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June 2021 Volume 17, Issue 6

Volume 17, Issue 6 | June 2021

In this Issue

Infectious Disease

During the physicians’ bonspiel, curling stones were sanitized between uses, but the study revealed that virus transmission happened mainly off the ice at social events.

Physicians study their own COVID-19 outbreak

A team of physicians performed double duty as scientists and research subjects for a recent study that cautions against prematurely resuming social activities during the pandemic.

Vaccines: Just Add Water

Scientists developed a new low-cost, on-demand vaccine production platform.

A nitisinone-treated tsetse fly surrounded by untreated healthy flies.

Scientists repurposed an orphan drug to kill blood-feeding tsetse flies

A drug for a rare genetic disorder kills blood-feeding tsetse flies, halting their transmission of deadly parasites.

Medications in cardboard boxes line the shelves of a pharmacy.

Platelets take down bacteria with the help of a trusty anti-viral

The common flu treatment, Tamiflu, may help treat lethal bloodstream staph infections.

COVID-19 vaccines: After the injection

What happens after the vaccine is injected into your arm?

Tools & Technology

A swirling image of lights against a dark background.

A new tool called rewind finds rare cells primed for drug resistance

A cellular “time machine” identifies cells destined to become drug resistant.

Knocking out HIV: Two Approaches, One Goal

From excising integrated viral sequences to modifying stem cells, CRISPR offers new possibilities for developing HIV treatments.

Genomics & Proteomics

A group of grey chromosome structures. One shows a yellow horizontal band.

"Mythbusters” identified the gene that may cause a rare autoimmune disorder

A group of researchers leveraged their location to tackle questions about the rare autoimmune disorder, Addison’s disease.

A pregnant woman lies on her back with baby slippers on her belly.

You have your mother's eyes — and cells

Fetuses transfer some of their cells to their mother in a phenomenon called microchimerism.

Editor's Focus

Erica Ollman Saphire smiles wearing a lab coat seated next to a microscope with computers in the background.

The new CEO of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology ascended by lifting others

Erica Ollman Saphire brings together scientific competitors to find new antibody therapeutics for COVID-19.

A black bear sleeps outside next to a rock.

Hibernating animals may help cure complex human disease

Linda Goodman, Co-Founder and CTO of Fauna Bio, compares animal and human genomes to identify new drug targets for heart disease, obesity, and more.

Cancer

Side view of a colorful, illustrated brain on blue background

Cancer cells need fatty acids to survive in the brain

Using a mouse model of breast cancer brain metastasis, researchers showed that tumor cells require fatty acid synthesis to grow, which offers a potential therapeutic target.

Killing cancer cells by stressing them out

A new molecule in Phase 1 clinical trials kills leukemia cells by blocking their ability to repair DNA.

A naked mole rat against a black background.

Researchers collect critters to unlock cancer secrets

Classical model systems such as cell culture and mice are key to understanding cancer. But what can we learn by examining how cancer works in other models? Animals like naked mole rats and Tasmanian devils offer a new perspective on how cancer works and how we can treat it.