The Mount Sinai
Postdoc Periodical
Monthly newsletter, April 2015
In this issue:
Page 1:
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ThemMountmSinaimPostdocmPeriodicalvmAprilm2015
Pagem1
New hope in the war on bacteria
?y!Yatie!Nolan!
*ntibiotic!drug!resistance!has!been!steadily!growing!more!prevalent!and!
more! deadly! in! the! last! few! years)! Whether! through! overuse! or! the!
resilience!of!these!“bugs”!this!resistance!is!something!that!Sir!*lexander!
5leming! probably! never! imagined! when! he! stumbled! across! the! world’s!
first!antibiotic)!!5lemingE!who!hailed!from!ScotlandE!discovered!the!world!
first! antibioticE! penicillinE! by! accident)! Le! left! plates! streaked! with!
staphylococci! on! a! bench! while! taking! a! holiday! ,something! scientists!
aren’t! very! used! toI! and! discovered! the! penicillin! mold! Penicillium!
Notatum! in! W”N“)! ! Where! the! mold! had! grown! the! staphylococci! had!
died)! This! accidental! eureka! moment! was! to! change! the! course! of!
medicine!forever)!
Previously!diseases!and!injuries!that!would!have!killed!people!were!now!
treatable!and!curable)!6n!the!last!decade!a!very!real!threat!has!developed!
in! the! form! of! antibiotic! resistance! which! is! seeing! previously! benignE!
treatable! infections! causing! severe! illness! and! death! once! again)!
*ntibiotic! resistance! occurs! when! bacteria! develop! resistance! to!
therapeutic!levels!of!antibiotics)!?acteria!can!become!resistant!in!one!of!
two!ways’!by!genetic!mutation!that!allows!resistance!or!by!acquiring!the!
resistance!from!another!bacterium)!*ntibiotic!resistance!has!been!further!
aided! due! to! the! easy! accessibility! and! over! prescribing! of! antibioticsE!
even!for!viral!infections!for!which!they!are!ineffective)!
Teixobactin! is! a! new! antibiotic! promising! to! help! overcome! the! scourge!
of! antibiotic! resistance)! Teixobactin! was! identified! through! screening! of!
uncultured!bacteriaK!found!in!soil!and!isolated!using!a!novel!multichannel!
chip!isolation!system)!Teixobactin!was!isolated!from!7leftheria!terrae!and!
functions! by! binding! to! bacterial! cell! wall! precursor! components! thus!
preventing! the! bacteria! from! reproducing)! 6t! has! shown! strong! activity!
against! gram(positive! superbugs! such! as! 'RS*E! 3lostridium! difficileE!
tuberculosis! and! has! bactericidal! action! against! vancomycin(resistant!
Staphylococcus!aureus!which!makes!Teixobactin!particularly!important!in!
the! fight! against! hospital(acquired! infections)! ! While! this! antibiotic! has!
given!new!hopeE!it!is!currently!only!at!the!animal!trial!stage!and!may!take!
time! to! get! to! market)! 6f! it! does! come! through! clinical! trialsE! will! it! be!
squandered!and!abused!like!the!drugs!that!came!before!it:!Perhaps!our!
plan!should!be!two(fold’!a!new!avenue!for!treatment!and!an!entirely!new!
paradigm!that!aims!to!prevent!fast!emerging!resistance)!
KUncultured’!bacteria!that!do!not!grow!under!laboratory!conditions
News and upcoming events
?y!0rs)!'erina!Varghese!and!Ryan!3ummings
Jreetings!fellow!postdocsE
6!am!very!excited!to!take!over!from!Yami!as!the!new!3o(chair!for!the!
Postdoc!7xecutive!3ommittee!,P73IF!!6!certainly!have!big!shoes!to!fill!
but!togetherE!with!your!helpE!6!feel!that!we!can!make!a!positive!impact!
on!the!postdoc!way!of!life!here!at!'ount!Sinai!both!now!and!for!future!
trainees)
One!way!to!make! a!lasting!change!to!keep!science!funded! is!to!roll!
up!your!sleeves!and!take!on!science!policy!in!the!political!arenaF!!This!
past!monthE!6!had!the!opportunity!to!do!so!in!WashingtonE!03!as!an!
*merican! *ssociation! of! 6mmunologists! ,**6I! Public! Policy! 5ellow!
and!it!was!a!tremendous!experience)!!0uring!the!year(long!fellowshipE!
we!learned!how!bills!are!passed!and!funds!are!distributed!for!science!
research!and!education)!!We!also!assessed!the!National!6nstitutes!of!
Lealth!,N6LI!funding!situation!and!even!met!with!both!the!leaders!of!
National! 6nstitute! of! *llergy! and! 6nfectious! 0isease! ,N6*60I! and!
members! of! the! US! 3ongressF! ! OverallE! the! goal! for! our! 3apital! Lill!
0ay! visit! was! to! advocateSencourage! members! of! 3ongress! to!
provide!predictable!and!sustainable!funding!for!the!N6L!to!ensure!that!
weE!as!scientistsE!can!continue!to!unravel!the!mechanisms!of!disease!
that!will!ultimately!lead!us!towards!pathways!for!cures)!
Regardless!of!nationality!or!political!party!affiliationE!6!encourage!all!of!
you! to! develop! a! basic! understanding! of! science! policy! and! an!
outward!appreciation!for!science!advocacy)!!The!more!we!discuss!our!
work!within!the!local!communityE!the!greater!impact!we!will!have!with!
our!representatives!and!their!push!to!increase!N6L!funding)!!
*lsoE! like! **6E! other! professional! organizations! offer! public! policy!
fellowships!which!are!a!great!way!to!get!into!science!policy!and!build!
your! 3V! if! you! are! interested! in! exploring! this! career! path)5inallyE! 6!
have! laid! the! ground! work! for! a! formal! 'ount! Sinai! Science! Policy!
Jroup!where!we!can!cover!a!wide!range!of!topics!relating!to!science!
and! politics)! ! We! are! currently! affiliated! with! the! National! Science!
Policy! Jroup! however! our! group! is! only! in! its! fledgling! stage! and!
could! use! your! helpF! ! 6f! interestedE! please! contact! me! at!
ryan)cummingsqmssm)edu)!Jood!luck!with!your!researchF
Ryan
Thanks! to! everyone! who! came! out! for! the! 'arch!
monthly! postdoc!social)!The!next!social!will! be!on!*pril!
NUth! (! there! will! be! food! and! beverages! as! usual! so!
come!on!outF!There!will!also!be!coffee!for!those!of!you!
who! need! a! 5riday! pick! me! up! before! continuing! with!
your!night!out!on!the!town!or!returning!to!lab)
http’SSwww)forbes)comSsitesS
judystoneSNOW/SOWSO“Steixobactin(and(ichip(
promise(hope(against(antibiotic(resistanceS
Hundreds of Cherry blossoms and orchids are
waiting for you at the NYC botanical gardens
by!$esica!Qevingston!'ac!Qeod
6f! you! love! $apanese! culture! andSor! relaxing! under! a! cherry! blossom!
treeE!check!out!the!next!Sakura!'aki!festival!at!the!?rooklyn!?otanical!
Jarden!,??JI)!On!Saturday!*pril!N/th!and!Sunday!*pril!Nzth!from!WO!
am! to! z! pm! they! will! be! celebrating! traditional! and! contemporary!
$apanese! culture! with! Taiko! 0rummingE! 3osplay! 5ashion! ShowE! Tea!
3eremoniesE!Yabuki!0anceE!Samurai!Sword!5ightingE!'anga!0rawingE!
Vintage! YimonosE! ?onsai! Yids’! WorkshopsE! Wagashi! SweetsE! ??J!
Parasol!Society!and!moreF!6!recommend!that!you!go!early!at!the!risk!of!
waiting! in! line! because! this! festival! is! really! crowded! but! a! fantastic!
opportunity!to!enjoy!this!wonderful!garden)!The!tickets!are!VN/E!but!free!
for! members! ,you! can! get! your! membership! using! the! 60! NY3I)! The!
??J! is! located! at! W/O! 7astern! ParkwayE! ””O! Washington! *venueE!
?rooklynE!NY!WWNN/E!only!a!few!blocks!away!from!the!NE!HE!UE!/E!?!and!
Q!subway!lines)!,http’SSwww)bbg)orgSdiscoverScherriesI
The!other!option!is!to!just!enjoy!a!spectacular!indoor!orchid!show!at!the!
