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 Bats—the only flying mammals—are highly mobile, constantly bringing new pathogens into their communities. According to University of Rochester biologists, that’s one reason they have evolved to have immunity to so many viruses that plague humans, who have only recently (in evolutionary terms) come to be highly mobile and more likely to live in densely populated centers. (Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash)
Bats offer clues to treating COVID-19Bats are often considered patient zero for many deadly viruses affecting humans, including Ebola, rabies, and, most recently, the SARS-CoV-2 strain of virus that causes coronavirus.
Humans experience adverse symptoms when afflicted with these pathogens, and yet bats are remarkably able to tolerate viruses, and, additionally, live much longer than similar-sized land mammals.
What are the secrets to their longevity and virus resistance?
According to researchers including Rochester biology professors Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, bats’ longevity and capacity to tolerate viruses may stem from their ability to control inflammation, which is a hallmark of disease and aging. In a review article published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the researchers outline the mechanisms underlying bats’ unique abilities and how these mechanisms may hold clues to developing new treatments for diseases in humans. Read more here.
Deadline extended to submit ideas to 'reimagine' University Would it make more sense to reorganize the University around interdisciplinary centers, rather than traditional departments and colleges? How can the University better serve the City of Rochester and the surrounding region?
These are the kinds of “big ideas” that a University committee is soliciting from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends—and from the Greater Rochester community—for Project Imagine. The deadline to submit your ideas has been extended to Friday, July 31.
ICE policy on international students is rescindedThe University applauds the news this week from the Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that the policy announced on July 6 to bar the majority of international students from taking online-only courses from US colleges and universities has been rescinded.
The University views this reversal as a huge victory for international students currently studying at Rochester and all over the country. Read the full statement.
Morgan to lead equity and inclusion efforts at SMD
A change in Medical Center leadership integrates its equity and inclusion efforts closely with those of the University and dedicates resources to building an anti-racist culture, while establishing a new center to advance gender and leadership.
Effective July 1, Adrienne Morgan became senior associate dean for equity and inclusion at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, while continuing to serve as associate vice president in the University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. She will oversee diversity and inclusion initiatives across all programs within the medical school, aiming to build an anti-racist culture and create a path of opportunity for underrepresented individuals interested in medicine.
Morgan assumes the role from Linda Chaudron, senior associate dean and the Medical Center’s vice president for inclusion and culture, who has begun a year-long, partial sabbatical to develop plans for a new faculty and staff leadership development function while becoming director of the Paul M. Schyve, MD Center for Bioethics. Chaudron has served in a deanship and administrative role for diversity since 2011. Upon her return, she will serve as director of the Medical Center’s newly formed Center for Gender and Leadership.
NCI funds urban-rural cervical cancer screening research A new Department of Emergency Medicine study aims to reduce the screening disparity for cervical cancer, a highly preventable disease, with a study conducted at UR Medicine emergency departments in urban and rural locations.
The National Cancer Institute awarded $1.5 million to David Adler, a professor of Emergency Medicine, Public Health Sciences, and a Wilmot Cancer Institute investigator, for a randomized clinical trial at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville, Livingston County.
The focus is on women, ages 21 to 65, who are not up to date on recommended cervical cancer screenings. Many of these individuals are women of color, Adler says, but not all. Rural white women, for example, also face challenges in accessing cancer screening services.
In the study, some women will be randomly placed in a group that receives motivational text messages, based on behavioral-change theory, as a way to urge them to get screened; others will receive a standard referral for screening. Researchers will then compare the two groups and identify whether the text messages are more effective than a routine referral.
Emergency departments are an optimal environment to study disparities and reduce them, Adler says. Researchers plan to enroll more than 1,400 women, who will be asked to consent to taking part in the program. Read more here.
Community initiative increases teen use of effective contraceptionA new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that a Medical Center community outreach initiative has helped adolescents in Rochester adopt long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) at a rate far higher than the U.S. overall.
