Laura Tran, PhD

Laura Tran, PhD

Laura joined The Scientist as an assistant editor in 2023. She has a background in microbiology and earned her PhD in biomedical sciences from Rush University. Her research focused on how circadian rhythms and alcohol affect the gut. 

Articles by Laura Tran, PhD

Image of colorful microplastics against a black background.

Microplastics Build Up in Human Organs, Especially the Brain

A CRISPR-Cas platform uses microfluidic droplets, encasing CRISPR components and DNA barcodes, and injects individual droplets into zebrafish embryos. The embryos are raised and then researchers link phenotypes to genotypes by sequencing the barcodes.

DNA Droplets in Motion Accelerate Gene Discovery

Image of a DNA strand with a magnifying glass hovering over one section (left). A sweating man lifts his arm and emits body odor with a callout depicting that he has yellow colored earwax (right).

How Are Earwax and Body Odor Linked?

Microscopic image of mouse neurons exhibiting a string-of-pearls structure.

Challenging the Axon’s Classic Shape

Image of Arabidopsis thaliana plants alongside Petri dishes on a rack.

Engineered Microbes Make Plant Hormones a Sustainable Harvest

Image of a pregnant woman holding her belly with blurred plastic bottles in the background.

A Common Plastic Additive Harms DNA and Chromosomes

Image of people clinking glasses with various alcoholic beverages at a table.

Why Do Some People Get Drunk Faster Than Others?

Image of activated STING protein (pink) and the transcription factor TFEB (green), which is shuttled into the nucleus to facilitate lysosome biogenesis. 

A STING Operation in Safeguarding Cells from Stress

Image of chicken, beef, fish, and eggs displayed on a cutting board against a grey background.

Metabolism on the Menu: A New Target for Body Weight Regulation

Image of a hand holding yellow pills in front of a leafy vegetable background.

Vitamin K Precursor Takes On Prostate Cancer

Image of Streptomyces coelicolor (center), which produces the blue antibiotic actinorhodin, inhibiting the growth of yellow Myxoccous xanthus colonies (periphery).

The Art of Biofilm Photography: From Petri Dish to Portrait

Image of colored blobs comprised of individual dots. Each dot represents an immune cell and dots of the same color belong to the same cell type.

Charting the Human Immune Health Atlas

Image of Anne Madden standing along the edge of water. She wears a black outfit and is holding a tube in her hand.

Inside the Microbial Jungle: Tales from a Microbe Whisperer

Headshot of Melissa Kay. She is wearing a black top under a red cardigan as she smiles at the camera.

Meet the Team: Melissa Kay

Image of Brussels sprouts and endives on a wooden background.

Greens and Genes: The Bitter Truth Behind Your Veggie Preferences

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3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

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Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

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