In 1796, an English scientist by the name of Edward Jenner expounded on the observation that milkmaids were generally immune to smallpox. He inoculated people with pus from cowpox blisters from the hands of milkmaids as a method to prevent smallpox, and the concept of vaccination was born. Many radical advances in medicine happen in(...)
Perspectives in Research
Why Winners Keep Winning
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchYou are on a roll. In the morning, you delivered a compelling business proposal. You were the center of attention at lunch and your colleagues loved your witty remarks. In the afternoon meeting, you stood your ground and brilliantly defended your case with irrefutable arguments. When it’s your day, you feel invincible. What gives you(...)
Drowning in Data: New Challenges in Modern Biology
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchBiology is a vast and rapidly evolving field. The science of life ranges from studying the physical and chemical interactions of molecules to mapping a network of billions of brain cells. How can we make sense of an entity as complicated as an organism? A prevailing attitude in biomedical research has been that if we(...)
Using Epigenetics to Fight Tumors
Posted by | Perspectives in Research, Recently PublishedWhile the word cancer treatment may identify everything from chemotherapy to radiation, there is significant variance between the type of cancer and its responsiveness to even the most promising therapies. That has been precisely the case for the α-PD-1 immunotherapy treatment. While it has shown remarkable efficacy in patients diagnosed with lung cancer, other types(...)
The Unconscious Mozart
Posted by | Perspectives in Research, Recently PublishedWhen I was 4 years old, my first piano teacher came to my house. Our piano was small and wooden and stood flush against the wall. I started with scales and finger drills, and eventually, as the years passed, found my way to Billy Joel, the Beatles and Elton John sheet music. I was hardly(...)
Sleep: Our Panacea
Posted by | Did You See This?, Perspectives in ResearchHumans and animals share the most basic drives in life: the need for food and water, and the urge to procreate. Yet only humans have built a modern world in which these drives seem to cause more problems than they solve. Bookstores worldwide have dedicated whole sections to literature about reconciling your natural desires with(...)
What Does Dopamine Really Do?
Posted by | Perspectives in Research, Recently PublishedYou’ve probably heard of dopamine before. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter—a chemical in the brain responsible for conveying information from one cell to another. It has made quite a name for itself because all of our favorite things—eating delicious food, seeing the person you love, hearing a good song come on, getting a gift, winning a(...)
Collaborations with Industry Strengthen Academic Research
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchMedical research is not only conducted by professors in the hallowed halls of educational institutions. Other notable research bodies include privately funded research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, government, and nonprofit organizations. Industry labs have a targeted approach, often searching for a drug to treat a specific disease or to address a particularly lucrative problem in medical(...)
Out with the Old, in with Repaired Joints
Posted by | Perspectives in Research, Recently PublishedOsteoarthritis (OA) is not only the most common chronic condition of the joints, but also the most common type of arthritis, affecting approximately 27 million Americans.1 The prevalence of OA increases with age,2 and elderly patients experience swelling, pain and decreased mobility. Currently, there is no cure for this degenerative joint disease, and the only(...)
A Revelation About DREADDs: A New Neuroscience Technique with Promise for Clinical Psychiatric Treatment
Posted by | Perspectives in Research, Recently PublishedIn an essay I published last year for the Lasker Essay Contest (and republished in our blog), I described optogenetics and chemogenetics, two technologies recently developed for basic neuroscience research that have the potential to improve the way we treat psychiatric illness. The major drawback to drugs currently prescribed for diseases such as depression, PTSD,(...)