July–August 2014 | NIH Intramural Research Program

NIH Microscopy Lights Up Dulles Airport

Spectacular Mega-magnified Images Reveal Cellular Mysteries

BY ALISA ZAPP MACHALEK, NIGMS

Brains, bone, muscle, blood—along with fish fins and flower parts—are among the biological players whose portraits light up the C-concourse walkway at Washington Dulles International Airport. These images—most of which are from scientists at or supported by NIH—comprise Life: Magnified, a gallery exhibit that showcases backlit, mega-magnified images of cells and other microscopic biological structures.

Human Motor Control

Celebrating Mark Hallett’s 30 Years of Research

BY DEVERA G. SCHOENBERG, NINDS

Internationally renowned classical pianist Leon Fleisher, who lost the use of his right hand in the 1960s, has Mark Hallett (NINDS) to thank for restoring his ability to play the piano. Hallett not only pioneered the therapy that helped the musician, but he is a leader in the field of movement disorders.

NIH’s First Intramural Early Independent Scientists

Interviews with Greg Alushin (NHLBI) and Donna Calu (NIDA)

BY RACHEL SCHEINERT, NIMH

Donna Calu (NIDA) and Greg Alushin (NHLBI) are NIH’s first two intramural scientists to receive the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, which has traditionally been given to extramural investigators.

From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research

Enhancing Reproducibility of Research Findings

BY MICHAEL GOTTESMAN, DDIR

The NIH, as the primary funder of biomedical research, has an obligation to ensure that published research results stand the test of time.

New Software Program Evaluates Potential for Metastasis

NIEHS Scientist Leping Li Develops New Approach for Classifying Cancer Cells

BY ROBIN ARNETTE, NIEHS

Pathologists have traditionally used the physical characteristics of melanoma cancer cells to classify them as primary or metastatic. Recently, however, computational biologist Leping Li at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) developed another approach to classifying the cancer cells.

Colleagues: Recently Tenured

Meet your recently tenured colleagues: Leslie Baier (NIDDK), pictured; Mark Hoon (NIDCR); Stephanie Studenski (NIA); Bryan Traynor (NIA); Adrian Wiestner (NHLBI); and Dmitri Zaykin (NIEHS).

Research Briefs

NIH researchers have found that the levels of malaria-causing parasites in the blood don’t necessarily determine the severity of the disease; that the drug Ecstasy can be fatal in warm environments; and that TGF-beta regulates the balance of the immune system. They have also discovered the structure of a receptor that plays a key role in blood clotting.

News You Can Use

NIEH's Nonneoplastic Lesion Atlas can help you identify nonneoplastic lesions; dkNET provides one-stop Web-based "shopping" for biomedical resources sucha as data, reagents, and tools.

Extending Organ Survival

A Path Toward Animal-to-Human Transplants

BY CRAIG HICKS, NHLBI

Genetically modified pigs may one day offer new hope to thousands of people waiting for heart transplants, thanks in large part to an NIH intramural research team led by Muhammad Mansoor Mohiuddin at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

The Training Page

SPECIAL FROM THE FELLOWS AT NIAID

Fellows Advised to Seize Unexpected Opportunities…and Even Fake It?

BY REBECCA G. BAKER, OD

Learn what you love, get involved with interesting opportunities outside the lab, and integrate your life with your career goals. That was the message to postdoctoral fellows at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) who attended an annual retreat recently.

FelCom: Getting the Most Out of Your NIH Training Experience

An Interview with FelCom Co-Chairs: Kenneth E. Remy, M.D., and Lucie A. Low, Ph.D.

BY PATRICIA FORCINITO (NIDCR) AND WENDY KNOSP (NIDCR)

The FelCom co-chairs have plenty of advice for fellows on getting the most out of their NIH training and what it takes to be successful in a career.

From the Annals of NIH History

Hamsters’ Delight

The Office of NIH History has many collections of old photos and other materials depicting life at NIH. The photo above is from a collection of photographs, production programs, and scripts of plays written and performed by the National Institutes of Health thespian group “The NIH Hamsters.”

News Briefs

The memory of the late NIAID scientist K.T. Jeang was honored with a new annual lecture series and a garden; NIH’s new associate director for data science, Phil Bourne, is on board; and a black bear raised a ruckus recently on the NIH campus.

NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE NIH SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUPS

Check out two new SIGS: Mind-Body Modalities; 3-D Printing and Modeling

Announcements

History of Medicine Lectures, Graduate and Professional School Fair, Training Programs, NIH Library Open House, Public Speaking Training, and More…

This page was last updated on Wednesday, April 27, 2022