An estimated 3 million people in the United States are diagnosed with a concussion every year. Most are caused by sports-related injuries. Most people recover quickly. However, for a third, it can take three or more months to recuperate.

“If we could know – pretty precisely – which concussed individuals were destined for prolonged recovery, we would be in a much better position to test what medicines or therapies work to shorten the duration of recovery,” says Jeffrey Bazarian, professor of emergency medicine at the Medical Center.

Bazarian is currently working on a research project to better understand how concussions impact children and teens, funded by a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The project, involving Rochester, the University of California, Los Angeles, and four other institutions, is focusing on children and teens between the ages of 11 and 18. It will seek to identify a set of biomarkers that could predict which young people will develop persistent symptoms after a concussion. Learn more.

How long the war in Ukraine lasts–weeks, months, or years–depends on individual actions that run the gamut from those of world leaders to ordinary citizens and soldiers, says Hein Goemans, a professor of political science and an expert on how international conflicts begin and end.

Take for example the Russian commander who apologized to the Ukrainian people for invading, telling them he had been duped by his own country’s misinformation. According to Goemans, those single actions can cause large-scale domino effects.

“Remember, the soldiers are the ones doing the fighting and the dying. They have to agree to the terms of this war, because if they don’t agree, with guns in hand, they have options: they can continue fighting against the enemy, join the enemy, desert, or attempt regime change at home.”

Goemans draws a direct parallel to Russian soldiers in March 1917.  They refused to fight any longer in World War I for a cause and a Tsarist regime they no longer believed in. Learn more.

The survival rates of extremely pre-term babies have increased significantly in the past decade, according to a study co-authored by Carl D’Angio, chief of the Division of Neonatology at the Medical Center.

The study examined the survival outcomes of 10,877 infants born at 22-28 weeks gestational age between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018, at 19 academic medical centers that form the NIH-funded Neonatal Research Network.

Survival among actively treated infants was 30% at 22 weeks and 55.8% at 23 weeks—a considerably higher rate than during 2008-2012, when survival to discharge was 7% at 22 weeks and 32% at 23 weeks.

This improvement in outcomes can be attributed to multiple factors, including enhanced treatment protocols across participating medical centers, D’Angio says. “There are elements where we’ve collectively moved forward, such as ventilation, nutrition, and hydration.”

The study also assessed the health of severely pre-term infants after two years. Slightly more than 8% had moderate to severe cerebral palsy, 1.5% had vision loss in both eyes, 2.5% needed hearing aids or cochlear implants, and 15% required mobility aids such as orthotics, braces, walkers, or wheelchairs.

Nearly 49% had no or only mild neurodevelopmental impairment, about 29% had moderate neurodevelopmental impairment, and roughly 21% had severe neurodevelopmental impairment. Learn more.

A nanomembrane developed by the lab of James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering, can capture individual extracellular vesicles, which allowed University of Chicago researchers to study their functionality. (Illustration: Bradley Kwarta at Rochester Institute of Technology)

Extracellular vesicles (EVs)—as small as 40 nanometers in diameter—are tiny particles released by cells into the bloodstream and other fluid-filled cavities. EVs carry proteins, lipids, metabolites, and genetic material unique to the cells that release them.

As a result, they could serve as valuable biomarkers for the early detection of diseases, including cancer—especially if EVs could be assessed individually.

Researchers at the University of Chicago, in a collaboration with the lab of James McGrath, a professor of biomedical engineering at Rochester, adapted nanomembranes from the McGrath lab in a microfluidic cross-flow filtration system. They then conducted one of the first known projects to successfully isolate and study EVs. Their findings appear in Communications Biology.

McGrath’s lab has pioneered the development of ultrathin membranes—just 100 nanometers thick—that are made from silicon nitride. The membranes contain billions of tiny pores, which can capture EVs and other tiny particles in microfluidics devices that circulate different fluids around the particles in a controlled manner and measure the responses.

“We’re particularly interested in the diagnostic potential of extracellular vesicles,” McGrath says. “Because tumor cells shed them abundantly, long before you ever manifest symptoms, these small clues are floating in your bloodstream as potential biomarkers.”

McGrath is excited that the collaboration resulted in a groundbreaking application for the membranes. “Anytime our materials help a collaborator do first-of-a-kind science, it’s a big deal,” McGrath says. “This paper uses our materials to reveal an important detail in biology that has never been seen before.” Learn more.

The University is in the process of renewing its institutional accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

As an MSCHE-accredited institution, Rochester secures its designation as a qualified institute of higher learning and is granted access to federal funding.

The first part of the MSCHE process includes a two-year institutional self-review to explore key components of the University, including student learning experiences, institutional mission and goals, organizational governance, and much more.

Attend an online information session on Tuesday, March 29, from 4 to 5 p.m. to learn how you can be part of this important process.

Are you the author of a major scholarly work published or recorded between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021? If so, consider showcasing your work at this year’s Celebration of Authorship symposium.

This University-wide event, hosted by President Sarah Mangelsdorf and Interim Provost Sarah Peyre, honors University faculty and staff from all fields who have authored major scholarly achievements including printed and electronic books, articles, and published compositions. Authors will be on hand to sign copies of their works and discuss their inspiration. Copies of many of the works will also be available for purchase.

The event takes place Thursday, April 28, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Hawkins Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. Refreshments will be provided.

Interested faculty and staff should email adele.coelho@rochester.edu by March 30.

The Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS) is soliciting proposals from full-time faculty or other principal investigators interested in promoting technology transfer from our University to New York companies. The center’s Collaborative Innovative Research Program for the 2022/23 program year provides awards that support a broad range of optics, photonics and imaging interests, including ophthalmic and vision science, fiber optic communications, biomedical imaging, geospatial imaging, precision optics, consumer imaging, and displays. Proposals in other technical areas will be considered as well.

Proposed projects must involve a NY industry partner that is actively engaged with the research, financially sponsoring the research, and willing to provide ongoing economic impact reporting for the project. The scientific and technical quality of the proposed fundamental or applied research or development activities is assessed by external expert reviewers. Ranking also is dependent upon the potential jobs and revenues that will result from the proposed projects. PIs are strongly encouraged to work closely with their industrial sponsors to provide realistic quantitative estimates of the expected impact.

All proposals must be submitted by email as attachments using the forms on the CEIS web site at http://www.ceis.rochester.edu/funding/CIRP.html. Documentation of company commitment must accompany the proposal. Proposals must be received by Cathy Adams not later than May 16. She can also answer questions about the proposals or the CIR RFP process.