Study Suggests During Sleep, Neural Process Helps Clear the Brain of Damaging...
Artist’s rendering of neural activity clearing waste products through tight spaces of the brain. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH We’ve long known that sleep is a restorative process necessary for good health....
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Welcoming Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf for Rall Cultural Lecture on AI in...
NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli in a fireside chat with Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf at the Rall Cultural Lecture on March 19, 2024, at Masur Auditorium. Credit (all photos): Leslie...
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Immune Checkpoint Discovery Has Implications for Treating Cancer and...
When PD-1 receptors on T cells pair up, they are more likely to engage with PD-L1 proteins on other cells to prevent an immune attack. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Your immune system should ideally...
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Fear Switch in the Brain May Point to Target for Treating Anxiety Disorders...
Researchers found that acute stress switched chemical signals in the brain from producing excitatory glutamate to inhibitory GABA neurotransmitters, and this led to a generalized fear response....
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Visiting West Virginia University and Sharing Vision for Enhancing the...
NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (left), and Dr. Ming Lei, Vice Dean of Research at the WVU School of Medicine (right), during a visit to West Virginia University...
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Microbe Normally Found in the Mouth May Drive Progression of Colorectal Cancer
Study findings suggest a subtype of Fusobacterium nucleatum, a microbe normally found in the mouth, may infect colorectal tumors and drive their growth. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Appledesign/Adobe...
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Visiting West Virginia University and Sharing Vision for Enhancing the...
NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (left), and Dr. Ming Lei, Vice Dean of Research at the WVU School of Medicine (right), during a visit to West Virginia University...
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health Conditions During and After...
Credit: Marco/Adobe Stock Pregnancy and childbirth are often thought of as joyful times. Yet, we know that mental health conditions including perinatal depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress...
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Study Suggests Treatments that Unleash Immune Cells in the Brain Could Help...
In a study, an antibody treatment blocked interaction between APOE proteins and LILRB4 receptors in the brain, enabling microglia immune cells to clear amyloid plaques, a feature of Alzheimer’s....
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Machine Learning Study Offers Clues to Why Some People Have Rheumatoid...
Credit: Yakobchuk Olena/Adobe Stock About 1.5 million adults in the U.S. are living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks joint tissue, causing...
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AI Tool Using Single-Cell Data Has Promise for Optimally Matching Cancer...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, NicoElNino/Adobe Stock Precision oncology, in which doctors choose cancer treatment options based on the underlying molecular or genetic signature of individual tumors, has...
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Speeding the Diagnosis of Rare Genetic Disorders with the Help of Artificial...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Qpt/Shutterstock, taka/Adobe Stock Millions of children around the world are born each year with severe genetic disorders. Many of these are Mendelian disorders, which are...
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Researchers Map Neural Connections Key to Wakefulness in the Human Brain
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Human consciousness requires a person to be both awake and aware. While neuroscientists have learned a great deal from research about the underlying brain networks that sustain...
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Addressing Graduates Embarking on Careers in Medicine and Public Health
NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli giving a commencement address at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health on May 15, 2024. Credit: Leslye Smith Earlier this month, I had the honor of giving...
View ArticleMost Detailed 3D Reconstruction of Human Brain Tissue Ever Produced Yields...
Researchers have developed a detailed 3D reconstruction of a cubic millimeter of brain tissue. Credit: Images in video from Google Research & Lichtman Lab, Harvard University. Renderings by D....
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Study Suggests Computerized Brain Implant Could One Day Decode Internal...
Credit: Tom Merton/KOTO/Adobe Stock The ability to communicate using only your thoughts might sound like the stuff of science fiction. But for people who don’t have the ability to speak or move due to...
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Insights into Molecular Basis of PTSD and Major Depression Could One Day Aid...
Credit: S. Thomas Carmichael/UCLA, Yuliia/Adobe Stock We know stress can take a toll on our mental health. Yet, it’s unclear why some people develop stress-related mental health disorders and others...
