Two professors win McDonnell grants

Yale scientists Thierry Emonet and Laurie Santos have received awards of $448,000 and $600,000, respectively, from the James S. McDonnell Foundation for their scientific research. Emonet, a molecular, cellular and developmental biology professor, models cells’ response to certain stimuli; Santos, a psychology professor, studies how the human mind evolved from other primates’ brains.

Scientist recognized for robotic research

Mechanical engineering and materials science professor Aaron Dollar was chosen as one of “35 young innovators under 35” by the magazine Technology Review for his work on robotic hands. Dollar’s research focuses on how to create robotic hands with plastics and wax.

Yale HEALTH receives quality innovation prize

The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership, a not-for-profit corporation, will award the Yale HEALTH center a prize for its improvements in patient care and for installing an electronic health database. The award will be presented October 29 in Westbrook, Conn.

Scientists find beneficial mutation

Yale School of Medicine scientists have found a mutated gene that often repairs itself when skin cells divide, according to a study published in the August 26 issue of Science Express. People with the mutated gene, which causes a rare skin disease known as ichthyosis with confetti, often have small patches of normal skin.

Synthetic molecules help body fight prostate cancer

A team led by Yale researchers has found a new site on a prostate cancer cell protein for synthetic molecules to bind onto, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. By allowing the synthetic molecules to latch on as a tag, the new binding site should help the body’s immune system better fight prostate cancer.