New!York!?otanical!Jarden)!This!event!is!closing!on!*pril!W”!but!it!is!
open! from! WO! am! to! z! pm! and! the! tickets! cost! VNOE! but! it! is! free! with!
your!60!NY3!)!Take!the!?E!0E!or!U!train!to!?edford!Park!?lvd!Station)!
5rom!the!station!exitE!take!the!?xNz!bus!east!to!the!JardenGs!'osholu!
Jate! entrance! OR! walk! eight! blocks! down! the! hill! on! ?edford! Park!
?lvd)!
,approximately!
NO!
minutesI)!
http’SSwww)nybg)orgS
exhibitionsSNOW/Sorchid(showS
The/Mount/Sinai/Postdoc/PeriodicalC/April/2015
Upcoming events:
The!Postdoc!Writing!Jroup!meets!every!Hrd!5riday!of!the!month!from!
WN(Wpm)!3ome!and!improve!your!writingE!editing!and!reviewing!skillsF!
When!and!where’!5ridays!at!noon!in!Less!3enter!room!WO(WNN!,WOth!
floorI)!Their!next!meetings!are!*pril!W@th)!6f!you!have!writing!to!work!
/
onE! let! us! know! and! bring! a! few! copies! of! it! ,W(N! page! pieceE! ideally!
abstract! or! introduction! and! no! results! or! methods! sectionsI)! The!
group!will!even!read!3Vs!and!cover!letters)!6f!notE!just!bring!yourselfE!
your!helpful!comments!and!a!penF!5ollow!the!6S''S!PostdocWriting!
group!on!twitter!qPostdocWriting)!!To!join!the!mailing!list!visit’!http’SS
mailman)mssm)eduSmailmanSlistinfoSpostdoc(writing
The!writing!seminar!series!happens!every!Nnd!monday!of!the!month!
from!U(/pm)!3ome!and!improve!your!writing!skillsF!When!and!where’!
'onday! 'ay! WWth! at! U! pm! in! the! *nnemberg! building! room! N/(/W!
,N/th! floorI)! 5ood! will! be! served)! Please! RSVP! to!
jesica)levingstonmacleodqmssm)edu)
Ways to keep in touch:
•//Our/website:/http://icahnNmssmNedu/education/postdoctoralKtraining
•//Follow/our/new/Twitter/account:/@MtSinaiPostdocs
•//Join/our/Facebook/page:/“Mount Sinai Postdocs”
!
•//Join/our/LinkedIn/group:/“Mount Sinai Postdoctoral Association”
The Mount Sinai Postdoc Periodical
Editors:/Jesica/Levingston/Mac/LeodC/Delaine//CeholskiC
Astrid/StokerC/Catarina/SaioteC/Katie/Nolan/and/Cecilia/Sedano
Page/2
Periodical!Crossword:!Science!101
By!Delaine!Ceholski
Across
2B1Negative1ions1are1called1______B
5B1Eats1both1plants1and1animalsB1
6B1Your1mass1is1the1same1on1earth1and1the1moon1but1your1
______1is1notB1
9B1The1center1of1an1atomB1
11B1The1process1by1which1DNA1is1copied1into1RNAB1
12B1The1only1metal1that1is1liquid1at1room1temperatureB1
13B1The1force1resisting1the1relative1motion1of1objects1
moving1against1each1other;1feeling1of1conflict1or1animosityB1
14B1The1place1where1a1population1of1organisms1liveB1
Down
1B1Mass1divided1by1volume1is1______B1
3B1The1process1by1which1a1substance1changes1from1a1
solid1to1a1gasB1
4B1The1process1by1which1water1becomes1cloudsB1
7B1An1educated1guess1or1proposed1explanation1for1a1
phenomenonB1
8B1Blue1litmus1paper1turns1______1under1acidic1
conditionsB1
10B1The1resistance1of1an1object1to1change1its1current1state1
of1motionB1
15B1An1indivisible1and1basic1unit1of1matterB11
Call!to!action!
topic1suggestions
opinion1articles
photos
fun1facts1
science1events1
Answers
Across
2B1anions
5B1omnivore
6B1weight
9B1nucleus
11B1transcription
12B1mercury
13B1friction
14B1habitat1
Down
1B1density
3B1sublimation
4B1condensation
7B1hypothesis
8B1red
10B1inertia
15B1atom1
Send!us!your!contribution:!
[email protected]
The Mount Sinai Postdoc Periodical, April 2015
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