SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Dr. Lambert Spearheads Study on Mentorship Networks for Underrepresented Researchers

Last fall, we proudly announced that W. Marcus Lambert, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research Strategy and Operations, received the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35 $1.72M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Spread over a five-year period, this grant will fund research on the dynamics of effective mentorship networks for underrepresented researchers. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: AI Spotlight: Predicting Risk of Death in Dementia Patients

Dementia is a neurodegenerative disorder, commonly known to affect cognitive function—including memory and reasoning. It is also a factor contributing to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for approximately 70 percent of cases. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Artificial Intelligence Tool Accurately Answers Patients’ Common Questions About Gynecologic Cancer

An artificial intelligence tool correctly answered 83 percent of common genetic counseling questions, including those about genetic testing and genetic syndromes, a new study found. Presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer on March 17, 2024, in San Diego, the study examined the capabilities of a form of artificial intelligence (AI) called generative AI. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: New Research Explores the Effects of Lifestyle on Future Cancer Risk in Childhood Cancer Survivors

On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, new research was published by a group of researchers, including Lenat Joffe, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. The research explores the relationship between lifestyle choices and cancer risk among childhood cancer survivors, focusing on the long-term implications of lifestyle behaviors on cancer development with this vulnerable population. Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Advancing Technology to Improve the Therapeutic Effect of Radionuclide Therapy for Cancer

Image-guided radionuclide therapy uses radioactive molecules designed to specifically target and kill cancer cells while sparing non-cancerous tissues. This form of targeted therapy can be effective against cancer, but traditional methods for applying this therapy can also result in significant adverse effects related to off-target radiation toxicity. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine Discovery Suggests New Strategy Against Follicular Lymphoma

A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine has identified important drivers of the transformation of a type of blood cancer called follicular lymphoma from a slow-growing form to the aggressive form it takes in some patients. The study, published March 7 in Cancer Cell, showed that while mutations affecting a gene-regulating complex called BAF can put the cancer on a dangerous trajectory, they also make follicular lymphoma highly susceptible to experimental BAF-inhibitor drugs. Learn more.

Albany Medical College Research Offers New Insights Into Role of Iron in Breast Cancer Growth

In a recent study published in the journal Oncogene, Albany Medical College scientists offered new insights into the potential role iron may play in the metastatic growth of breast cancer. “Our research shows that the role of iron may be different, depending on whether it’s in a cancerous tumor in the breast or in cancer cells that have metastasized and spread from the breast,” explained Margarida Barroso, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and the corresponding author of the study. Learn more.

Cardiology

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: Case Study Reveals Novel Treatment for Cardiac Arrest, Cardiogenic Shock, and Hypoxemia

On Thursday, March 14, 2024, a case study was published by Robert Roswell, MD, FACP, FACC, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, professor of Cardiology and Science Education at Donald and Barbara Zucker School Of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and other researchers. This study highlighted a case that centers around a 55-year-old man who presented with cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, and hypoxemia, which are conditions that typically carry a poor prognosis. Learn more.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Exploring Racial Dynamics in Dementia Caregiving Challenges

New findings from the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease at Downstate illuminate the complex relationship between race and the burdens faced by caregivers, as well as the impact of physical frailty and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). This study reveals substantial, albeit sometimes subtle, connections that call into question conventional methods of dementia management. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Brain Mechanism Found to Determine Which Memories Last

Neuroscientists have established in recent decades the idea that some of each day’s experiences are converted by the brain into permanent memories during sleep the same night. Now, a new study proposes a mechanism that determines which memories are tagged as important enough to linger in the brain until sleep makes them permanent. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Making Long-Term Memories Requires Nerve-Cell Damage

Just as you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that you can’t make long-term memories without DNA damage and brain inflammation. Their surprising findings were published online in the journal Nature. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: New Imaging Method Illuminates Oxygen’s Journey in the Brain

The human brain consumes vast amounts of energy, which is almost exclusively generated from a form of metabolism that requires oxygen. While the efficient and timely delivery of oxygen is known to be critical to healthy brain function, the precise mechanics of this process have largely remained hidden from scientists. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Iron Restriction Keeps Stem Cells Young

As we age, our hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells (HSCs) become less able to produce new red and white blood cells and other vital blood components—contributing to chronic inflammation and accelerating the onset of blood cancers and degenerative diseases. Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) have found that failing HSC function can be prevented or even reversed by reducing iron levels in these adult stem cells. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: In People With Opioid Use Disorder, Telemedicine Treatment for HCV was More Than Twice as Successful as Off-Site Referral

People with opioid use disorder who have hepatitis C virus (HCV) were twice as likely to be successfully treated and cured from HCV if they received facilitated telemedicine treatment at their opioid treatment program (OTPs) than if they were referred off-site to another provider. Those are the findings published by a University at Buffalo team of researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Far-UVC Light Can Virtually Eliminate Airborne Virus in an Occupied Room

