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Monday March 22, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 21
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ON CAMPUS
Public Safety officers to wear body cameras By Evelyn Doskoch Head News Editor
University police officers under the Department of Public Safety (PSAFE) will begin wearing body cameras this spring, in accordance with state regulations. PSAFE Director of Operations Kenneth E. Strother Jr. told The Daily Princetonian that only sworn police officers will use the cameras. According to Strother, there are “about 39 [sworn] police officers at Public Safety,” as compared to non-sworn security officers, who are tasked with enforcing University regulations and general building security but lack the powers of a sworn officer.
In November, N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy signed two bills mandating the use of body cameras by every “uniformed State, county, and municipal patrol law enforcement officer” in the state, including campus police officers. The mandate goes into effect in June, according to Strother. Supervisory staff — which includes sergeants, lieutenants, and captains — will test the cameras starting in midApril, and they will be rolled out to the full unit of sworn officers “sometime in May, right before Commencement.” Officers will not record all interactions, only those that involve police response to emergency calls. “When you call the com-
ms center and we have to respond, we’re recording our interactions with the public,” Strother said. “If we’re taking law enforcement action, which means in the unfortunate situation where we have to make an arrest, we have to record.” When recording, three LED lights will light up in the center of the device, and an audible tone will sound every thirty seconds. Officers will also be required, when possible, to state that they are recording when turning on their cameras in front of members of the public. If asked by a victim or witness, officers will turn off their cameras — and if unable, they must narrate aloud why they cannot stop recording.
ON CAMPUS
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The entrance to the Department of Public Safety.
“It’s to provide transparency,” he explained. “When you hear things about police reform, and things like that, we talk about transparency. We’ve all heard the horror stories; we’ve seen the horror stories on television and on social media. Bad things happen.”
“This type of technology — although it’s technology, which means it’s not perfect — is a tool to really help provide transparency for our community,” he added. The use of body cameras has increased nationwide in reSee NEWS for more
M U LT I M E D I A
This Week in Photos By Staff Photographers
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COURTESY OF MAŠA ALEČKOVIĆ
JUSTIN CAI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Professor Yibin Kang and his lab group. Professor Kang is located in the center, and Mark Esposito is located fifth from the right.
A group of students enjoy the sunny weather by playing volleyball in the Blair-Joline courtyard.
Kang lab discovers new organelle involved in cancer tumor spread By Zoya Gauhar Staff Writer
A lab led by molecular biology professor Yibin Kang reported the discovery of a new organelle involved in cancer metastasis — the late-stage spread of cancer tumors throughout the body — early this month in Nature Cell Biology. The organelle, which remains unnamed, forms when multiple liquid blobs containing proteins and RNA molecules combine to form one liquid droplet. This phenomenon is referred to as liquid-liquid phase separation and remains an active area of research in the field of molecular biology. This phenomenon has been previously modeled in other laboratory settings, where a component was pressed against a set of glass slides, leading to its separation into distinct droplets. Kang’s lab was able to identify cancer cells using this process to form the organelle in vivo — that is, in a living system. According to Kang, the discovery is significant for cancer research. “This is the first time that biomolecular condensation is shown to be involved in cancer metastasis,” Kang wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian. Through a series of experiments, Kang’s lab was able to determine the organelle’s role in the spread of cancer via its link to a relatively uncharacterized gene known as DACT1 and the famous Wnt signaling path-
In Opinion
way, which regulates important pathways such as those in cell migration, cell polarity, and the formation of organs during embryonic development. The Wnt pathway was discovered by molecular biology professor Eric Wieschaus. The DACT1 gene encodes a protein of the same name which, researchers discovered, serves as a key player in the mechanism by which liquidliquid phase separation contributes to cancer metastasis. In this cancer pathway, a term used to denote how cancer forms and spreads, initial tumor formation in the bones causes a series of events that result in DACT1 proteins guiding cellular materials essential to the Wnt signaling pathway into the newly discovered organelle, thereby contributing to its formation. The build-up of these materials in the organelle suppresses the Wnt pathway, a step that has been shown to drive metastasis into more advanced stages. Kang believes that characterizing the stages of the pathway through which DACT1 drives metastasis may be an essential step in better understanding cancer spread overall. “By understanding how DACT1 drives the formation of such biomolecular condensates, or ‘organelles,’ we may come up with new ways to prevent or [treat] metastatic cancers,” he wrote in his email. Mark Esposito, a current postdoctoral candidate in the Kang lab and 2017 Ph.D. alumnus, is the primary author of
In her column, Grene argues that “It is not benevolence that drives Princeton’s suitable aid, but rather a recognition of the obvious.
the paper. Identifying the protein encoded by DACT1 inspired a slight change in his original research plans, which eventually led to the discovery. “I was initially looking for new factors that drive the spread of late-stage cancer, known as cancer metastasis,” Esposito wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’ “When I found that this new protein had such unique biological properties, the focus changed from a translational study into one that had a strong basic science focus.” At the heart of Kang’s research philosophy is the goal to better understand the science behind cancer formation itself. “Cancer metastasis is responsible for a large majority of cancer-related death, and most metastatic cancers are terminal, with no available cure,” he wrote in his email. “I believe that, by understanding the biology of metastasis better, we can develop more effective drugs to reduce the suffering and death from cancer,” he continued. The research is a culmination of collaborations between University laboratories, which Kang highlighted in his email, writing, “this is a productive and multidisciplinary collaboration between my lab and Prof. Cristea and Brangwynne’s labs.” Ileana Cristea is a professor of molecular biology whose research focuses on virology and proteomics. She is a leading expert in mass spectrometry. Clifford Brangwynne is a Professor of Chemical and BiologiSee NEWS for more
In Prospect
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TIMOTHY PARK / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Whig Hall under the faint glow of a Tuesday morning sunrise.
Staff writer Sydney Eck reviews boba from Junbi in this follow up to the first Tiger Town Treats installment.
SAMANTHA LOPEZ-RICO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
East Pyne Hall on a sunny Saturday morning.
See VIRTUAL ESSAYS for more JUSTIN CAI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Sunset falls over the track at Princeton High School.
In Cartoon
Check out Nicabec Casido’s cartoon “Just South Jersey Things.”