Advancing Medical Research
Foundations of Science
Quantifying Matters of the Heart: Using Mathematical Modeling to Simulate Vital Organs
Songwriters, poets, and novelists have long tried to capture the intricacies of the heart. But it’s the quants who might finally do it.
The Living Heart Project, initiated by the firm Dassault Systémes, is applying the advanced technology that the automotive and aerospace industries use to realistically simulate the heart. The project has solicited input from…
A Superbug Problem: When Routine Surgeries Turn Dangerous
You go in for an elective knee replacement surgery, hoping to be able to climb the stairs again without pain, and end up with more than you bargained for: a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus (also referred to as S. aureus, Staphylococcus, or staph infection.)
S. aureus is a common bacterium found on the skin and in the nose that is usually…
Scientist Embraces the ‘Ick’ Factor to Develop a New Tool Against a Dangerous Pathogen
That Which is Old is New Again: Phenotypic Drug Discovery Makes a Comeback
Tumor-Typing: A New Way of Assessing Cancer Treatment Options
Attacking Cancer Cells That Develop Resistance
Brenda Carrillo-Conde: Unlocking the Power of Connections
Brenda Carrillo-Conde has a talent for conjugation: making connections for the greater good — inside the lab and out. As a principal scientist with Pfizer’s Conjugation and Polytide Process Development Group in St. Louis, Missouri, she spends her workdays using chemical conjugation to improve the effectiveness of vaccines and medicines.
In the lab, conjugation is a process that connects molecules together…
Using the Dr. Jekyll of Chemical Compounds to Advance Drug Synthesis
Sulfuryl fluoride gas is the chemical equivalent of Mr. Hyde. Like the fictional monster, it’s dangerous and difficult to work with. But by inventing a process that creates a new substance called [4-(Acetylamino)phenyl]-ImidodiSulfuryl diFluoride, referred to as AISF, scientists are replacing the gas with the chemical equivalent of Dr. Jekyll. In its new state, it shares several characteristics with the good doctor…
