A UMass Medical School researcher was recently awarded a $460,000, two-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to explore at the molecular level the connections between aging, health, and the onset and severity of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The idea of how you measure healthy aging is a big question,” said Heidi A. Tissenbaum, PhD, professor of molecular, cell & cancer biology.
Axovant Gene Therapies Ltd., a company developing innovative gene therapies for neurological diseases, has announced it received rare pediatric disease designation from the FDA for AXO-AAV-GM1, an adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy that is in Phase I/II development for GM1 gangliosidosis. AXO-AAV-GM1 also has orphan drug designation and is the only gene therapy in clinical development for both infantile (type 1) and juvenile (type 2) GM1 gangliosidosis.
An influential scientific journal’s list of top translational biotech researchers for 2019 includes Guangping Gao, PhD, the Penelope Booth Rockwell Professor in Biomedical Research, professor of microbiology & physiological systems, director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center and co-director of the Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases. Nature Biotechnology notes that its ranking of the top 20 biotech researchers is based on total patents (European and U.S.) granted for the y
Scientists know that individuals who accumulate fat around their belly are much more at risk of developing diabetes than those who have it in the lower body. A new four-year, $2 million grant will help Silvia Corvera, MD, learn more about about how the development and function of fat cells differ in people with and without type 2 diabetes. The findings may help explain what causes diabetes and related conditions including fatty liver and cardiovascular disease.
Brian Lewis, PhD, professor of molecular, cell & cancer biology, assistant vice provost of outreach and recruitment, and associate dean for diversity and prematriculation programs in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, was one of three scientists recognized in the Evening of Hope 2020 Honor Roll at the Biomedical Science Careers Program’s (BSCP) annual fundraising ceremony, held virtually this year.
A new, $2 million grant from the NCI Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 (SeroNet) is aimed at enhancing representation of Black and Hispanic people in SARS-CoV-2 immunology research through the use of storytelling—an approach in which community members become “video stars” and provide honest messages about the importance of being represented in COVID-19 research studies.
BOSTON – With early voting set to start tomorrow across Massachusetts, student leaders from all five UMass campuses gathered virtually at a voter engagement summit hosted by UMass President Marty Meehan’s office to discuss ongoing engagement efforts and share best practices.
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Town of Amherst announced today that the University will provide asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for the Town’s first responders and inspectors as part of their joint efforts to deter spread of the novel coronavirus.
Astronomers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are marking an especially meaningful event this month, as a team led by Professor Peter Schloerb recently received a three-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to provide support for the Large Millimeter Telescope in Mexico and to offer – for the first time – access to it for astronomers from any U.S. institution.
AMHERST, Mass. – Professor Li-Jun Ma, biochemistry and molecular biology, has received support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) Community Science Program (CSP) to conduct in-depth research on a group of soil fungi, Fusaria, that are economically important because they devastate crops – not only food but biofuel feedstocks.