News & Announcements
Sid Advani PhD dissertation defense
Sid Advani PhD dissertation defense
Thursday, August 2, 2018
2:00 PM
Life Sciences Laboratory, Room S330
Dissertation Title: Targeted localization of Microtubule-Severing Enzymes to create new, local microtubule-disruption tools to study cell division
Advisor: Jenny Ross
Fritz-Laylin to Develop Genetic Tools to Probe Workings of Deadly Pathogen
Fritz-Laylin to Develop Genetic Tools to Probe Workings of Deadly Pathogen
The brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri is an emerging and deadly protist pathogen whose natural range appears to be rapidly expanding, says Lillian Fritz-Laylin, biology, but it has been “largely unstudied” because it is so dangerous and scientists lack adequate tools for gene manipulation. Read more. Recent article.
New Cancer Immunotherapy Shows Promise in Early Tests
New Cancer Immunotherapy Shows Promise in Early Tests
Much cancer immunotherapy research has focused on harnessing the immune system’s T cells to fight tumors, “but we knew that other types of immune cells could be important in fighting cancer too,” says biomedical engineer Ashish Kulkarni. Now, he and colleagues report that in preclinical models they can amplify macrophage immune responses against cancer using a self-assembling supramolecule. Read more
UMass Amherst Polymer Scientists Report Unexpected New Dynamics for Large DNA Molecules in Liquid Suspension
UMass Amherst Polymer Scientists Report Unexpected New Dynamics for Large DNA Molecules in Liquid Suspension
Polymer physicists Murugappan “Muthu” Muthukumar and Di Jia are reporting the unexpected and previously unknown behavior of a charged macromolecule such as DNA embedded in a charged hydrogel, where it displays what they call a “topologically frustrated” inability to move or diffuse in the gel, a phenomenon they describe in the current Nature Communications. Read more
Congratulations to all of the 2017 - 2018 degree recipients!
Congratulations to all of the 2017 - 2018 degree recipients!
| Sai Balchand | Ketan Mathavan |
| Keith Ballard | Emrah Ilker Ozay |
| Payal Damani-Yokota | Amrita Palaria |
| Derrick Deming | Yuzhou Tang |
| Heidi Hu | Joe Torres |
| Muhammad Adil Khan | Robert Vass |
| Barbara Mann | Yili Zhu |
| See more photos | |
Lydia Lamriben PhD Dissertation Defense
Lydia Lamriben PhD Dissertation Defense
Monday, June 18, 2018
2:00 PM
Life Sciences Laboratory, Room S340
Dissertation Title: Identifying functional components of the ER Degradation-Enhancing Mannosidase-Like Protein 1 (EDEM1)
Advisor: Dan Hebert
Common Antimicrobial Triclosan Linked to Colonic Inflammation, Altered Gut Microbiota
Common Antimicrobial Triclosan Linked to Colonic Inflammation, Altered Gut Microbiota
A large research team led by senior author Guodong Zhang at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports that the antimicrobial ingredient triclosan, found in hand soaps and toothpastes among other products, could have adverse effects on colonic inflammation and colon cancer by altering gut microbiota, the microbes found in our intestines. Read more
Chemists, International Team Develop Blood Test to Detect Liver Damage in Under an Hour
Chemists, International Team Develop Blood Test to Detect Liver Damage in Under an Hour
Chemist Vincent Rotello, with colleagues at University College London, U.K., announced that they have developed a “quick and robust” blood test that can detect liver damage before symptoms appear, offering what they hope is a significant advance in early detection of liver disease. Details appear in Advanced Materials. Read more
Patricia Wadsworth, incoming Director of the Interdepartmental Graduate Programs (IDGP), Awarded the 2018 CNS Outstanding Service/Engagement Award
Patricia Wadsworth, incoming Director of the Interdepartmental Graduate Programs (IDGP), Awarded the 2018 CNS Outstanding Service/Engagement Award
Patricia (Pat) Wadsworth, Professor and Associate Chair of Biology, who will become the Director of IDGP in June 2018, has been awarded the 2018 CNS Outstanding Service/Engagement Award. CNS Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize excellence and honor faculty and staff members and students who have made important contributions to their discipline, department, college, and university. Recipients are presented with their awards at a special ceremony in the spring. Read More
Tom Maresca, Associate Professor of Biology and Associate GPD of MCB, receives the 2018 CNS Outstanding Early Career Award in Research
Tom Maresca, Associate Professor of Biology and Associate GPD of MCB, receives the 2018 CNS Outstanding Early Career Award in Research
The research focus in the Maresca lab is cell division, a fundamental biological process. Cell division is complex with many opportunities for errors to occur. Their research aims to expand knowledge of how cells detect and correct errors during cell division. They address central scientific questions with both molecular and biochemical approaches, high- and super-resolution microscopy of living cells, and plenty of fun. Read more