By Rebecca Fleeman Photo Credit: Flikr Technology has significantly changed the way we interact with our environment. One noticeable advance is technology continuously becoming smaller and smaller over time. For example, look at how we listen to music. We began with records, moved to cassette tapes, then ended on CDs before everything we listened to … Continue reading Organ on a Chip: The Future of Biomedical Testing
Biomedical Sciences
A Limited Cure for a Different Viral Epidemic: HIV and Stem-Cell Therapy
By Stephanie Baringer Photo Credit: Needpix.com Amidst the chaos surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, other areas of the virology field have continued to advance. In early March, it was announced that Adam Castillejo, a 40-year old man from London, was cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system by … Continue reading A Limited Cure for a Different Viral Epidemic: HIV and Stem-Cell Therapy
The Life of Aducanumab: A Potential Novel Alzheimer’s Disease Drug
On October 22nd, 2019, headlines read “Biogen plans regulatory filing for Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease based on new analysis of larger dataset from phase 3 studies”. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. It is the 6th leading cause of adult deaths in the United States. Biogen … Continue reading The Life of Aducanumab: A Potential Novel Alzheimer’s Disease Drug
Recommendations to Prevent Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Pediatric Population
Credit: Thanks for your like from Pixabay An endocrine disruptor is an exogenous chemical or mixture of chemicals that can bind to the body's endocrine receptors to activate or block natural hormone synthesis, resulting in modification of hormonal signals and normal endocrine function. Alternately, these chemicals can mimic naturally occurring hormones in the body, including … Continue reading Recommendations to Prevent Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Pediatric Population
The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside
Credit: Pete Linforth from Pixabay Many young scientists imagine themselves curing a disease, dreaming that their thesis work will uncover a disease mechanism and lead to the development of novel therapeutics to help improve patient health. People with loved ones suffering from diseases hope for a cure, too. However, most people do not understand the … Continue reading The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside
Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!
Figure 1: Immunohistochemistry stain of astrocytes (Oksanen, 2017, Stem Cell Reports). In the late 19th century, Santiago Ramón y Cajal aided in the formation of the neuron doctrine, a theory which used evidence from neuronal staining techniques to confirm that neurons are each separate entities and not one continuous fusion of cells. These separations allow … Continue reading Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!
Lost in Translation
Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Anyone that’s taken a high school biology class is probably familiar with the central dogma of biology—DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is translated into protein. Central Dogma of Biology As the basis for general biology, transcription and translation are fundamental to understanding the living systems scientists study. Despite the … Continue reading Lost in Translation
Blood, Sweat, and Years
By Daniel Hass, PhD Candidate in Neuroscience In 2009, the Atlantic published a short article entitled “The Meaning of Our Vampire Obsession”, outlining some of the potential psychological explanations for our societal obsession with these mythical bloodsuckers. Eight years later, this obsession shows no signs of abating, with various movies including ‘Hopekillers’, ‘The Vampyre’, ‘Love … Continue reading Blood, Sweat, and Years
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Cancer
By Ross Keller, PhD Candidate in Biomedical Sciences The HPV virus. (Wikimedia)The Human Papilloma Virus, also known as HPV, is thought to contribute to an estimated 5% of all cancer cases worldwide. This includes approximately 70% of Oropharyngeal (throat) cancers, 95% of anal cancers, and 99% of cervical cancers among some other rare cancers1-4. HPV is … Continue reading Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Cancer
What is Radon? and how does it impact health?
By Ross Keller, PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences You have probably heard vague notions about the health impacts of radon, but what is it exactly? And how does it impact health? Currently, radon is believed to be the second leading cause of environmentally caused lung cancer, following smoking. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 15,000-22,000 … Continue reading What is Radon? and how does it impact health?
Lions Talk Science 