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Duane retraction syndrome (DRS) is a congenital eye-movement disorder that hinders outward gaze and causes retraction of the eye on attempted inward gaze. A new study from a team led by Elizabeth Engle of Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Ó³»­´«Ã½ has identified and analyzed four mutations linked to the syndrome. The findings, published last week in the , demonstrate that the disease can be successfully studied in mouse models, and offer new clues to how the disease develops.

Working with pre-clinical models for multiple sclerosis (MS) and samples from MS patients, a team led by Ó³»­´«Ã½ associate member Francisco Quintana of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that diet and gut bacteria may influence the activity of astrocytes – star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord involved in controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration. The work, which was reported in , suggests potential new therapies for MS. Read more in , , and the .

Ó³»­´«Ã½ institute member James Collins demystifies how antibiotics work, laying a path toward smarter, more effective use of existing bacteria-fighting drugs

The widespread use of antibiotics marked a major turning point in medical history. Bacterial infections that once disfigured or killed their hosts could be neutralized simply, swiftly, and, for the most part, safely.