Biotechnology and Life Sciences

New Research Aims To Combat Prion-like Spread of Tau Pathology in Alzheimer’s

Armed with evidence that a specific site on heparan sulfate — known as the 3-O-sulfate group — is critical to the transfer of harmful tau proteins in the brain, a research program funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Aging is scrutinizing the interactions between heparan sulfate and tau, determining how misfolded tau spreads in the brain, and developing strategies to block it.

Novel Compound is Promising Drug Candidate for Alzheimer’s Disease

A newly identified compound is a promising candidate for inhibiting the production of amyloids, the abnormal proteins that form toxic clumps, called fibrils, inside the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. As published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemical Communications, the compound — known as “C1” — uses a novel mechanism to efficiently prevent the enzyme gamma-secretase from producing amyloids.

Rensselaer Announces New Degree Program in Biological Neuroscience

A new degree program in biological neuroscience at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute explores the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. The major, which was recently approved by the New York State Education Department, will be offered beginning in the spring 2020 semester through the Rensselaer Department of Biological Sciences.

Research Aims To Make Technologies for Controlling Blood Sugar More Accessible

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been working on two fronts to perfect continuous blood glucose monitor and insulin pump technologies: they are developing algorithms to create a closed-loop system that can effectively operate similar to a healthy pancreas, and they are working to make that system more accessible and understandable for users with diabetes.

Four Decades of Data Sounds Early Warning on Lake George

Although concentrations of chemicals and pollutants like salt and nutrients have increased in the deep waters of Lake George, they’re still too low to harm the ecosystem at those depths, according to an analysis of nearly 40 years of data published today in Limnology and Oceanography.

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