The study found that use of LARC among sexually active high school females in Rochester increased from 4 to 24 percent from 2013-2017, compared to an increase from 2.7 to 5.3 percent in New York City, 1.5 to 4.8 percent in New York State, and 1.8 to 5.3 percent in the U.S. overall.
The Greater Rochester LARC Initiative was started six years ago by the Hoekelman Center for Health Beyond Medicine, a unit of the Department of Pediatrics that connects doctors with non-profits to benefit youths and adults by making communities healthier places to live.
Andrew Aligne, director of the Hoekelman Center, and his team promote LARC by reaching out to local organizations that work with youth, with a simple “lunch-and-learn” approach to disseminate accurate information that forms the backbone of the center’s advocacy work.
“An interesting aspect of the LARC project is that we talk to adults, not to teens. We work with our community partners to teach adults about birth control. This way, they can help teens to make well-informed choices about preventing unintended pregnancy,” says Jessica VanScott, the LARC Initiative’s health project coordinator.
Read more here.
Hear UR CTSI announcement on TuesdayUniversity of Rochester Clinical & Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) co-directors Nancy Bennett and Martin Zand will hold an announcement next Tuesday, July 21 at 10:30 a.m., regarding the future of the institute and how it will impact research at the university.
All members of the University community are welcome to join. Please register online.
Webinar: DOD research and development fundingWant to learn more about how the Department of Defense (DoD), the largest federal sponsor of research and development, funds science and technology research, development and educational initiatives?
A “DoD 101” webinar, the first in a series of upcoming DoD informational sessions, will introduce DOD research and development organizations, funding agencies, programs, and strategies for interacting with the DoD agencies.
The webinar will also advise on how to successfully compete for DOD research funds and provide follow on support for future engagement plans. The webinar will be held on Friday, July 24 from 2-3 p.m. and will include a presentation followed by Q&A. Register via this link by July 23 to receive log-in information.
PhD dissertation defenseDenisse Vega Ocasio, Translational Biomedical Sciences, Psychosocial Distress and its Impact on Immune Modulation of Arbovirus Infection in Machala, Ecuador. Noon to 1 p.m., July 21. ASL interpreters will be provided for this event via Zoom.
Keeping abreast of the University's response to COVID-19
Here are four important links for researchers:
Adapting tests and quizzes for distance learning: Using tests and quizzes in online courses raises legitimate concerns about academic honesty, but there are solutions. In this workshop, you will learn proven strategies to design online tests and quizzes that address these concerns and ensure they accurately reflect what students know. This professional development session takes place Monday, July 20, from noon to 12:30 p.m. EDT via Zoom. Please register by emailing denise_harris@urmc.rochester.edu.
NYS lieutenant governor praises URMC COVID-19 response: Last Friday, NYS lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul visited URMC to give a public address about its outstanding response to COVID-19. The public address included remarks from URMC CEO Mark Taubman, prominent COVID-19 researchers Dave Topham and Angela Branche, and UR CTSI co-director Martin Zand. Hochul toured Topham’s lab before addressing the crowd and praising research efforts at the university. She also thanked the community for adhering to public health measures and helping drive down local cases of COVID-19. See the full press conference on 13 WHAM.
Take Advantage of Multiple National Data Sharing Platforms: It usually takes up to 15 years to develop a new FDA-approved drug from scratch. But that timeline is not an option during this global pandemic. Drug re-purposing, or using existing drugs in new ways, offers a much quicker route. The OpenData Portal, created by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS), allows scientists to quickly access or share COVID-19-related drug repurposing data.
Along with that, the CURE ID application, developed by NCATS and the FDA, supports a complementary crowdsourcing approach to identifying drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 by allowing clinicians to share their patient treatment experiences in real-time. This week, a partnership with the Critical Path Institute was announced that will greatly expand the reach and capacities of this groundbreaking platform.
Expiring Deadlines for COVID-19 Funding
Two funding opportunities (RFA-CA-20-038) and (RFA-CA-20-039) to establish Serological Sciences Research Projects with the goals of identifying and advancing research opportunities to characterize the immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection are set to expire soon. Apply by Wednesday, July 22.
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