Graduate Studies at the University
University Office of Technology Transfer
Medical Center Office of University Technology Transfer
Office of Research and Project Administration
Highlights 2007
Time Cites Bird Flu Vaccine as Top Medical Development of 2007
Time Magazine cited the approval of a bird flu vaccine earlier this year as a top medical development of 2007. Crucial testing of the vaccine, the first ever approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent bird flu, was led by John Treanor, M.D., professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology. More than 750 people in the Rochester area have taken part in studies of bird flu vaccines at the University.
One Species Genome Discovered Inside Another
Scientists at the University of Rochester and the J. Craig Venter Institute have discovered a copy of the genome of a bacterial parasite residing inside the genome of its host species. The research shows that bacterial-to-animal gene transfers may happen much more frequently than scientists previously believed, with implications for evolution and the control of diseases and pests.
Action Video Games Sharpen Vision 20 Percent
Video games that contain high levels of action, such as Unreal Tournament, can actually improve your vision. Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that people who played action video games for a few hours a day over the course of a month improved by about 20 percent in their ability to identify letters presented in clutter—a visual acuity test similar to ones used in regular ophthalmology clinics.
Research on the Color Red Shows Definite Impact on Achievement
The color red can keep people from performing their best—in fact, if test takers are aware of even a hint of red, their performance suffers.
Daisies Lead Scientists Down Path to New Leukemia Drug
A Medical Center team has shown that a compound derived from a daisy-like plant known as feverfew or bachelor's button attacks the roots of leukemia.
Want to Improve Your Relationship? Do the Dishes Because You Really Want to
Both small sacrifices for your partner, like doing the dishes, and big ones, like moving across the country for a new job he or she really wants, mean more to your partner if you do them because you genuinely want to.
Researchers Reverse Key Symptom of Muscular Dystrophy
Scientists designed a synthetic RNA-based molecule that reverses key symptoms of muscular dystrophy in mice with the disease. The work is the latest in a series of findings that have uncovered a whole new way that flawed genetic activity can cause disease.
3.2 Billion Surprise: Earth Had Strong Magnetic Field
Geophysicists at the University of Rochester announced that the Earth's magnetic field was nearly as strong 3.2 billion years ago as it is today. The findings, which are contrary to previous studies, suggest that even in its earliest stages the Earth was already well protected from the solar wind, which can strip away a planet's atmosphere and bathe its surface in lethal radiation.
Supersonic Rain Falls on Newborn Star
Astronomers at the University of Rochester have discovered five Earth-oceans' worth of water that has recently fallen into the planet-forming region around an extremely young, developing star.
Draining Away Toxic Protein to Treat Alzheimer's
Scientists are trying a plumber's approach to rid the brain of the amyloid buildup that plagues Alzheimer's patients: Simply drain the toxic protein away. The team has shown how the body's natural way of ridding the body of the substance is flawed in people with the disease, then demonstrated a method to fix the process.
Super-Thin Filter, 50 Atoms Thick, Sorts Individual Molecules
A newly designed porous membrane, so thin it's invisible edge-on, may revolutionize the way doctors and scientists manipulate objects as small as a molecule.
Maternal Beef Diet Could Impact Sperm Counts
A mother's high beef consumption while pregnant was associated with lower sperm counts in her son, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Rochester.
Hand Gestures Dramatically Improve Learning
Kids asked to physically gesture at math problems are nearly three times more likely than non-gesturers to remember what they've learned.
Hidden Planet Pushes Stars Ring a Billion Miles Off-center
A young star's strange elliptical ring of dust likely heralds the presence of an undiscovered Neptune-sized planet. "We wanted to know why this ring was off-center," says Alice C. Quillen, Associate Professor of Astronomy and author of the study. "People guessed there might be a planet in there, but nobody knew where it might be, or how big it might be. Now we've got a very good idea."
Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute Opens Its Doors
With the opening of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute, the Medical Center is now home to one of the largest centers devoted to heart research in the nation. Basic studies on heart disease abound, from identifying the genes that control heart failure to further understanding how plaque builds up in arteries and causes heart attacks and stroke.
