Robot Challenge

Through the Sample Return Robot Challenge, NASA and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute are encouraging innovations in robotic technology. Participating teams will need to demonstrate a robot that can locate and retrieve geologic samples from varied terrain without human control. $1.5 million in prizes will be awarded.

Drug halts organ damage in inflammatory genetic disorder

A new study shows that Kineret (anakinra), a medication approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is effective in stopping the progression of organ damage in people with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID). This rare and debilitating genetic disorder causes persistent inflammation and ongoing tissue damage. The research was performed by scientists at the National … Read more

Members of new Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee announced

More than 100 million Americans suffer from migraines, arthritis and other chronic pain conditions with an annual economic toll of nearly $600 billion in medical bills and lost productivity. To help address this problem, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Affordable Care Act, to create a new Interagency Pain … Read more

African American History Month

February is African American History Month. This year’s theme pays special tribute to African American women and the various roles they’ve played in shaping our nation. Visit the official page on African American History Month and you’ll find lesson plans, a photo collection from the Harlem Renaissance, an online exhibition about slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello, … Read more

Common Fund researchers uncover structure of important target for drug design

Researchers have uncovered a potent class of small molecules that selectively turn on the S1P1 receptor, a type of receptor in cells that can be targeted in the design of new treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis. These findings are reported in the Feb. 17 issue of the journal Science. The research was supported … Read more

Obama Administration Announces New Steps to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

The Obama Administration is making an additional $50 million available for cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research. The administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget will increase funding for Alzheimer’s research by $80 million, plus an additional $26 million for caregiver support, provider education and public awareness about the disease. This new funding will speed up the National Institutes of … Read more

Challenges public to help bring discovery into the classroom

A new competition seeks to bring hands-on science into classrooms nationwide. The National Institutes of Health’s K-12 Lessons About Bioscience (LAB) Challenge asks teachers, students, parents, scientists, and science enthusiasts to submit their favorite experiments for elementary, middle, and high school students. The best experiments will become part of an official collection that NIH will … Read more

Greenberg named acting director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Judith H. Greenberg, Ph.D., will become acting director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) early next month. NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., today named her to replace departing NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D., while the search continues for a permanent director.

Researchers identify new marker to predict progressive kidney failure, death

A high level of a hormone that regulates phosphate is associated with an increased risk of kidney failure and death among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of Miami and funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at … Read more

Reach of national clinical and translational research consortium

The National Institutes of Health announced that it will provide $200 million over five years to five health research centers to speed scientific discoveries into treatments for patients. The grants were awarded as part of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, which is led by the NIH’s National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

Researchers slow immune attack on ovaries in mice

In a study of mice, researchers have slowed an immune system attack on the ovaries. The mice developed a disorder resembling primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a menopause-like condition that affects women under the age of 40, sometimes years or even decades before normal menopause. The study was conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of … Read more

New videos, website offer important resources for people affected by diabetes

New videos to help people make lifestyle changes and cope with the demands of diabetes were announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The series of three- to five-minute videos, address topics such as setting goals to improve health, living with diabetes, finding the support you need, … Read more