Why Some Mosquitoes Prefer Humans

Mosquitoes have been called the deadliest animal in the world: tiny creatures so dangerous that genetic engineering may be necessary to win the battle against them. But not all mosquitoes are equally responsible for devastating the human population by spreading disease. Out of thousands of species, only a few like to bite humans — and…

Peer mentorship can be more effective, accessible than traditional mentorship in academic medicine

AURORA, Colo. (July 23, 2020) – Peer mentorship is a critical and more accessible option for professional and personal growth than traditional mentor-mentee relationships, according to a new paper from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The paper, published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine, finds that peer mentorship, especially in academic medicine, is…

New CRISPR C-to-G DNA base editor expands the landscape of precision genome editing

BOSTON – New genome-editing technologies developed by researchers in J. Keith Joung’s laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have the potential to help understand disease-associated genetic mutations that are based on C-to-G (cytosine to guanine) single base changes. The new base editors are also designed to minimize unintended (“off-target”) mutations that could potentially cause…

Scientists chart SARS-CoV-2 origin and transmission in Brazil, harboring one of fastest growing COVID-19 epidemics in the world

A team of Brazilian and European scientists has determined the transmission rates and out-of-country origins of predominant SARS-CoV-2 strains currently circulating in Brazil, which harbors one of the fastest growing COVID-19 epidemics in the world. Although the researchers show that non-pharmaceutical interventions initially reduced viral transmission, the continued increases in both cases and deaths in…