NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series

We are what we eat: nutrition, genes, cognition & deep learning in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and in the developed world. Two NIH-supported randomized clinical trials with 10 years of follow-up in nearly 10,000 participants demonstrated that nutritional supplements with antioxidant vitamins and minerals reduces the risk of progression to late AMD. Dietary data suggest the importance of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of AMD, particularly fish consumption. The analyses of the genetic interaction with nutrition challenges the idea that you can eat away your genetic risk. Nutrition

You want to quantify that?! The science and metrics of partner engagement in research

Dr. Melody Goodman’s efforts seek to understand the social risk factors that contribute to health disparities in urban areas, with the goal of developing culturally competent, region-specific, and evidence-based solutions through collaborative activities with community members, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and other community health stakeholders. The purpose of her work is the development of solutions for improving health in minority and medically underserved communities.

Dynamic organelle shape and function during herpesvirus infection

Research in the Cristea laboratory focuses on characterizing mechanisms of cellular defense against viruses, as well as mechanisms used by viruses to manipulate these critical cellular processes. Towards these goals, her lab has promoted the integration of virology with proteomics and bioinformatics. The development of methods for studying virus-host protein interactions in space and time during the progression of an infection has allowed her group to bridge developments in mass spectrometry to important findings in virology.