Bernard Arulanandam, vice provost for research at Tufts University and professor of immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine, has been named a foreign fellow of the Indian National Science Academy. This honor recognizes his significant contributions to scientific research and his longstanding engagement with international scientific communities.

Kyoto, Japan -- While investigating the FGF21-oxytocin-dopamine system, a mechanism that regulates sugar appetite, a team of researchers at Kyoto University noticed reports suggesting that the protein FGF21 may regulate alcohol ingestion. The team's original aim had been to address sugar appetite in lifestyle-related diseases, but since alcohol is a fermented product of sugar, they speculated that perhaps the body contains a system that recognizes both alcohol and sugar as the same entity.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major global health issue, and effective countermeasures for prevention and treatment are limited. Patients with alcohol dependence generally have a low adherence to pharmaceuticals, and many avoid drug treatment because it deprives them of the pleasure of drinking.

"It was important that any intervention provide pleasure and act as a substitute for alcohol," says corresponding author Sho Matsui. "We imagined that some functional sugars may be able to fill that role."

Scientists at Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) report that pairs of genetic variants previously classified as damaging can frequently restore normal protein function when present together, overturning a core assumption in human genetics. In a large experimental study of a rare-disease gene, more than 60% of damaging variant pairs rescued enzyme activity. The findings could improve genetic diagnosis and risk prediction for rare disorders by revealing when standard interpretations overestimate disease severity.

A Carnegie Mellon University-led team has received up to $28.5 million to develop a functional, 3D bioprinted liver for patients with acute liver failure. The temporary, immune-compatible liver is designed to support regeneration of a patient’s own liver, reducing the need for full organ transplants.

Bacteria can actively swim upstream, leading to severe infections in places like the urinary tract and respiratory system and contamination of medical devices like catheters. University of Pennsylvania biophysicist Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues have uncovered how and why this happens, revealing that E. coli actually “thrives under pressure.” Their findings point to new strategies for designing safer, more effective biomedical tools and treatments.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Dr. Gang Hu of the Center’s Chronic Disease Epidemiology Lab was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Population Sciences and Epidemiology Integrated Review Group (IRG) for the NIH Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Health (RPPH) study section. The IRG for the RPPH previews applications submitted to the NIH, makes recommendations on the applications to the appropriate national advisory council, and surveys the status of research in the field of population science and epidemiology.