News

Researchers at the University of Maryland are using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system to unravel what genes and gene pathways are involved in the metabolic changes that lead to insulin resistance and full-blown diabetes in humans. In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (November 2, 2009), Leslie Pick, associate professor, Department of Entomology, and colleagues describe how they altered genes in fruit flies to model the loss of insulin production, as seen in human Type 1 diabetes. "We can use these genetically manipulated flies as a model to understand defects underlying human diabetes and to identify genes and target points for pharmacological intervention," suggests Dr. Pick, who is also using flies to study Type 2 diabetes and other syndromes of insulin resistance.

An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental researchers from the University of Maryland, the World Resources Institute and Save America's Forests. "This is a really novel approach that could fund a lot of rainforest protection," said Clinton Jenkins, a research scientist in the University of Maryland's department of biology. "It's also an innovative way of dealing with greenhouse gas emissions."

Professor Raymond St. Leger, Department of Entomology, was honored as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the 26th Annual Faculty and Staff Convocation on Tuesday, October 6, 2009, in the Memorial Chapel. Dr. St. Leger was one of five faculty throughout the university to be honored this year. He gave a special lecture - Superpathogen: Using Genetic Engineering to Build the Ultimate Mosquito Swatter (clicking will download MP4 of lecture) as part of the 2009-2010 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture Series.

More than 111 undergraduate students from Chemistry Instructor Bonnie Dixon's general chemistry (CHEM 131) class assembled in the amphitheater outside the student union to form the Periodic Table of Elements. Dressed in traditional clothing from a country they identified with or had visited, or colors of a country's flag, the students held up hand-decorated boards to represent their element. Dixon came up with the idea to have her students harmoniously form the Periodic Table as part of National Chemistry Week's theme "It's Elemental" and the University's Semester on Peace (Fall 2009). "Our goal was to put together the pieces of peace - the elements of harmony," said Jan Tunney, Coordinator of the Semester on Peace. "Out of all the events, I've got to say, this was the most fun!" 

Scientists have found new genetic information about the malaria parasite which suggests that it may be even more challenging than previously thought to develop an effective vaccine to prevent malaria infection. Michael Cummings, associate professor of biology, who is also associated with the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, teamed up with researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and the University of Bamako in Mali, West Africa on this study which showed that the genetic diversity of a single protein (AMA-1) in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, the most dangerous of the five parasites that cause human malaria, is extremely large. Their findings, published in the October 14, 2009 issue of Science Translational Medicine,  suggest that malaria may be resistant to vaccines.