Free fatty acids inhibit glutamate transport by dissipating the ion gradient across the membrane. Glutamate transporters pump glutamate from the synaptic cleft back into brain cells after its release during neurotransmission. A new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators has found that free fatty acids, including an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, can reduce the amount of glutamate uptake by…
With just one slide and three minutes, fourth-year graduate student Erin Keblish described how she is developing a carbon nanotube-based sensor that could act like a “smoke detector” for early signs of deadly sepsis, during Weill Cornell Medicine’s ninth annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition on November 13.
Keblish, who is a graduate student in physiology, biophysics and systems biology, explained how the excess production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines in response to an infection can trigger a life-threatening complication called sepsis. She noted that clinicians can successfully treat the condition if caught early.