IRP’s Oral Health Experts Explore Why It’s Not Always About Brushing and Flossing
When you dig into that bowl of candy this Halloween, you may want to keep in mind that those sweets are not only fueling your sweet tooth, but also an army of creepy crawlies living in your mouth, busily forming a sticky film of plaque and attacking your gums.
As Dental Hygiene Month comes to a close this October, we spoke with IRP Clinical Research Specialist Laurie Brenchley, R.D.H., a dental hygienist and clinical study coordinator in the laboratory of IRP senior investigator Niki Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D. Together, Brenchley and Dr. Moutsopoulos are studying the link between oral health and the immune system, with a specific focus on cases in which genetic factors increase susceptibility to severe gum disease, more formally known as periodontitis.
No single event captures the incredible breadth of research going on in the IRP as effectively as the annual NIH Research Festival. In fact, the event is so jam-packed that it typically stretches over multiple days, running this year from September 23-25. The first day of the 2024 Research Festival kicked off with a poster session where scientists from all across NIH showcased the cutting-edge science they have been working on, demonstrating research on subjects like how cooking affects the brain, vaping’s impact on lung health, 3D models for studying pregnancy complications, and much more. Read on to dive deeper into a few of the more than 400 research projects presented at this celebration of IRP science.
NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., offered the following tribute to Dr. John I. Gallin, M.D., upon hearing of his passing on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
It is with a heavy heart that I share that John I. Gallin, M.D., the 10th and longest-serving director of the NIH Clinical Center, died at his home today of multiple myeloma at the age of 81 with his wife Elaine Gallin, Ph.D., by his side.
John’s illustrious career at NIH spanned more than 50 years, but he will be most remembered for leading NIH’s research hospital for 23 years from 1994-2017. He often said that his time at the NIH Clinical Center, which he referred to as the “House of Hope,” was his most special because of the hospital’s partnership with patients to improve health through clinical research. He developed the hospital’s research portfolio, created the Patient Advisory Group, established the Department of Bioethics, and was instrumental in the creation of the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge for adult patients and their families, a complement to The Children’s Inn. He also led efforts to build the addition to the hospital, the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, which opened to patients in 2005. He started the Bench-to-Bedside Awards to integrate the work of basic and clinical investigators. His years of work led to the NIH Clinical Center receiving the 2011 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award.
IRP Mouse Study Suggests Intervention Might Reduce Health Problems Associated with C-Section Births
Every kid’s first gift from their mom is half of her DNA, but nearly a third of children born nowadays miss out on a bonus present. That’s because babies born via vaginal delivery are exposed to the microorganisms that live in the vagina, but infants born via Cesarian section are not. A new IRP mouse study suggests that an intervention designed to make up for this missed opportunity could reduce the risk of certain health problems that are more common in babies born via C-section.
More than half of Americans are registered organ donors, signed up to gift organs like kidneys and livers to patients in need of a transplant when they die. However, far fewer people have signed up to donate their brains to biomedical research upon their deaths. At NIH, the Human Brain Collection Core (HBCC) acts as a steadfast steward of this precious and scarce scientific resource, giving the brains of deceased donors a second life as a key driver of life-changing neuropsychiatric research.
Nearly 60 million adults in the U.S. suffer from a psychiatric disorder, and examining the brains of these individuals is indispensable for determining the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases. Consequently, the HBCC provides invaluable assistance to scientists seeking to improve our understanding and treatment of such conditions. In recognition of World Mental Health Day today, let’s take a glimpse into how the Core is accelerating investigations into the mass of gray and white matter that makes each of us who we are.
IRP Mouse Study Shows Promise of Treatment Strategy
Earth’s jungles, deserts, and oceans are chock-full of wonderous creatures that have inspired a wide array of cutting-edge technologies, from strong yet flexible clothes made of synthetic spider silk to the plant-derived aspirin and morphine that have long been used as painkillers. Over the past few years, scientists at NIH and elsewhere have added sharks and camels to that list due to unique molecules their immune systems make. IRP researchers recently showed that one of those molecules could potentially be used to treat the devastating neurological disease known as multiple sclerosis.
Minimally Invasive Procedure Provides Help for Ailing Hearts
In the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, two magic words were necessary to open the cave where treasure was hidden. At NIH, researchers are applying those same special words, ‘open sesame,’ to unlock a chamber that is similarly difficult to access. In this case, however, it’s the left ventricle of the human heart.
“Enter one of the greatest acronyms in medicine: Open SESAME,” says IRP senior investigator Robert Lederman, M.D., who leads the IRP’s Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention. “That’s what we’re doing: opening up space in the heart.”
IRP’s Adriaan Bax Elected to Royal Society for Pioneering Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods
“My mortal body is indeed a universe of atoms, but I am just an atom in the universe myself,” physicist Richard Feynman once wrote in a poem. Within our own bodily universes, all those atoms tell a story about how our bodies work — and how they sometimes don’t.
IRP Distinguished Investigator Adriaan Bax, Ph.D., has pioneered ways to watch those atoms using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. This year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his research, which has contributed greatly to our knowledge of how the proteins and nucleic acids that keep our bodies running smoothly are structured, how they move, and how they interact, particularly in relation to diseases caused by their malformations and malfunctions. The Royal Society, which was founded in England in the 1660s, is a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
IRP Study Points to Strategy to Speed Healing and Reduce Age-Related Atrophy
Whether due to exercise or injury, our muscles are constantly breaking down and regenerating. Just like construction workers need a hearty lunch to fuel their hammer swings and nails to hammer, our cells need both energy and specific materials to rebuild our bodies. New IRP research has produced important insights into how cells create the energy and building blocks needed to repair our muscles, pointing to potential avenues for helping people recover from muscular injuries or retain more muscle as they age.
IRP Study Is Examining the Long-Term Effects of Treatments for Children With Cancer
Not long after German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen identified X-rays in 1895, doctors began using them to treat cancer. They soon realized, however, that this new ‘radium’ therapy — the forebearer of modern-day radiation therapy — could also cause cancer. Today, we know that radiation therapy poses much greater risks to children than adults because their cells are dividing more rapidly than those of adults, making the cells more sensitive to radiation. Children also have more years of life ahead of them during which a cancer instigated by their treatment might develop.
This page was last updated on Friday, January 14, 2022
