Dimensionality reduction is often used to visualize complex expression profiling data. Here, we use the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) method on published transcript profiles of 1484 single gene deletions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proximity in low-dimensional UMAP space identifies groups of genes that correspond to protein complexes and pathways, and finds novel protein interactions, even within well-characterized complexes. This approach…
Today, the partners in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator announced grants of $20 million to three institutions—the University of Washington, University of Oxford, and La Jolla Institute for Immunology—to fund clinical trials in order to identify highly potent immunotherapies for the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants mark the first investments to come from the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, a large-scale initiative launched by…
Two studies are underway in the Chu lab in the fight against coronavirus. Dr. Helen Chu, a UW Medicine infectious diseases expert and researcher, is looking into different aspects of the disease and how the body might overcome it. One of the studies will take a look at remdesivir, an experimental antiviral. “The goal of the remdesivir trial is really to understand whether something…
Among the accomplishments Adina Mangubat lists on her LinkedIn page is her Forbes magazine “30 under 30 — Science and Health” recognition that places her among the “entrepreneurial, creative and intellectual best of their generation.” She also proudly includes winning the 2009 Hell Night business plan competition at the University of Washington Bothell. It was more significant, she said. It changed her career direction. “That was the moment I realized I could…
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing is expected to make a big leap forward this week as a new test will be released that can give results in as little as five minutes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed Abbott Labs, a medical devices and health care company, to roll out the test. However, that test is based on technology from the early…
March is National Kidney Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about kidney health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 15 percent of adults in the United States—more than 37 million people—have chronic kidney disease. Moreover, 9 out of 10 people with chronic kidney disease are unaware they have it and find out only after irreversible…
The COVID-19 virus has spread across the globe with breathtaking speed. But all along, an international team of computational biologists has been close behind. The researchers behind Nextstrain.org, which was co-created by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Basel, are using genetic clues to track the virus’ spread and evolution in near real-time. Their work is…
Three undergraduate students at the University of Washington are among 396 around the country who have been named Goldwater Scholars for 2020. The Goldwater Scholarship Program supports undergraduates who “show exceptional promise of becoming this nation’s next generation of research leaders” in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The scholarships go toward tuition, room and board, fees and books up to $7,500…
Brain circuits comprise vast numbers of interconnected neurons with diverse molecular, anatomical and physiological properties. To allow targeting of individual neurons for structural and functional studies, we created light-inducible site-specific DNA recombinases based on Cre, Dre and Flp (RecVs). RecVs can induce genomic modifications by one-photon or two-photon light induction in vivo. They can produce targeted, sparse and strong labeling…
Researchers are investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a commonly used anti-malarial and autoimmune-disease treatment, can prevent COVID-19. A multi-site clinical trial, led by the University of Washington School of Medicine in collaboration with New York University Grossman School of Medicine, aims to definitively determine whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent transmission in people exposed to the virus. “We currently don’t know if hydroxychloroquine works, but we…
