The National Institutes of Health awarded Tulane School of Medicine a contract for up to $8.5 million over five years to develop a more effective and longer-lasting vaccine against pertussis, more commonly known as “whooping cough.” Microbiologist Lisa Morici, PhD, and immunologist James McLachlan, PhD, will lead the project to use outer membrane vesicles, which are nanoparticles shed by bacteria as they grow, to stimulate a more potent immune response than current vaccines against the disease. Worldwide, there are an estimated 24.1 million cases of pertussis and about 160,700 deaths per yea

Dr. Jessica Shank, associate professor of gynecologic oncology at the School of Medicine, is on a mission to raise awareness that cervical cancer is preventable. “This is a cancer that can be prevented with regular Pap smear screening and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine,” she said.

As reported in Live Science, lip balms for dry, chapped lips provide only temporary comfort, and some types can make scaly lips even drier. That’s because, in part, when the thin film of moisture from the lip balm evaporates, it dehydrates your lips even more. “It starts a vicious cycle,” said Dr. Leah Jacob, an assistant professor of dermatology in the School of Medicine.