A team of Rochester scientists worked together to protect students who were the most vulnerable to COVID-19 from the virus, as well as to keep staff healthy and schools open.

In April 2020, as COVID wreaked havoc across the globe, the University received a new designation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It became one of about a dozen Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC) in the country.

This designation strengthened the long-standing relationship between the neuroscience community at the University and the Mary Cariola Center. A year into the pandemic, when the NIH was looking to understand how COVID was spreading in the IDD population, the UR-IDDRC and Mary Cariola took on a $4 million project, funded by the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program.

“Many children with an IDD have social communication deficits, speech, and complex health or medical issues,” says John Foxe, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, co-director of the UR-IDDRC, and co-principal investigator of the RADx-UP study. “These students need intensive sensory interaction, intervention, and as much socialization and social interaction as we can give them. They need to be in school.”

Isolating persons with positive tests and knowing antibody levels within the Mary Cariola Center community helped keep the virus at bay. Vaccinations were not given or required in this research project, but antibody levels—from vaccinations and illness—were collected and considered as the school reacted to an ever-changing environment.

“We could see how the immunity progressed and changed in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people within the study,” says Martin Zand, co-director of the Clinical & Translational Science Institute and co-principal investigator of the RADx-UP project, who leads this aspect of the research, including collecting the samples at the school. “Because of this, we know we achieved herd immunity at the school.”

Get the whole story.

(University of Rochester photo by Alexa Olson)

The annual David T. Kearns Center Summer Research Symposium took place last Friday, and for Rochester student Lalita Dahal, that meant an opportunity to showcase the research she has been working on all summer. 

Dahal was part of a cohort of more than a dozen Rochester students participating in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. The McNair students—along with students from Rochester and other colleges and universities participating in summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs on campus—completed their 10-week summer research program with the symposium. There, more than 60 undergraduate students shared their work during oral presentations, poster presentations, and panel presentations.

“The Research Symposium offers the students a place to showcase their work. It also validates a different kind of learning—active, deep learning—that they’ve been involved with in their research. Doing research is very different than doing coursework during the academic year. It takes more discipline, you have to be more of an intrinsic learner,” says George McCormick, a senior McNair advisor and curriculum specialist at the Kearns Center.

“Working alongside experienced mentors and faculty members has been invaluable, as it has allowed me to gain practical skills and insights that cannot be acquired solely through textbooks or lectures. Moreover, I have found great satisfaction in the process of acquiring new knowledge and obtaining fresh data,” Dahal says.

Learn more about Dahal’s experience.

(Unsplash photo by Road Trip with Raj)

Understanding the role of chronic pain in the brain could transform treatment and care for a condition that afflicts more than 20 percent of adults in the United States. Paul Geha, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Medical Center, has been studying the correlation between brain structure and chronic pain.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) recently awarded Geha $8.3 million to continue this work on understanding the link between pain and the brain.

The funding will focus on three specific research projects.

The University of Rochester Libraries has launched a new space for Rochester researchers to easily share their work while meeting publisher and funder requirements. Use the “UR Research Repository” for research outputs such as papers, presentations, and data. To get started, go to rochester.figshare.com. You can find more information on the libraries’ website, and if you would like personalized guidance, feel free to contact the data librarians team.

Wednesday, August 9, 12–1 p.m. EDT
Virtual

URMC early-stage researchers are invited to learn how the University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) can help you conduct clinical and translational science in this Rochester Early-Stage Investigator Network (RESIN) seminar, hosted by the UR CTSI and School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Office for Faculty Development. See the list of speakers and register.

Apply by Monday, September 11 at 5 p.m.

The UR CTSI is now accepting applications for three funding programs that support translational science, the study of the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process. View the RFA and learn more about the three pilot award categories: Faculty, Trainee, and UNYTE Translational Research Network.

Apply by Wednesday, September 16

The World Universities Network (WUN) Research Development Fund (RDF) 2023 is now open. The RDF is an annual competitive fund aimed at bringing together researchers to undertake innovative, high-quality, sustainable research that addresses global challenges. Each member institution is permitted to lead two proposals per year but can collaborate on as many as desired. If you are interested in leading a proposal effort or would like more information, please contact the University WUN coordinator, Megan Bennett-Spears. View the RDF guidelines and more information on the Office for Global Engagement website before completing the internal application.