The Flash Center for Computational Science, which recently moved from the University of Chicago to Rochester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, encompasses numerous cross-disciplinary, computational physics research projects conducted using the FLASH code.

The publicly available multi-physics code allows researchers to accurately simulate and model many scientific phenomena—including plasma physics, computational fluid dynamics, high-energy-density physics (HEDP), and fusion energy research—and inform the design and execution of experiments.

“In the last five years FLASH has become the premiere academic code for designing and interpreting experiments at the world’s largest laser facilities, such the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE),” says Michael Campbell, the director of the LLE. “Having the Flash Center and the FLASH code at Rochester significantly strengthens LLE’s position as a unique national resource for research and education in science and technology.”

Petros Tzeferacos, an associate professor of physics and astronomy and a senior scientist at the LLE, serves as the center’s director.

“The University of Rochester is a unique place where plasma physics, plasma astrophysics, and high-energy-density science are core research efforts,” he says. “We have in-house computational resources and leverage the high-power computing resources at LLE, the Center for Integrated Research Computing (CIRC), and national supercomputing facilities to perform our numerical studies. We also train the next generation of computational physics and astrophysics scientists in the use and development of simulation codes.” Learn more.

Many cannabis e-cigarettes or vapes fail to accurately list contents on their labels, according to two Medical Center researchers. Of the 27 products tested from 10 brands, none had accurate labeling regarding Delta-8 THC, a synthetic form of the psychoactive component of cannabis, and many contained cutting agents or synthetic byproducts that were not listed on the label.

Because these products contain cannabis derived from hemp, they are legal under federal law and widely available in brick and mortar vape shops and online. However, products containing Delta-8 THC are not evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has expressed concern about the health risks associated with these products.

“Cannabis e-cigs and Delta-8 THC have been linked to health issues,” says Irfan Rahman, the dean’s professor of environmental medicine who led the research. “The bottom line is: We are just starting to understand what is really in these products and we don’t yet know if these unlisted components are safe.”

In the study, published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, Rahman and fellow study author Jiries Meehan-Atrash, a postdoctoral researcher in Rahman’s lab, evaluated each of the cannabis e-cig or vaping products via proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a highly accurate technique used to measure unknown compounds in mixtures.

They found that 11 of the tested products contained byproducts of Delta-8 THC synthesis, including heavy metals, like mercury and lead, and unintended cannabinoids, including one that had never before been described and several others whose safety is unknown.

Delta-8 THC levels listed on product labels varied as much as 40 percent from levels detected in Rahman’s lab. This suggests that the companies producing these e-cigs either have poor testing capabilities, as appeared to be true for one brand, or falsified their results, which may have been the case for four other brands. Learn more.

The journal Nature Medicine has identified a phase 3 study of pridopidine as a treatment for Huntington’s disease as one of 11 clinical trials that will shape medicine in 2022.  The Medical Center’s Clinical Trials Coordination Center (CTCC) is providing global operational support for the study, which is being conducted at more than 50 sites across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Europe.

The journal notes that the PROOF-HD clinical trial is one of several ongoing studies of pridopidine as a potential therapy for Huntington’s, ALS, and other neurodegenerative diseases.  Pridopidine is an oral small-molecule that binds and activates the Sigma-1 receptor (S1R), which is present at high levels within the brain. By activating S1R, the drug helps boost production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein with neuroprotective properties.  These protein levels are found at reduced levels in people with Huntington’s disease.

The PROOF-HD study is being conducted by Prilenia, the drug’s manufacturer, and the Huntington Study Group – a global network of more than 400 investigators, coordinators, scientists, and Huntington’s disease experts.  The CTCC has collaborated with the HSG on a number of clinical trials, including the First-HD study which led to the FDA’s approval of deuterated tetrabenezine for Huntington’s in 2017.

The CTCC is providing scientific, technical, logistical, and operational logistical support for the PROOF-HD study, which announced in November 2021 that it had met its enrollment goal of 480 participants and is anticipated to run through April 2023.   Elise Kayson, director of CTCC Clinical and Strategic Initiatives, is serving as project lead for the PROOF-HD study.  Kayson is also co-chair of HSG.

The CTCC is part of the Center for Health + Technology and is a unique academic-based research organization with decades of experience working with industry, foundations, and governmental researchers in bringing new therapies to market for neurological disorders.

The University’s Aging Institute, Division of Geriatrics and Aging, and the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center are accepting applications for the 2022 Geriatric Faculty Scholars Program.

The program is open to junior and mid-career academic faculty from the School of Nursing and School of Medicine and Dentistry with an interest in inter-professional geriatric education and practice who wish to spearhead program development through geriatric education within their school, program, division, or department.

The program will enhance the scholars’ teaching and leadership skills and facilitate their career development as academic leaders with a clinical, educational, or research niche in geriatrics and gerontology that advances the paradigm of the Age-Friendly Health System. Find more information and apply here. Applications are due February 7.

The Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) at the Medical Center conducts NIH-funded clinical trials of new vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics for a variety of infectious diseases.

If you have an idea of an infectious disease-related clinical trial you would like to run through the VTEU, submit a study concept proposal by Thursday, March 31 to Goonwattie Surajpal. Learn more here.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry is preparing for its 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, and is looking for faculty members to serve as principal investigators to program participants.

Student participants will conduct research in a medical center lab under the mentorship of our faculty from May 29 to August 5.

Mentors will have regular contact with their student mentees, assist the students in developing a poster and oral presentation, and attend the PI/student lunch at the end of May.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, contact URSMDPipeline@urmc.rochester.edu.