Far-UVC light is a promising new technology for reducing airborne virus levels in occupied indoor spaces, but its effectiveness has not been evaluated in real-life scenarios. A study by Columbia researchers now shows that far-UVC light inactivated nearly all (>99%) of an airborne virus in an occupied work environment, showing that the technology can work as well in a real-life scenario as in the laboratory. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine Researchers Produce Grafts that Replicate the Human Ear

Using state-of-the-art tissue engineering techniques and a 3D printer, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Engineering have assembled a replica of an adult human ear that looks and feels natural. The study, published March 16 in Acta Biomaterialia, offers the promise of grafts with well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Preventing Blood Clots in Gamers

As competitive esports continues to grow in popularity, blood clots formed in the legs, or deep vein thromboses (DVT), are being increasingly reported in gamers, the majority of whom play between three and 10 hours per day. In fact, given the number of continuous hours spent being sedentary, gamers have nearly double the risk of developing these blood clots, which can become life-threatening, especially if the clot travels to the lungs. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Turns Out—Male Roundworms Are Picky When Choosing a Mate, New Research Finds

A piece of rotting fruit is likely covered in hundreds if not thousands of microscopic roundworms, including C. elegans—a popular experimental model system for studying neurogenetics. With a lifespan of only a few weeks, C. elegans must reproduce quickly and often. The species is made up of hermaphrodites and males. The hermaphrodites have female bodies, can self-fertilize, and can mate with males. Learn more.

Student Research

CUNY School of Medicine Students Lead Most Comprehensive Study on Topical Treatments for Pediatric Pain Management

In a study published in SpringerNature and covered in Harlem World Magazine on March 26, a team of third-year medical students carried out the most comprehensive pooled analysis of trials comparing the two most popular topical pain anesthetics used in urgent pediatric care. Kathryn S. Varghese, the lead author, was motivated to investigate the question after shadowing in a pediatric emergency department where the selection of which medication to use seemed ambiguous and influenced by “individual preferences.” Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Dr. Kenneth Gow Elected Secretary of the American Pediatric Surgical Association

Stony Brook Medicine Department of Surgery’s Kenneth W. Gow, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, has been elected to serve as secretary of the American Pediatric Surgical Association’s (APSA) Board. The APSA, founded in 1970, is America’s largest organization of pediatric surgeons. The APSA Board is a group of elected officials empowered with leading the organization. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: ARPA-H Awards Columbia Researchers Nearly $39M to Develop a Living Knee Replacement

A team of researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and Columbia Engineering has been awarded up to a $38.95 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to build a living knee replacement from biomaterials and human stem cells, including a patient’s own cells. ARPA-H is a federal funding agency that funds transformative biomedical and health research breakthroughs, rapidly translating research from the lab to applications in the marketplace. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: NIH Awards $3.8M Grant to Advance Development of Tularemia Vaccine

Scientists at Albany Medical College have been awarded a five-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test the efficacy of a new potential vaccine for tularemia, a rare but potentially fatal disease. Caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis (Ft), tularemia is most commonly found in rabbits and similar animals in rural areas. According to the CDC, humans can be infected through tick and deer fly bites, skin contact with infected animals, drinking contaminated water, or inhaling contaminated aerosols. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Dr. Mitchell Cairo Secures $2.6M FDA Grant for Infant CMV Infection Treatment Research

Mitchell Cairo, M.D., professor of pediatrics, cell biology and anatomy, medicine, and of pathology, microbiology, and immunology, has received a $2.6 million grant from the Food and Drug Administration to explore a novel and innovative treatment for babies born with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection – the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: NFL Physicians Society Selects UB Professor and Bills Head Team Physician for Top Research Award

Leslie J. Bisson, MD, the Buffalo Bills medical director and the June A. and Eugene R. Mindell, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University at Buffalo, has received the top research award from the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS). Bisson was awarded the Arthur C. Rettig Award for Academic Excellence last week at the NFLPS Scientific Meeting in Indianapolis, where he presented “How to Leverage an Athletic Training Outreach Program to Deliver Hands-Only CPR Training in Underserved Communities.” Learn more.

More News

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Establishes Department of Public Health

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, fulfilling its commitment to connecting medical care with public health, established a new Department of Public Health under the visionary leadership of Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH, the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor in Children’s Health Research at Icahn Mount Sinai. Learn more.

New York Medical College and Regeneron Debut Neighborhood Science Seminar Series

New York Medical College and Regeneron have launched a Neighborhood Science Seminar Series that will provide a platform for experts from both institutions to engage in meaningful discussions about current research endeavors in advancing scientific research and public health initiatives. Each month, the Neighborhood Science Seminar Series will feature sessions led by distinguished experts, covering a diverse range of topics including neuroscience, cardiovascular studies, degenerative diseases, and more. Learn more.