Researchers identify process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain
A team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University and the University of Florida has identified networks of genes that regulate the process responsible for determining whether neurons will regenerate in certain animals, such as zebrafish.
Notre Dame finalizes new watershed construction at ND-LEEF
The construction of the new watersheds began September 2019, but paused from January 2020 until August 1, 2020, to account for the eagle breeding season.
New online portal forecasts coronavirus transmission to aid officials in management, planning
Developed for government and public health service officials, the portal models predict COVID-19 disease transmission by using county data of daily reported infections and current human movement restrictions, such as shelter-in-place and social distancing orders.
University names Lamberti as acting director of UNDERC
Gary A. Lamberti, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been named the Gillen Acting Director of the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). Lamberti will oversee the center’s two facilities: UNDERC-East, located between Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and UNDERC-West, located in western Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Lamberti will be supported by Stuart E. Jones, associate professor in the Department of Biological sciences, in the role of associate director of research at UNDERC.
Environmental DNA to be used for monitoring endangered and invasive species in flowing waters
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have received $1.5 million to develop models that will improve the monitoring of endangered or invasive species in flowing waters, like streams and rivers, using information from environmental DNA (eDNA) samples.
Study of the nervous system could have implications for regenerative medicine and cancer
A new study from the University of Notre Dame has shown that synaptic vesicles are utilized much earlier than previously thought for the formation of the spinal cord during early development.
Mosquitoes are a major global health threat and Notre Dame researchers are fighting back
Learn how Notre Dame researchers have made key discoveries that have improved our understanding of mosquito-borne diseases and continue these research efforts today.
Joseph Chambers Awarded Graduate Fellowship
Three graduate students from Notre Dame have received fellowships from Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Each fellowship recipient will spend their summer conducting research at Notre Dame that aims to combat disease or promote health.
Finding the sweet spot
Competitors arriving at the 1st hole of the U.S. Senior Open are greeted by Juday Creek. Flowing through Warren Golf Course, the stream is home to an important ecosystem, and is a valuable resource for Notre Dame researchers today.
Conservation model benefits both ecological and economic needs of Great Salt Lake
To balance the needs of the animals and the industry that rely on brine shrimp cysts, a University of Notre Dame researcher and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) completed a study over 20 years to evaluate and improve management of Utah's Great Salt Lake.
Open-source application creates super-resolution images of cell development in living animals
A new tool may allow researchers to see more of the physiological state of living organisms at the cellular level, according to a study by the University of Notre Dame. Published in Development, the study shows how an open-source application, created by Notre Dame researchers, can utilize two different conventional microscope images obtained at low excitation powers to create one high-resolution, three-dimensional image.
Notre Dame researchers accepted to join vaccination impact research consortium
Alex Perkins, Eck Family Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, and Sean Moore, research assistant professor of biological sciences, have been accepted to join the Vaccine Impact Modeling Consortium. The consortium “aims to deliver a more sustainable, efficient, and transparent approach to generating disease burden and vaccine impact estimates.
Notre Dame announces awardees of the Science of Wellness Catalyst Seed Grant Program
Sixteen faculty members from the University of Notre Dame have been awarded funding from the University’s Science of Wellness Initiative’s Catalyst Seed Grant program. Nearly 100 pre-proposals were submitted and faculty from five different colleges and schools received awards.
Committee identifies priorities for nation’s future water resource challenges
Jennifer Tank, Galla Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, served as one of 15 experts on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Future Water Resource Needs for the Nation.
Notre Dame researcher to study dengue virus vaccine
Guido Camargo España Guido Camargo España, postdoctoral research associate of biological sciences, has received a Postdoctoral Training Award in Translational Research from the Indiana…
Eck Institute for Global Health announces new graduate student fellows
Seven University of Notre Dame graduate students have successfully received fellowships from the Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH). The EIGH Graduate Student Fellowship Program was established to support students enrolled in the Notre Dame doctorate program who have an interest in global health research. “This fellowship program provides an opportunity for Notre Dame graduate students to work with our faculty and become more directly engaged in the fight for global health,” said Bernard Nahlen, director of the EIGH and professor of biological sciences. “I look forward to seeing how these young researchers develop their own skills and interests to contribute to better health for everyone, everywhere.”
Hackathons may accelerate scientific discovery, study finds
From interdisciplinary teams to multi-institutional partnerships, collaborations in research have become commonplace. However, these interactions are often made up of siloed teams who pass information along a pipeline rather than operating cohesively. In a new study, researchers have shown how hackathons, or other crowdsourcing events, may provide a good strategy for building bridges over the traditional divides of research partnerships and accelerate scientific discovery.
Daniel Erickson Named 2018 Berry Family Foundation Graduate Fellow
Daniel Erickson, 2018 Berry Family Foundation Graduate Fellow Daniel Erickson, graduate student of biological sciences, has been awarded a fellowship through the Advanced Diagnostics & Therapeutics (AD&T) Berry Family Foundation Graduate Fellowships for his research in the lab of Malcolm J. Fraser Jr., Rev. Julius A. Nieuwland, C.S.C. Professor of Biological Sciences, developing transgenic silkworms which produce silk that could become a low-cost source of cancer therapies.
2018 Equipment Restoration and Renewal Grant awardees announced
Notre Dame Research has provided six researchers or research groups from three Colleges and Schools with awards from the Equipment and Restoration Renewal (ERR) grant program for 2018. The ERR grant program was created to assist in the restoration, replacement, and renewal of the facilities needed for faculty research at the University of Notre Dame.
Dengue virus transmission dominated by those with undetected infection, study finds
People showing virtually no symptoms are likely the primary source of dengue fever, according to new research published in PLOS Pathogens. Nearly 400 million people each year are infected with dengue virus, which is transmitted through mosquitoes. The study estimates that more than 80 percent of dengue virus infections are attributable to individuals with mild to no symptoms who do not seek treatment from a physician. The study also indicates that nearly a quarter of dengue virus transmission is the result of mosquitoes biting those already infected before the onset of symptoms. By the time those symptoms appear, the opportunity to prevent the virus from spreading has passed.
University of Notre Dame researcher receives Indiana CTSI postdoctoral award
Henry Clay Conner, University of Notre Dame postdoctoral scholar, has received a Postdoctoral Training Award in Translational Research from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). The award will be used for his work in Athanasia Panopoulos’s lab.
Notre Dame Research announces 2018 Internal Grant Program recipients
Twenty faculty members from five of the colleges and schools have been awarded grants through the Notre Dame Research Internal Grant Program (IGP). Recipients who applied were awarded Faculty Research Support Regular Grants, Faculty Research Support Initiation Grants, Rapid Response Grants, and other internal funding.
Notre Dame Research Shows Promising Results for Improving Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
New Notre Dame research has been used to support the Orphan Drug designation for IT-139, a compound that when used in combination with chemotherapy has proved to be significantly more effective in treating pancreatic cancer than the current standard of care. The Orphan Drug program is administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and identifies promising drugs that are intended for the treatment of rare diseases, which impact fewer than 200,000 Americans at any time, or affect more than 200,000 people but are not expected to recover the costs of developing and marketing a treatment drug. Currently, pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest cancer survival rates, with one-year and five-year rates of 20 and 7 percent, respectfully.
Notre Dame researcher receives grant to study spinal cord injuries
The Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) has awarded Cody J. Smith, the Elizabeth and Michael Gallagher Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and affiliated member of the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, a Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund (SCBIRF) grant.
Funding scientific research fuels job creation
The University of Notre Dame is highlighted in a new report on the importance of scientific research to economic growth. The study, which was conducted by The Science Coalition, identifies more than 100 companies that exist due to funding received by academic researchers from federal government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and National Science Foundation.
Tuberculosis Research Sheds Light on Disease-related Protein
The WHO names Tuberculosis (TB) as one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and over 95 percent of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. To improve the global health community’s understanding of TB and provide information that could help treat it, Notre Dame researchers have developed a new strain of the bacteria along with a new method to better study this deadly disease.
How Wolves are Helping Nature Thrive
New Notre Dame research has shown that wolves living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are actually helping foxes, hares, and plants survive.
Improving Snow Measurement
Although it may seem simple to calculate, snowfall cannot be well measured by simply placing a yardstick in the ground. In actuality, snow measurement is much more complicated and oftentimes the most accurate snow measurement devices are costly. However, two Notre Dame graduate students are working to improve the snow measurement process in an effective and affordable manner.
Identifying DNA and Developing Data
When it comes to battling disease and maintaining healthy environments, DNA sequencing can be imperative to success. At the University of Notre Dame, the Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility (GBCF) supports research in many areas that increasingly rely on DNA sequencing, including cancer biology, vector-borne diseases, the development of drug and antibiotic resistance, monitoring invasive species, and much more.
Holding the Key to Affordable Biotherapeutics
Malcolm Fraser Jr., the University of Notre Dame’s Rev. Julius A. Nieuwland, C.S.C., Professor of Biological Sciences, is conducting research that utilizes the silkworm caterpillar’s silk gland to conduct mammalian-like protein production with the end goal of producing cost-effective biotherapeutic products, or therapeutic materials created utilizing recombinant DNA technology, that can be used to treat life-threatening and chronic diseases.