Irving Weissman, MD, professor of pathology and of developmental biology, received several awards and an honorary doctorate in 2017.
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Neuroscientist Ben Barres, who identified crucial roles of glial cells, dies at 63
The Stanford neuroscientist’s research focused on the cells in the brain that aren’t nerve cells. Collectively called glia, these “other” cells play a central role in sculpting and maintaining the brain’s wiring diagram.
Read MoreBeautiful Piles of Bones: An Interview with 2017 Genetics Society of America Medal Recipient David M. Kingsley
The Genetics Society of America Medal is awarded to an individual for outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years.
Read MoreSecond ‘don’t eat me’ signal found on cancer cells
CD47 is an important inhibitor of cancer-killing immune cells called macrophages. Now Stanford researchers have identified another, similar way to activate macrophages to destroy cancer cells.
Read MoreSDRC becomes a NIH diabetes research center
The Stanford Diabetes Research Center (SDRC) announced that it has received a major program grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Read MoreGenome analysis with near-complete privacy possible
Stanford researchers used cryptography to cloak irrelevant genetic information in individuals’ genomes while revealing disease-associated mutations. They say the technique could vastly improve patient privacy.
Read MoreIn northern humans, evolution favored shorter bones — but with a painful trade-off
Early humans evolved to have shorter bones and an increased risk of osteoarthritis, a trade-off that may have helped them in colder climates, Stanford researchers say.
Read MoreNewly identified method of gene regulation challenges accepted science
Ribosomes, which make proteins, are startlingly variable in their composition and associations. This variability confers on them the ability to regulate genes, confounding previous ideas, Stanford researchers say.
Read MoreAnne Villeneuve elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Dominique Bergmann, John Pringle and Anne Villeneuve are now part of an organization designed to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology.
Read MoreFibrosis reversed when ‘don’t eat me’ signal blocked
A common signaling pathway unites diverse fibrotic diseases in humans, Stanford researchers have found. An antibody called anti-CD47, which is being tested as an anti-cancer agent, reverses fibrosis in mice.
Read MorePancreatic islet cells in animals can ‘flip’ their fate to produce insulin
Alpha cells can convert to insulin-producing beta cells in mice when just two genes are blocked, a new Stanford study shows. A similar mechanism may occur in people with diabetes.
Read MoreRoeland Nusse wins $3 million Breakthrough Prize
The developmental biologist was honored for helping to decode how Wnt signaling proteins affect embryonic development, cancer and the activity of tissue-specific adult stem cells that repair damage after injury or disease.
Read MorePrions can pass on beneficial traits, study finds
Researchers have found nearly 50 helpful prions in yeast and comparable proteins in humans, suggesting that this dreaded protein type can boost survival and plays a role in evolution.
Read MoreZika infection causes developing cranial cells to secrete neurotoxic levels of immune molecules
New research shows that cranial neural crest cells can be infected by the Zika virus, causing them to secrete high levels of cytokines that can affect neurons in the developing brain.
Read MoreAutomating genetic analysis helps keep up with rapid discovery of new diseases
Stanford researchers are devising ways to have computers help perform some of the intensive genetic analysis now performed manually when scientists study a patient's genome to diagnose a disease.
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