In January 2022, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without any human help. Laparoscopic surgery involves small tubes inserted into the abdomen or pelvis to manipulate tissues.
Studying biomolecular processes at the nanometer scale is not an opportunity every major or even every university offers. With the oldest undergraduate program in the nation, the Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics at Hopkins has curated a closely knit major that allows students to study life’s processes while incorporating perspectives from biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science.
As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the two-year mark, the mental health crisis induced by it continues to escalate. With 14% of U.S. youth and 19% of adults suffering from mental illness, understanding the factors that influence mental health is a crucial endeavor. These efforts are led in part by Christina Bethell, director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and professor of population, family and reproductive health at the School of Public Health.
Last month, four Hopkins scientists published their research on a potential way to fight against malaria in Public Library of Science Biology. They discovered that knocking out C-type lectins 4 (CTL4), a gene in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, results in effective resistance to the malaria parasite.
Last month, the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) launched from French Guiana, and after a long journey, the telescope reached its final destination yesterday afternoon. While Webb is a global effort, its heart is right in our backyard.
Researchers at the School of Medicine are exploring a new link between age-related hearing loss and dementia in older adults. Current reports suggest hearing loss in older adults increases risk of dementia.
Tackling the underrepresentation of scientists with disabilities head on, the Equal Access in Science and Medicine Committee, Advocates for Disability Awareness and the Disability Health Research Center coordinated with 500 Women Scientists to hold a Wikipedia edit-a-thon on Dec. 3. This event also celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The holiday season also heralds the season of sniffles. The world is facing its second flu season during the global COVID-19 pandemic; while cases of the flu remained low last year, scientists and doctors don’t expect this trend to last.
The National Institute on Aging has allocated Hopkins a $20 million grant to promote the growth of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance the care of senior citizens, enabling them to enjoy longer independence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of those who are over the age of 65, 80% have at least one chronic condition, and one third experience limitations in their daily life activities.
The Parents And Communities as Experts (PACE) study seeks to understand how caregivers and community members view the return to in-person school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team hopes to use the results to develop a public health campaign to support families.
Hopkins researchers have uncovered the complex mechanisms by which spiders build their webs, revealing a host of intricate steps and dynamic complexes that belie the supposed lack of cognition present in “lower level” organisms.
Future undergraduate students at Hopkins will know the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories (UTL) and Charles Commons by other names. In an effort to recognize and elevate historically marginalized and underrepresented people in the institution’s history, Hopkins will rename these campus buildings and the Hopkins Outpatient Center in their honor.
Labyrinth Devices, a medical device startup based in Baltimore, is the sponsor of an early clinical trial of implants for those suffering from ailments of the vestibular labyrinth in the inner ear, a complex and dynamic system made up of twisting canals and end organs that helps to maintain the body’s sense of balance and vestibulo-ocular reflex.
The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children from age 5 to 11 years old was approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 2 and has since been distributed in hospitals and pharmacies nationwide. The News-Letter interviewed School of Public Health faculty Dr. Kawsar Talaat and Tamar Mendelson to discuss the impact this will have on children's wellbeing.
The newly launched Synthesis and Processing Informed by Rational Algorithmic Learning (SPIRAL) Center, one of 10 projects receiving Department of Energy funding, aims to use artificial intelligence to optimize the creation of materials needed for solar power.
Childbirth is often associated with joy, but for women, pregnancy is often a time of vulnerability. A pregnant woman or newborn dies around the world every eleven seconds. Around 810 preventable deaths occur every day from pregnancy and childbirth, according to World Health Organization data from 2017. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal mortality rates are almost 50 times higher for women compared to in high-income countries. In 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa had a maternal mortality rate of 302 deaths per 100,000 live births, a stark contrast to the United States’ rate of 35 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Hopkins researchers suggest that increasing natural spaces and tree canopy while reducing impervious surfaces (hard areas that prohibit water dissipation) has significant effects on improving biodiversity, specifically of birds.
Hopkins Medicine has been given a grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the potential medicinal properties of psychedelics; specifically, the impact of psilocybin on tobacco addiction.
HYPER-Melt, a biotech startup founded by postdoctoral researcher Chrissy O’Keefe, enables physicians to detect ovarian cancer in early stages, improving patients’ survival rates. The device works through detection of tumor-specific DNA methylation.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced its election of 100 new members on Oct. 18, 10 of whom are Hopkins faculty members. Election to the NAM is considered one of the most significant awards in health and medicine, as it honors individuals for their professional achievements and commitment to service. This class is the NAM’s most diverse to date.