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Antibiotic Compound Kills Hard-to-Treat, Infectious Bacteria While Sparing...
In a new study, an antibiotic compound, lolamicin, targeted infectious, gram-negative bacteria without harming the gut microbiome. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for a...
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Molecular Portrait of Key Driver of Pancreatic Cancer Offers Hope for...
Credit: magicmine/Adobe Stock Cancer arises when changes in genes that normally control cell division lead to unchecked growth at the expense of healthy tissues. One of the most common genetic...
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Sequencing Technique Detects Earliest Signs of Genetic Mutations Underlying...
Every day, billions of cells in your body divide, each producing two daughter cells. It’s an essential process for your tissues and organs to renew themselves and remain healthy. To do it, cells must...
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Study of Protective Gene Variant Provides Insight into Delaying Onset of...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Alzheimer’s disease is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. While your likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment increases with age,...
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Epigenetic Editor Silences Toxic Proteins in the Mouse Brain, Offering...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by a malfunction of the prion protein in the brain. Exposure to a misfolded version of the protein triggers normal...
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Maternal Brain Hormone Key to Strengthening Bones Could Help Treat...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH More than 200 million people around the world have osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones to the point that they break easily. Women are at especially high risk after...
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Mapping Psilocybin’s Brain Effects to Explore Potential for Treating Mental...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Psilocybin is a natural ingredient found in “magic mushrooms.” A single dose of this psychedelic can distort a person’s perception of time and space, as well as their sense of...
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Study Identifies Previously Unknown Pain Control Pathway Underlying Placebo...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH When someone receives an inactive sugar pill for their pain, the expectation of benefit often leads them to experience some level of pain relief. Researchers have long known...
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New Clues for Healing Spinal Cord Injuries Found in Single-Cell Studies in...
Credit: Bigemrg/Adobe Stock, Mokalled Lab/WashU Each year in the U.S. there are about 18,000 new spinal cord injuries, which damage the bundle of nerves and nerve fibers that send signals from the...
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Energy-Producing Enzyme Fuels the Brain with Promise for Treating Parkinson’s...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH In Parkinson’s disease, neurons in parts of the brain gradually weaken and die, leading people to experience worsening problems with movement and other symptoms. While the...
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Taking Inspiration from Art Created by a Patient’s Granddaughter
NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli in her office with Suzi Grossman’s artwork. Credit: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang, NIH I have a specific ritual when moving into a new office, as I did when I became NIH...
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Welcoming Senator Reed and Congressional Staff to the NIH Campus
Senator Jack Reed (right) visited the NIH Clinical Center, which included a tour of the National Cancer Institute’s pediatric oncology lab. Credit (all photos): Chia-Chi Charlie Chang, NIH On...
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‘Silent’ Mutations Could Have Unexpectedly Far-Reaching Effects that May...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Genetic mutations affect nearly all human diseases. Some genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis are caused by mutations in a single gene that a person inherits from their...
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AI Model Takes New Approach to Performing Diagnostic Tasks in Multiple Cancer...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Adobe Stock In recent years, medical researchers have been looking for ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology for diagnosing cancer. So far, most AI models have...
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NIH’s CARE for Health Primary Care Research Network: Connecting the Lab, the...
Credit: Donny Bliss Since I became NIH Director last year, one key principle has guided my vision and approach: Our work is not finished when we deliver scientific discoveries; our work is finished...
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Repurposed Cancer Drug Shows Effectiveness in Treating Rare Blood Vessel...
Credit: Donny Bliss/Shutterstock Developing a new drug from scratch can take a decade or more. But sometimes promising treatment options come from repurposing existing drugs for completely different...
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Commemorating the NIH and Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation Partnership
NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli (left of plaque) was joined by (from left) NIH Division Director for Clinical and Healthcare Research Policy Dr. Adam Berger, NIH Principal Deputy Director Dr....
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Bacteria Flip Gene Segments to Alter Proteins Surprisingly Often, with...
Some bacteria can produce more than one protein from a gene by “flipping” stretches of DNA. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH Proteins are vital to our bodies. They serve as structural building blocks for our...
View ArticleComplete Fruit Fly Brain ‘Connectome’ Advances Understanding of Essential...
Credit: Tyler Sloan for FlyWire You’ve surely seen fruit flies in your kitchen, perhaps hovering around a bowl of citrus fruits or over a glass of wine. While these insects might not seem especially...
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Recognizing the Curiosity-Driven Discoveries by 2024 Nobel Prize Winners...
From left: David Baker (Credit: University of Washington School of Medicine), Victor Ambros (Credit: UMass Chan Medical School), and Gary Ruvkun (Credit: Kris Snibbe/Harvard) Earlier this month, we...
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Many People with Long COVID Have Signs of Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, New...
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH In 2021, NIH launched the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, a nationwide research program, to fully understand, diagnose, and treat Long COVID. We...
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Celebrating Dr. Steven Rosenberg’s 50 Years at the National Cancer Institute
Dr. Steven Rosenberg speaks at a special symposium for his 50th anniversary at NIH. Credit (all photos): Chia-Chi Charlie Chang, NIH In September, I was pleased to get the chance to take part in a...
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Salivary Enzyme Behind Our Carb Cravings May Have Unexpectedly Ancient History
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Natalia/Adobe Stock Digestion involves much more than just your stomach. The digestive process that fuels your body begins in your mouth each time you take a bite of food and...
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Advancing a Whole-Person Approach to Women’s Health Research
NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli addresses the audience for a workshop for the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Credit: Jason Weil Photography So many women—myself included—have...
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Discovery of Culprit Behind Scars in Heart Failure Points to Possible...
Researchers identified a type of fibroblast cell (white) that helps form scar tissue after heart injury in response to an inflammatory signal called IL-1 (blue). Their research in mice suggests...
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Human Tumor Atlases Provide Important Insights into How Cancer Tumors Develop...
A collection of HTAN studies offer new understanding of cancer biology. Here, a conceptual rendering of a tumor overlaying a “map” depicts the identification of spatially distinct cancer cell clusters...
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Study Suggests New Experiences Can Refresh Memories of Past Events, with...
New research in mice suggests a memory of a recent negative event can be linked in the brain to a memory of an earlier, neutral event. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Adobe Stock Your memories of life...
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AI System Has Potential to Differentiate Brain Cancer from Healthy Tissue...
In a study, researchers trained an AI tool called FastGlioma to quickly distinguish cancerous from healthy tissue during surgery to remove brain tumors. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, fastglioma.mlins.org...
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ChatGPT-Like AI Tool Promises to Speed Treatment Advances and Free Doctors’...
A new tool called TrialGPT uses AI to quickly match patients to potential clinical trials, requiring less time of clinicians. Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH, Rocketclips/Adobe Stock, IconLauk/Adobe Stock,...
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2024 Science Highlights from the NIH Director’s Blog
Credit: Donny Bliss/NIH This year on the NIH Director’s Blog, we covered a wide range of NIH-supported research from across our institutes and centers. We explored exciting new findings that came from...
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Could Engineered Immune Cells Be Used to Treat People with Autoimmune...
In a study, researchers engineered human T cells to suppress the immune system’s response in targeted areas of the body, an approach that has potential for treating people with autoimmune diseases and...
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Paving the Way to More Precise Tissue Engineering with the Help of Liquid Metal
Artist’s representation of an approach for molding biological structures in the lab using a metal called gallium. The image shows a metallic branching structure (gallium) and then empty vessels...
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Saying Farewell and Sharing Thoughts on an Exciting Time for NIH Research
NIH Director Dr. Bertagnolli in her office. Credit: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang, NIH As I announced earlier this week, today is my last day as NIH Director. It has truly been my honor to lead this agency...
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