Posts by Brian Burns
On the Hunt for New Strategies to Defeat a Killer Fungus
At first glance, Candida auris (C. auris) seems like the fungus equivalent of a comic book supervillain—at least from a human perspective. A new species of infectious fungus that arrived seemingly out of nowhere a decade ago, C. auris is resistant to all known forms of antifungal drugs, and it sticks to surfaces so well that it resists standard…
Read MoreLearning Not to Fear: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Fear Extinction
Gunes Sevinc, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Sara Lazar, PhD, in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her poster recently won an award at Mass General’s Research Fellow Poster Celebration. Continue reading to hear Dr. Sevinc explain her research: Being able to regulate one’s emotions is a critical…
Read MoreNew Tool for Predicting C. Difficile Infections Shows Promising Results
For patients in hospital and healthcare settings, a Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection is a complication that can result in serious complications and even death. C. difficile is caused by a bacterium and the symptoms of infection include diarrhea, fever and severe abdominal cramps. While some cases may be mild, some can be fatal—particularly in elderly, very…
Read MoreLooking for Insights into Mucolipidosis IV
Amanda Furness, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her poster, Therapeutic insight into Mucolipidosis IV via in vitro glia models, recently won an award at Mass General’s Research Fellow Poster Celebration. We asked Dr. Furness about her research: What problem(s) are you addressing with this…
Read MoreCelebrating Mass General’s Remarkable Research Staff
Both sides of the Bulfinch Tents at Massachusetts General Hospital were bustling May 24 at the annual Research Staff Appreciation Day event. More than 2,000 research staff members – including lab technicians, research coordinators and technologists – were invited to enjoy a picnic-style lunch, ice cream and raffles for tickets to the Museum of Science. Bowls…
Read MoreNew Imaging Protocol Could Vastly Accelerate Clinical Trials for New ALS Treatments
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new technique for imaging the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could vastly reduce the cost and time needed for new clinical trials—while also improving the accuracy of test results.
Read MoreNew National Research Program Focuses on Connection and Community
Why do some individuals and populations experience poorer health outcomes than others? When it comes to health disparities in the United States, many would say the problem is a vicious cycle. Research shows that diseases like heart disease and cancer disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority populations. Yet biomedical research studies and clinical trials have…
Read MoreHow New Biomarkers and Smartphone Apps Could Provide New Hope for ALS Patients
James Berry, a researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, is working to build tools and identify biomarkers to improve clinical trial methodology. His goal is to speed up the process of identifying the next drug that will slow, reverse or even prevent ALS in the future
Read MoreCan Studying a Rare Inherited Form of ALS Lead to Earlier Diagnosis and New Treatments?
Hereditary forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may only account for 10 percent of all ALS cases, but the insights that researchers gain from studying this small population may be the key to unlocking new treatments for this devastating disease. That’s the hope of Katharine Nicholson, MD, a physician-investigator at the Neurological Clinical and Research…
Read MoreA Newly Discovered Link Between Gut Bacteria and Cholera
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, have used machine learning algorithms to find patterns within communities of bacteria living in the human gut. These patterns could indicate who among the approximately one billion people at risk of cholera infection around the globe will…
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