News Briefs

Tufts medical student published for blood chemistry research

Third year medical student Arpita Mehta recently published research on disease indicating biomarkers in the national medical journal Disease Markers. The publication marks the outcome of more than a year's research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and National Institutes of Health reports Tufts' On The Record. Mehta and colleagues used mass spectrometry to detect ovarian cancer via investigation of low-mass biomarkers bound to blood proteins.

"This is a new insight into biomarker physiology, which enables us to discover thousands of new markers of disease which no one has previously discovered," Mehta said. Mehta completed the research under the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and National Institute of Health Research Scholars Cloisters Program.



Professor defends state funding in Montana court case

Tufts Economics Professor Thomas Downes testified this week in a Montana District Court lawsuit concerning public school funding. The suit is a reaction to recent studies that show spending has grown unequal in many districts.

According to The Associated Press, Downes testified however that there are a number of factors which may explain this disparity. He cited school size and enrollment numbers as reasons why the numbers may be skewed. In addition he claimed that state legislators can manipulate numbers to portray different realities.

Downes testified that the declining numbers have little value: "State share is fundamentally a meaningless concept."

A study performed by Downes showed that smaller districts have higher levels of funding. This is accurate he said, because there is a certain fixed cost involved in education.

The outcome of the case could potentially alter how state funds are allocated in Montana. Downes was the first witness in the defense by the State of Montana.



Vet grad examines deadly Malaysian virus

Tufts Veterinary Graduate Dr. Jonathan Epstein is pursuing the deadly Nipah Virus in Malaysia to investigate global disease transmission, reports Tufts E-News. Like SARS, West Nile, and the Avian flu, Nipha emerged unexpectedly in a surprise outbreak that killed hundreds several years ago.

Dramatically increased trade, travel, and exchange has substantially increased the potential for the spread of global disease. Epstein's colleagues attribute many of these outbreaks to infections from livestock or wildlife who have made their way into the human population.

New research in disease transmission points to a particularly hardy family of viruses called Prions, Epstein wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, which can still persist even after the original infected organism dies. In the case of Mad Cow, the disposal of infected dead livestock could accidentally disperse the viral particles into the environment via leaching into the groundwater or consumption by wildlife.

Epstein hopes to foster widespread collaboration between experts in different fields and help to decrease the spread of disease and diminish the incidence of deadly outbreaks.

"When we talk about wildlife diseases that jump into humans, it's a universal story," Epstein said in a "60 Minutes II" interview.



-compiled by Kat Schmidt