Contributors
Jessica Desamero
Articles by Jessica Desamero
Profile
Neurobiology of stress and substance use
June 19, 2025
MOSAIC scholar and proud Latino, Bryan Cruz of Scripps Research Institute studies the neurochemical origins of PTSD-related alcohol use using a multidisciplinary approach.
Journal News
Scientists find unexpected correlation between age and HDL-C levels
June 3, 2025
In a 30-year multicenter study, researchers determined what factors predict HDL-C concentration. In their analysis, they found that HDL-C levels grew with increasing age and physical activity.
Journal News
New mass spectrometry assay speeds up UTI diagnosis
Feb. 25, 2025
Scientists in Quebec use liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to reduce the time needed to test for bacteria in urine from days to minutes — and with smaller samples.
Science Communication
When Batman meets Poison Ivy
Feb. 13, 2025
Jessica Desamero had learned to love science communication by the time she was challenged to explain the role of DNA secondary structure in halting cancer cell growth to an 8th-grade level audience.
Award
Beyond the bench: On a mission to build an inclusive scientific community
Nov. 12, 2024
Benjamin Garcia will receive the ASBMB Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award at the ASBMB Annual meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.
Essay
The teaching power of water
Oct. 23, 2024
“I questioned whether children would be very interested in this exercise; there wasn’t much to it.” At an outreach event aimed at children, Jessica Desamero learns that three cups of water can convey complex science.
Journal News
Cholesterol synthesis and cancer
Aug. 27, 2024
Researchers find that the active form of a key cholesterol synthesis enzyme is upregulated in endometrial cancer tissues.
Diversity
Illuminating the path to permanent residency
July 31, 2024
Two directors of postdoctoral affairs have developed a program to illuminate the hidden curriculum and explain how career and immigration are coupled.
Journal News
From the journals: MCP
April 12, 2024
Three views of mass spec: analyzing secreted protein spectra, imaging mass spectrometry for clinical use and spectral libraries for MS data analysis. Read about these recent papers.
ASBMB Annual Meeting
Detecting infection complications with nanoscale bacterial buds
March 24, 2024
A recent study suggests outer membrane vesicles provide a quick, efficient way to diagnose Gram-negative sepsis.
Profile
A shift from parasites to immune cells
Dec. 11, 2023
MOSAIC scholar Aleah Roberts aims to link her interest in immune cells and endocytosis of large antigens to the pathogenesis of cancer and infectious diseases.
Research Spotlight
Addressing disparities in research and beyond
Nov. 22, 2023
ASBMB Maximizing Access Committee member Stephen D. Williams is a postdoc who hopes to take his concerns about health care equity into a career in industry.
Journal News
An unexpected component in retinal survival
Sept. 26, 2023
Researchers find that the lack of a specific membrane-linked receptor protein, PEDF-R, contributes to photoreceptor dysfunction.
Pride
500 Queer Scientists: Increasing LGBTQIA+ visibility in STEM one story at a time
June 30, 2023
More than 2,000 people have submitted biographies and shared stories about how they identify, what they do in STEM and how they experience being a queer scientist.
Annual Meeting
K-12 to undergrad, Stevens–Truss helps all students
Oct. 12, 2022
The Kalamazoo College professor has won the ASBMB Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education.
BMB in Africa
Seeing the molecular beauty of life
July 13, 2022
ASBMB member Collins Maina works as a medical representative in Kenya and aspires to study quorum sensing in graduate school.
Annual Meeting
What indirectly links brain disease to COVID-19?
March 22, 2022
Armin Bayati, a JBC Herbert Tabor Early Career Investigator Award winner, will present his lab’s research at the ASBMB annual meeting in April.
Student Chapters
Chapter leader values diversity, outreach and interaction
Feb. 2, 2022
As a member of the Rochester Institute of Technology Student Chapter executive board, Nana Aikins helped to get other students involved in research.
Wellness
I get by with a little help from my pets (and other animals)
Jan. 6, 2022
“I used to check my email or social media first thing in the morning. For the sake of my mental health, I … went straight to taking my pets out. This helps me have calmer mornings.”
Journal News
A new way of looking at HDL in pregnancy
Nov. 30, 2021
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine explore the compositional complexity of high-density lipoprotein in expectant mothers.
In Memoriam
In memoriam: Stephen Prescott
Sept. 20, 2021
A former JBC associate editor and president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, he wrote about his journey with cancer.
Wellness
New-ish adventures help me reconnect
Jan. 12, 2021
“One day in April while working from home, I was feeling particularly down, and every negative thought weighed down on me all at once. To counter this feeling, I thought, ‘Hey, what if I try something different and new?’”
Wellness
How volunteering enriched my life as a Ph.D. student
Jan. 15, 2020
"From failed experiments to weak presentations, I sometimes doubt myself as a researcher. Science outreach boosts my spirits in these times of self-doubt."