When a parasitic insect called Xenos peckii infects certain species of paper wasps, something incredible happens: the parasite manipulates the wasp’s brain so the wasp loses its social instincts and abandons its colony. The parasite also manipulates the wasp’s genes to increase the wasp’s lifespan.

This relationship between parasites and wasps makes them an ideal natural experiment for scientists such as Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy, a research assistant professor of biology. She aims to better understand what genes are involved in social behavior and aging, not only in insects, but also in human beings.

“Wasp societies have remarkable similarities to human societies, so we use them as a model system to understand which mechanisms are responsible for social behavior, physiology, and aging,” Uy says. “It’s amazing that a parasite has evolved to make these wasps lose their social instincts and behavior, while manipulating their aging process. It allows us to study very important questions of genes that affect biological processes that can directly relate to human societies and their health.” Learn more.

A new type of technology can capture stray ovarian cancer cells from a simple blood test and successfully predict cancer in people who have a lesion or cyst in the pelvic region, according to a new study by a Wilmot Cancer Institute physician/scientist.

Nearly 200 local people participated in the study, led by Richard Moore, director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology program. Results were published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology “Green” journal.

One of the local participants, Toni Masci, 51, of Fairport, provided blood samples for analysis. She had an ovarian cyst that burst — only to find out that a large tumor was also in her abdomen. She was treated with surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy in 2017 for stage 1 ovarian cancer, and just celebrated five years in remission.

“I feel lucky to be part of this,” Masci says. “As most people know, ovarian cancer usually doesn’t get detected early. If Dr. Moore hadn’t been doing this research . . . I might not be here.” Learn more.

There is concern in the scientific community that COVID infection may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, resulting in a wave of dementia cases in the coming years as the population ages.  A new $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Aging will allow researchers to more precisely understand how the virus triggers damage in the brain and the long-term impact on cognitive performance.

“Given the high rate of COVID world-wide and aging, the possible added toll to the existing burden of dementia could increase exponentially in the near future,” says Medical Center neurologist Giovanni Schifitto, the principal investigator of the new study. “We need to better understand the burden and progression of cognitive decline and the mechanisms by which this occurs.  This will help point the way to new interventions designed to forestall the onset of dementia in these individuals.”

The brain is supplied with blood by a vast network of microscopic vessels.  The integrity of this microvasculature declines as we age, compromising the integrity of the blood brain barrier and leaving the brain vulnerable to infection, inflammation, and damage from the immune system.  The fear is that the damage caused to blood vessels by COVID infection could speed this process up, increasing risk for cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), which is associated with cognitive decline and ultimately dementia. Learn more.

(NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin / University of Rochester illustration by Julia Joshpe)

An impactor—most likely an asteroid—that formed what is today the biggest crater on Earth may have been larger than thought and would have had devastating consequences across the planet, according to University researchers. They include lead author Natalie Allen ’20, an undergraduate at the time the research was conducted.

The researchers, led by with Miki Nakajima, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, now estimate that the Vredefort Crater near Johannesburg, South Africa, was caused by an asteroid about 20 to 25 kilometers in size, traveling at a velocity of 15 to 20 kilometers per second. The crater, now eroded, would have been between 250 and 280 kilometers (approximately 155 and 174 miles) in diameter during the time of the impact.

“Having access to the information provided by a structure like the Vredefort crater is a great opportunity to test our model and our understanding of the geologic evidence so we can better understand impacts on Earth and beyond,” says Allen, now a now a PhD student at John Hopkins University. “This project was way outside of my usual research comfort zone, but I thought it would be a great learning experience and would force me to apply my skills in a new way. It gave me a lot of confidence in my research abilities as I prepared to go to graduate school.” Learn more.

Karim Embong, microbiology and immunology, 1 p.m. Thursday, October 6, 2022, 2-6424 (Medical Center)
“A Blast from the Past – Recall of Memory B Cell to Fight Future Threats”
Host: David Topham

The Clinical and Translational Science Awards program steering committee is accepting proposals through today for new CTSA Program working groups that will consider or develop solutions to specific clinical and translational science issues. Email questions to steering_committee@clic-ctsa.org.

James Palis, professor of pediatrics and of pathology and laboratory medicine, will present “Making blood: lessons from the mouse embryo,” from 4-5 p.m., October 10, in the Class of ’62 Auditorium.

The long-term aim of Palis’ lab is to shed light on the cellular and molecular events underlying the production of blood cells and platelets – knowledge that will lead to a better understanding of and treatment options for genetic disorders, bone marrow failure syndromes and leukemias.

Mark Taubman, dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Rick Waugh, vice provost for research and professor of biomedical engineering, will welcome and introduce Palis. The talk will be followed by a reception on the Forbes Mezzanine (1-9580). Add to Outlook calendar. 

And what are detrimental research practices?

Research integrity officers from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Research Integrity and the National Institutes of Health will help answer these questions during a webinar from 2-4 p.m. October 14. Learn more here.

The Program for Advanced Immune Bioimaging is accepting pilot project applications to support a broad range of research projects and pilot studies to address key gaps in the understanding of the cellular dynamics of inflammatory disease and the regulation of immune function.

Abstracts are due October 15; the application deadline is November 30. Find more information and application requirements here.

The Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods Awards support the development of new ways to overcome analytic limitations and enhance the validity, accuracy, scope or speed of clinical or translational research.

A maximum of $35,000 will be awarded for a one-year period. View the RFA and submit initial abstracts by October 17.