by Annette Pinder

scientist doctor hand holds virtual molecular structure in the l

If anyone has any doubt about research and discoveries taking place in Buffalo at UB, and through our ever-expanding biomedical corridor, consider what we have learned in the past year.

  • The family housing Ebola is much older than we originally thought, according to a UB research team that traced its roots back millions of years to the time when great apes arose.
  • Research in sequencing the genome of coffee could help farmers breed plants that are better able to survive drought and disease.
  • Being able to deliver cancer drugs directly into cancer cells because of research involving the use of nanoballoons, could one day make it possible to reduce the effects of chemotherapy by avoiding the contact of drugs with healthy tissue.
  • The creation of nanojuice, may help doctors see inside a person’s small intestine in real time.
  • The finding that a computer system may be able to better recognize a human’s fake expression of pain better than a person could, could someday be used to better read people in a variety of settings, including health care and security.
  • Scientists at UB found that binge-drinking rats lost their taste for alcohol after prompting the animals to release dopamine in their brains in specific patterns. This may lead to the use of gene therapy for substance abuse.
  • A UB pediatrics researcher found that babies diets vary according to their mothers’ socioeconomic background. Local pediatric expert, Teresa Quattrin, M.D., says the results show that a traditional approach to focusing only on the child, rather than on the parent and child, is obsolete.
  • Researchers found that bad behavior played out through video games in a virtual environment, can make people more morally sensitive.
  • A study of 634 couples behavior over the first nine years of marriage, found the more often they smoked marijuana, the less likely they were to engage in domestic violence. Scientists also found that components of marijuana may be useful in reducing depression due to chronic stress.

The truth is that this list just scratches the surface. From UB to Roswell to DENT Neurologic, Buffalo Heart Group, the Innovation Center and UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, our scientists, physicians, and biomedical engineers are being featured worldwide. From NPR, to the New York Times, The Boston Globe, National Geographic, the National Institutes of Health, Fast Company, Tech Times, CNET, Wired UK, Newsday, MSNBC, the Washington Post, and more, Buffalo is getting a lot of attention. The strides we are making in developing new tests, new treatments and new technologies are nothing short of amazing. Learn more at http://www.buffalo.edu/ria.html.