Precision Genomics Collaboratory News

Noncoding RNAs are proving to be critical players in the evolution of brain anatomy and cognitive complexity.

Makenzie Beaman, a pediatric scientist in training in the Medical Science Training Program (MSTP), was selected for the best fellow platform presentation award at the 43rd Annual David W. Smith Workshop on Malformations and Morphogenesis on August 23. 

Out of the 64 fellows and medical genetics residents and fellows in the workshop, 13 were selected to give platform presentations. Beaman and one other were selected as the co-best presentation. 

Microbial proteins around a sexually transmitted infection allow pathogen to hide undetected inside host cells

How functions in microbial communities remain constant despite varying compositions

How a group of genome sequencing research scientists at Duke steered the university's COVID-19 response.

New $26 million center will work to understand and engineer the microbiomes in our homes, workspaces and other built environments

The Duke School of Medicine Precision Genomics Collaboratory and the Office of Biomedical and Graduate Education have been providing $2,000 pilot grant opportunities three times a year for current biomedical PhD students since August 2021.

After receiving their grants, students have six months to use their funds, which could go towards research or professional development.

Drug-resistant microbial pathogens — whether parasite, bacteria, virus, or fungus — are a major global challenge that can lead to limited treatment options, increased costs for resources, and higher levels of morbidity and mortality.

A Duke-led international research team has discovered one of the ways that drug resistance can develop: a process by which mobile DNA sequences called transposons trigger “hypermutation,” allowing certain genetic components to multiply unchecked.   

This summer, eight scholars from across the country were paired with a faculty research mentor to learn laboratory skills, designing a research project, and effectively presenting future research.