.D., Allan Basbaum, Ph.D., FRS and Jeffrey Noebels, M.D., Ph.D.
  • “Rapport has assembled what may well be the most impressive scientific advisory board in biotech, which includes some of the world’s most accomplished scientists,” said Steve Paul, M.D., Chairman of the Rapport Board of Directors, Co-Founder and Advisory Partner at Third Rock Ventures.
  • Dr. Clapham was HHMI’s vice president and chief scientific officer from 2016 to 2022.

The Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research Names its 2023 Fellows

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 27, 2023

NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The research landscape has changed greatly since the Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research (JCC) first awarded fellowships to postdoctoral scientists almost 80 years ago. What has remained constant is the quality and potential impact of the science it supports, and this year's class of fellows is no exception.

Key Points: 
  • NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The research landscape has changed greatly since the Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research (JCC) first awarded fellowships to postdoctoral scientists almost 80 years ago.
  • Twenty-seven new fellows were selected from a competitive field based on their doctoral research accomplishments, innovative research plans, and their chosen scientific mentors.
  • In total, over $7M is committed by the Jane Coffin Childs Fund and partners to the 2023 cohort of Fellows.
  • The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research was established by the Childs Family in 1937, to honor the memory of Jane Coffin Childs.

ABRF 2023 ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 7-10, BOSTON

Retrieved on: 
Friday, May 5, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) 2023 Annual Meeting will be held May 7-10 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. This year's meeting focuses on Driving Collaborative Science, and features dozens of sessions on timely topics on the latest technology and strategies for shared research resources. With close to 1000 attendees from more than 200 leading academic research institutions and commercial manufacturers attending, the ABRF 2023 Annual Meeting will be the largest event for shared research resources, or Core, facilities.

Key Points: 
  • LEXINGTON, Ky., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) 2023 Annual Meeting will be held May 7-10 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.
  • With close to 1000 attendees from more than 200 leading academic research institutions and commercial manufacturers attending, the ABRF 2023 Annual Meeting will be the largest event for shared research resources, or Core, facilities.
  • Among the notable sessions at the 2023 ABRF Annual Meeting are:
    ABRF Award for Outstanding Contributions to Biomolecular Technologies - presented to Dr. Chris Enke and Richard Yost for the development of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and the tremendous impact triple quads have made for a wide range of biomedical research applications.
  • Visit the meeting web site for the latest information or contact ABRF to learn more.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Announces Kathryn Brown as Next Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Today, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced that Kathryn Brown will join the organization as its next Chief Communications and Marketing Officer.

Key Points: 
  • Today, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced that Kathryn Brown will join the organization as its next Chief Communications and Marketing Officer.
  • She will oversee strategic communications and marketing across the Foundation, including initiatives to inform and engage the cystic fibrosis community, as it accelerates its mission to find a cure for the progressive, rare, genetic disorder.
  • Brown comes to the Foundation from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a biomedical research and philanthropic organization, where she has served as Chief of Communications since 2017.
  • Brown will join the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer on April 24, 2023.

Atavistik Bio Announces Publication in Science by Co-Founder Jared Rutter Describing Foundational Technology for its Atavistik Metabolite-Protein Screening (AMPS) Platform

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 13, 2023

These highly conserved protein-metabolite interactions hold vast disease-relevant and therapeutically actionable information; however, they are frequently low affinity and have historically proven challenging to systematically discover.

Key Points: 
  • These highly conserved protein-metabolite interactions hold vast disease-relevant and therapeutically actionable information; however, they are frequently low affinity and have historically proven challenging to systematically discover.
  • The Science paper, entitled, “Protein-metabolite interactomics of carbohydrate metabolism reveal regulation of lactate dehydrogenase,” (Hicks et al.)
  • Together with postdoctoral fellow, Kevin Hicks, Ph.D., Dr. Rutter, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and HHMI Investigator at the University of Utah, developed the MIDAS technology.
  • The powerful insights described in the Science paper present just an initial understanding of this technology’s ultimate potential.

Pennington Partners Launches Private Equity Platform, Announces Addition Of Greg DeNinno, CFA To Lead Pennington Private Access

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 2, 2023

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennington Partners, a multi-family investment office that specializes in working with entrepreneurs, CEOs / founders, and their families, has announced the launch of a new private equity platform, Pennington Private Access. This offering will build on the firm's award winning tax-advantaged alternatives platform, while widening exposure to private market investments. To lead the new practice, Pennington has also announced the addition of Greg DeNinno – an experienced institutional investor with strong relationships across the private equity industry.

Key Points: 
  • To lead the new practice, Pennington has also announced the addition of Greg DeNinno – an experienced institutional investor with strong relationships across the private equity industry.
  • As a firm, Pennington has unique capabilities to provide this expert level of guidance, selection, and access.
  • Brian Gaister, co-founder and CEO of Pennington Partners commented: "Greg is a fantastic addition to the Pennington team.
  • I am excited to join the team and lead the growth of Pennington Private Access.