News

Environmental control

Since 2011, the Food and Drug Administration has approved roughly 200 novel drugs, of which approximately 25 percent are produced by cells. Tulane researchers in the laboratory of Anne Robinson (pictured), professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, grow flasks of mammalian cells in different environments to better understand the conditions which impact the quality of cell-produced medicines.

Land-building can reduce carbon dioxide in atmosphere, study shows

A Tulane University researcher is among of team of scientists who say that building land to restore Louisiana’s coast can also help pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

NIH awards $11.3 million grant to Tulane Center for Aging

The National Institutes of Health awarded an $11.3 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant to the Tulane Center for Aging. The grant means an additional five years of funding for the multidisciplinary project that began in 2012.
 

NIH awards Tulane $2.65 million to boost research in women’s health, sex differences

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Tulane University $2.65 million to continue its successful program to develop more researchers studying women’s health and how disease progression and treatment differ in women.

Study looks at link between traumatic stress and alcohol abuse

Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to abuse alcohol, but Tulane University researcher Jeffrey Tasker is hoping a study of the brain can provide insight into the problem and catch it before it escalates.

Working on a miracle

Daniel Rees, a graduate student in the Bioinnovation IGERT program, loads samples into an aggregation rate generator (ARGEN) instrument in the Center for Polymer Reaction Monitoring and Characterization (PolyRMC). Rees is working under the supervision of physics professor Wayne F. Reed to quantitatively characterize the stability of therapeutic protein drugs. The stability of these “miracle drugs” is an important issue in the biotechnology sector and carefully monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.  

Tulane lab looks to create 'dream reaction'

Tulane University’s Shantz Lab has received a two-year grant of $110,000 from the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund to find a solution to one of the chemical industry's most demanding transformations, the direct conversion of benzene to phenol.   

Phenol is used to make numerous everyday items including plastics. The way it is made now is a complicated, energy-intensive, multi-step process.  The direct conversion of benzene to phenol is viewed as a "dream reaction."

Pipe down

A graduate student in the lab of Stryder Meadows uses a pipette to load protein into a gel, which can be further analyzed to determine expression levels of specific proteins within biological samples. This process helps researchers understand the effects of abnormal protein levels in various diseases.

Tulane Brain Institute researchers focus on epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia

Tulane University’s Laura Schrader, a cell and molecular biology professor and Brain Institute member, received a two-year grant from the National Institute of Health to study the role of a Shox2, a protein in the brain important for development and function of the thalamus.

Schrader is exploring Shox2’s potential link to epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia. Abnormal function of the thalamus has been linked to these pathological conditions, but the specific mechanisms of the thalamic disruptions are not completely understood.

So, you think you want to go to graduate school?

The Tulane University School of Science and Engineering is partnering with the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) organization to host a graduate school information session called “So you think you want to go to graduate school?” on Monday, Oct. 2.

The event will feature breakout sessions and a panel of graduate students, faculty and industry professionals who will answer questions about choosing a program, the application process and finding mentors.