A genomic study of a sustained, multidrug-resistant Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle enabled scientists to retrace its origin and spread. Additional analysis of the gut pathogen and its transmission patterns helped direct approaches to testing, treatment, and public health responses. The genomic reconstruction of the 2017-2022 outbreak and a review of the patient care and public health interventions used are reported Jan…
Double strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most lethal DNA lesions in cells. The E6 protein of beta-human papillomavirus (HPV8 E6) impairs two critical DSB repair pathways; homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). However, HPV8 E6 only delays DSB repair. How DSBs are repaired in cells with HPV8 E6 remains to be studied. We hypothesize that HPV8 E6…
Efforts by hospital intensive-care unit teams to reduce glucose readings of patients with diabetes might do more harm than good, according to an analysis published today in Diabetes Care. Dr. Michael Schwartz, lead author and a UW Medicine endocrinologist, said he decided to study the phenomenon after talking with Dr. Irl Hirsch, a colleague who had witnessed problems emerge among his patients in the ICU.
Ajay Gopal, MD, was recently appointed the Stephen H. Petersdorf Endowed Chair in Cancer Care at UW Medicine. Renamed in 2015 for the late physician-researcher who specialized in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma, this endowed chair recognizes qualities that make for an outstanding physician and teacher: excellence in patient care, teaching and communication.
Letermovir is a relatively new antiviral for prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus (CMV) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). CMV-seropositive HCT recipients who received letermovir prophylaxis from 2018 to 2020 at our center were evaluated for letermovir resistance and breakthrough CMV reactivation. Two-hundred twenty-six letermovir recipients were identified and 7/15 (47%) with CMV DNAemia ≥200 IU/mL were successfully genotyped for UL56 resistance.…
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center geneticist Linda Breeden, PhD, recently retired from a career spent untangling the intricacies of the factors that regulate the cell cycle, the series of steps a cell takes to divide into two new cells. Now a professor emerita, Breeden focused on the factors and DNA elements that turn on the genes needed to jumpstart the cell cycle…
Myosana Therapeutics, a Seattle startup developing gene therapy technology, raised $5 million to develop an early-stage candidate treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Mysona says its experimental platform to deliver genes to cells has advantages over the standard approach, which is limited to smaller pieces of DNA.
In today’s world of fast-paced scientific and medical innovation, it’s easy to forget that some of the most widespread pathogens affecting humanity still lack effective treatments or prevention strategies. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a double-stranded DNA herpes virus, epitomizes this reality. If you aren’t familiar with EBV, your body most likely is—the virus infects over 95% of people worldwide, and while…
Jenny Robinson was twelve when an injury to her anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus derailed her soccer dreams. Although going pro was a long shot, the setback may have cost her a chance to someday join her heroes on the US Women’s National Team. However, it also helped turn a striker into a scientist.
