Carbon nanotubes boost cancer-fighting cells
The work of professors Tarek Fahmy, Lisa Pfefflerle, and Gary Haller, appearing on the cover of the April 20 issue of the journal Langmuir, has shown that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used to boost T cell production for adoptive immunotherapy to fight cancer.
Adoptive immunotherapy involves extracting a patient’s blood and stimulating the reproduction of naturally occurring T cells (a type of white blood cell) before transferring the blood back to the patient’s body. Scientists boost the production of T cells outside the body using different substances that encourage T cell antigens to cluster in high concentrations. Yale researchers have found CNTs to be particularly effective in causing T cell antigens to cluster in the blood and stimulate the body’s natural immune response.
Leadership program gains momentum
Over the past year, the Advanced Graduate Leadership Program has begun to reshape the way Yale’s engineering doctoral students prepare for professional pursuits—helping them make the transition from highly focused graduate studies to careers as entrepreneurs, educators, or engineers, among others. Twelve students were selected for the program in 2009–10. What began in fall 2009, with an individually designed coursework package within Yale’s School of Management, expanded through the year to include highly sought-after internships in technology ventures with the Yale Office of Cooperative Research and Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, as well as opportunities in K–12 outreach, communications and public affairs, policy and government relations, and international partnerships. The program, supported by a grant from the Goizueta Foundation, will continue to grow in the next year, expanding upon opportunities that cross the boundaries of science, policy, and business and provide valuable experience beyond the lab.
Hybrid race car wins kudos
The Yale Bulldogs racing team went back to the garage this past fall with renewed ambition to rebuild and fine-tune the formula hybrid race car—which they had built from scratch, but failed to race, the previous year.
Following eight months of hard work, on May 3 the Yale Bulldogs racing team pulled into Loudon, New Hampshire, site of the Society of Automotive Engineers Formula Hybrid International Competition, with their best entry to date. Evaluated on design, presentation, acceleration, autocross, and endurance, Yale finished tenth in a pack of 30 and was awarded second place in Best Engineered Hybrid Design. “The bar is set higher now for the Yale Formula Hybrid team. We are confident that we can win this competition and will come back next year with an even stronger car,” said Henry Misas ’10, who has led the team the last two years.
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