Department News

Scott Gerber, PhD

Today, the Gerber Laboratory is a world leader in applying spectrometry-based proteomics approaches to better understand the function of proteins in cells and what goes wrong during cell division in cancer. “In particular, we’re interested in how proteins talk to one another through a process called cell signaling,” he explains.

Researchers Find Source of Breast Tumor Heterogeneity and Pathway that Limits Emergence

A key hurdle in treating breast cancers is intratumoral heterogeneity, or the presence of multiple different cell populations within the same tumor that have distinct characteristics such as gene expression, metabolism and ability to divide, spread and grow.

Miller Lab - Researchers discover a key to the survival of dormant breast cancer cells.

The results, entitled "AMPK activation by metformin promotes survival of dormant ER+ breast cancer cells," are newly published online in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Gio Bosco and members of his lab are recognized for the 2019 PLOS Genetics Research Prize: Fruit fly school - language and dialect for communicating a threat

Practicing and publishing science has many rewards, and one of the best is the opportunity to pause and recognize truly exceptional work done by members of your research community. It is in this spirit that we launched the annual PLOS Genetics Research Prize several years ago. The prize recognizes a paper published in the last year that is scientifically outstanding and has broad reach across the genetics community.

Gerber Named the Inaugural Kenneth E. and Carol L. Weg Distinguished Professor

Scott A. Gerber, PhD, professor of molecular and systems biology and of biochemistry and cell biology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and program director of the Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Research Program at Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), has been named the Kenneth E. and Carol L. Weg Distinguished Professor. An expert in mass spectrometry and proteomics, Gerber is the first to hold this newly established professorship given by Kenneth Weg D ’60 and his wife, Carol Weg.

Marnie Halpern Named Chair of the Dept. of Molecular and Systems Biology

Marnie E. Halpern, PhD, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science and adjunct professor of biology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, has been named the Chair of the Department of Molecular and Systems Biology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine.

Bosco Lab Study Published in eLife Transgenerational inheritance of ethanol preference is caused by maternal NPF repression
(J. Bozler, B.Z. Kacsoh, G. Bosco)

Are our personalities and behaviors shaped more by our genes or our circumstances? While this age-old “nature vs. nurture” question continues to confound us and fuel debates, a growing body of evidence from research conducted over recent decades suggests that parental environment can have a profound impact on future generations.

Ahmed lab receives the June 2019 PLOS Genetics cover (A. Tian, D. Duwadi, H. Benchabane, Y. Ahmed)

The long-range action of Wingless/Wnt at compartment boundaries is essential for the development of the adult intestinal epithelium and overlying visceral muscles. Overexpression of Notum, a Wingless inhibitor, in the epithelium at the midgut-hindgut boundary and the adjacent posterior midgut results in extensive breaks and branches in the overlying longitudinal muscles and loss of the striated banding pattern of circular muscles (image). Similar muscle defects result from Wingless tethering at the midgut-hindgut boundary.

Drs. Dunlap and Loros receive the Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award 2019

Recipients of the 2019 Graduate Faculty Mentor Awards were announced at the Poster Session event on Tuesday, April 9. Established in 2005, this award recognizes and highlights the outstanding mentoring undertaken by Dartmouth faculty advisors in the graduate community.

Michael Whitfield, PhD, Named Chair of the Department of Biomedical Data Science

Michael L. Whitfield, PhD, has been named the chair of the Department of Biomedical Data Science at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Whitfield, a professor of biomedical data science (BMDS) and molecular and systems biology, has served as the department’s interim chair since November 2017.

Havrda Lab published in Nature Biotechnology - Parkinson’s drug makers target inflammasome: Link to α-synuclein builds case for inflammasome targeting to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Hyperstimulated immune cells in the brain are emerging as a hallmark feature of most neurodegenerative disorders—and Parkinson’s disease is no exception. In patients with the progressive movement disorder, those immune cells, called microglia, react to the presence of α-synuclein-containing protein clumps by dialing up inflammatory signals that not only contribute to the gradual death of dopamine-producing neurons but also recruit more pathological proteins, creating a vicious cycle of neuroinflammation and α-synuclein buildup in the brain.

Whitfield Lab - Stem Cell Transplantation May Aid Hard-to-Treat Scleroderma Patients

Results from a new study conducted by researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and a number of collaborating institutions are giving hope to patients who suffer from the autoimmune disease scleroderma or systemic sclerosis.

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