Research
Sciences Continue to
Make Big Strides
Saying Goodnight to Sleeping Sickness
I
n March 2011, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative recognized the
work of Dyson Professor Emeritus Cyrus Bacchi, PhD, and Professor Nigel
Yarlett, PhD, of The Haskins Laboratories, with the Project of the Year 2011
Award. The duo, along with a team of student researchers, has developed the
first new drug to go to clinical trial for Human African Trypanosomiasis (also
known as "sleeping sickness") in more than 40 years.
Sleeping sickness is a potentially fatal disease transmitted to humans through
the tsetse fly. The World Health Organization estimates the current number
of cases to be between 50,000 and 70,000 with another 50 million people in
sub-Saharan Africa in at-risk areas. If diagnosed in the first stage, most people
can recover from the disease. However, if no treatment is given, the parasite
invades the infected person's central nervous system and eventually leads to
coma and death.
Clinical trials of the new treatment will target villages in Africa whose
inhabitants are cut off from any sort of medical access. "For the people living in
these villages, this sort of sickness is just a way of life," says Yarlett.
Researchers at The Haskins Laboratories are also attempting to develop a first
line of treatment for a far more global issue: cryptosporidiosis, a waterborne
illness that causes chronic diarrhea. "In the world of parasitology, The Haskins
Lab is recognized worldwide," says Yarlett. "It's one of the reasons I came to
Pace and I'm proud to be a part of such a great asset to the University."
Let the Sun Shine
T
he Environmental Center on the Westchester
Campus opened its first solar-powered classroom
in April. Made possible by a $15,000 grant from Con
Edison, the solar panels will provide 1.5 kilowatts of energy
to the building. But cost savings wasn't the motivating
factor behind the panel installation. Instead, says Angelo
Spillo, director of the Environmental Center, the equipment
will be used as a teaching tool about the benefits of solar
energy and sustainability. Environmental Studies student
Bill Misicka assisted with the design of the classroom.
Misicka's energy audit of the existing Environmental Center
during his junior year culminated in its conversion to a
solar classroom.
6 | Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
