News Releases

A novel peptide derived from a molecule found in human saliva may be effective in treating a fungal infection, researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine have found. The peptide, labeled MUC7 16-mer, has shown the capacity to kill strains of fungi in vitro that are resistant to most current antifungal treatments, making it a potential candidate for a new fungicide.

In response to concerns that the American health-care system offers almost no palliative care for terminally ill children, psychologist James Donnelly, Ph.D., of the University at Buffalo, is conducting an assessment of the palliative-care needs of terminally ill children and their parents. The needs assessment will be conducted, in part, through brainstorming sessions over the World Wide Web between palliative-care workers, medical personnel and patients' families.

In response to feedback from industry practitioners, the University at Buffalo School of Management will offer a new Master's of Science program in Supply Chains and Operations Management (MS-SC&OM) beginning in the fall.

A small piece of protein from one end of a larger molecule found in human saliva has been shown in laboratory tests to have potent antimicrobial activity against several types of bacteria and fungi, some of which are resistant to current drugs. If these findings hold up in animal and human trials, the peptide could form the basis for promising new drugs for treating a wide range of infections.

Douglas D. Osheroff, the 1996 Nobel laureate in physics, will deliver the 2002 Moti Lal Rustgi Memorial Lecture at 4:30 p.m. on March 15 in Room 225 of the Natural Sciences Complex on the North Campus.

A study of a group of Germans conducted by researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine suggests that the relationship between gum disease and cardiovascular disease may be a common phenomenon in developed countries. The study found periodontal disease bacteria in samples of fatty plaque removed from the carotid arteries of 106 German subjects undergoing a procedure to unclog the large arteries in the neck. The bacteria were the same types as those found in carotid plaque from an earlier study of U.S. residents.

Paschalis Alexandridis, Ph.D., a faculty member in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences who uses molecules and particles as "LEGOs" to develop advanced materials at the nano-scale that end up in products ranging from paints to contact lenses has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2002 Sigma Xi Young Investigator Award.

Craig Colder, Ph.D., a University at Buffalo psychologist whose research seeks to identify multiple levels of influence that contribute to the development of adolescent substance use, has been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Tobacco Etiology Research Network (TERN) Scholar for 2002.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) in the University at Buffalo School of Management, as part of its Executive Education Program series, will offer a program entitled "The Mother-In-Law's Guide to Marketing: How to Create and Implement a Marketing Campaign Whose Success Will Silence Even Your Staunchest Critics."

The prize-winning Arditti String Quartet, known internationally as celebrated interpreters of contemporary and 20th-century music, will perform at the University at Buffalo on March 20 as part of the March concert program presented by the Department of Music. The concert schedule also will feature faculty recitals by pianists Stephen and Frieda Manes, and the Bugallo/Golove/Nelson Trio, whose members are strong proponents of new music, as well as a production by the UB Opera Workshop of Henry Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas."