Publications by authors named "S D Waldman"

Despite success in treating some hematological malignancies, CAR-T cells have not yet produced similar outcomes in solid tumors due, in part, to the tumor microenvironment, poor persistence, and a paucity of suitable target antigens. Importantly, the impact of the CAR components on these challenges remains focused on the intracellular signaling and antigen-binding domains. In contrast, the flexible hinge and transmembrane domains have been commoditized and are the least studied components of the CAR.

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Patterson's f-statistics are among the most heavily utilized tools for analyzing genome-wide allele frequency data for demographic inference. Beyond studying admixture, f3- and f4-statistics are also used for clustering populations to identify groups with similar histories. However, previous studies have noted an unexpected behavior of f-statistics: multiple populations from a certain region systematically show higher genetic affinity to a more distant population than to their neighbors, a pattern that is mismatched with alternative measures of genetic similarity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Basal cells (BCs) are important for regenerating damaged airways but can transform into cancerous cells in smokers; this study investigates BC growth in smokers and non-smokers without cancer, as well as in those with lung cancer.
  • Researchers used techniques like RNA sequencing and flow cytometry to analyze BCs from endobronchial samples, focusing on differences in cell growth, shape, and molecular characteristics between various donor groups.
  • Results showed that smoking decreased BC proliferation, increased abnormal cell shapes in certain cancers, and highlighted changes in gene expression linked to cell behavior and signaling pathways that may contribute to early lung cancer development.
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Neurological disorders are the leading cause of cognitive and physical disability worldwide, affecting 15% of the global population. Due to the demographics of aging, the prevalence of neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, will double over the next two decades. Unfortunately, while available therapies provide symptomatic relief for cognitive and motor impairment, there is an urgent unmet need to develop disease-modifying therapies that slow the rate of pathological progression.

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