The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Rochester Regional Health (RRH) are joining a phase 3 clinical trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.  The companies received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed to phase 3 on Monday, immediately after which four volunteers in Rochester were among the first in the nation to receive the experimental vaccine. Take a closer look.

A new study led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System confirms the findings of the large scale British trial of steroid use for COVID-19 patients and advances the research by answering several key questions: Which patients are most likely to benefit from steroid therapy? Could some of them be harmed? Can other formulations of steroids substitute for the agent studied in the British trial? The research was published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Take a closer look.

One of the immune system’s oldest branches, called complement, may be influencing the severity of COVID disease, according to a new study from researchers at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Among other findings linking complement to COVID, the researchers found that people with age-related macular degeneration-a disorder caused by overactive complement-are at greater risk of developing severe complications and dying from COVID. Take a closer look.

The first U.S. patients have been dosed in a phase 2/3 clinical trial testing whether a lead messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidate can prevent infection with the virus that causes 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). NYU Grossman School of Medicine, under the auspices of NYU Langone Health’s Vaccine Center, served as one of the original sites for the initial stages of the same study that focused on the vaccine’s safety and if it was tolerated well. Take a closer look.

With the disproportionate morbidity and mortality of Black and Latinx populations during the COVID-19 pandemic not easily explained given the limited reported data, Dylan Macciola, New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2023, and Zafar Karimov, SOM Class of 2023, recently commenced a study to explore two concepts known to play a large role in the delivery of health care – implicit bias and social determinants of health – and examine how they factor into the current health crisis. Take a closer look.

Researchers at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have isolated antibodies from several COVID-19 patients that, to date, are among the most potent in neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These antibodies could be produced in large quantities by pharmaceutical companies to treat patients, especially early in the course of infection, and to prevent infection, particularly in the elderly. Take a closer look.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives in profound and unprecedented ways, especially for those who have come face to face with the virus themselves. That’s why Stony Brook Medicine is offering virtual support groups to provide professional care for those in our communities who have or have had coronavirus and may be struggling. Take a closer look.

Localized radiation therapy against a tumor can trigger a beneficial immune response throughout the body by releasing DNA from mitochondria into the cytoplasm of tumor cells, according to new preclinical research by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators. The findings suggest a new strategy for boosting this response, which may significantly increase the effectiveness of radiation against certain cancers. Take a closer look.

Upstate Medical University Assistant Professor of Pharmacology David Auerbach, PhD, loves that the spaces in which he used to take classes are now home to the ground-breaking neuro-cardiac research he’s directing and conducting. Auerbach generated a novel and clinically relevant model of LQTS with an inherited mutation that is associated with a high prevalence of arrhythmias and seizures. Development and validation of his new LQTS model has the potential to be a “game-changer” as it could provide a powerful model for future mechanistic and drug/device safety studies. Take a closer look.

Two studies led by Stony Brook University researchers were presented virtually at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on July 28, 2020, indicating that World Trade Center (WTC) first responders are at risk for developing dementia. The studies included individuals with signs of cognitive impairment (CI) who show neuroradiological abnormalities and changes in their blood similar to that seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients and those with related dementias. Take a closer look.

A growing number of chemicals in pesticides, flame retardants, and certain plastics have been linked to widespread health problems including infertility in women and men, diabetes, and impaired brain development, a set of reviews of hundreds of studies concludes. Led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine, a team of environmental health experts analyzed research published in the past five years on endocrine disruptors, as well as American and European policies to regulate them. Take a closer look. 

Biomedical experts believe that half of heart failure patients likely have low levels of the thyroid hormone T3 in their cardiac tissue. While heart failure symptoms are commonly attributed to cardiovascular conditions like coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, a growing number of studies suggest that low cardiac T3 may significantly contribute to a patient’s symptoms and underlying heart dysfunction. Now, researchers at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and FuWai Heart Hospital (Beijing, China) have developed a new use for a common blood test, which could provide a potentially life-saving treatment for heart failure. Take a closer look.

University at Buffalo scientists exploring the nature of immunity after vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia in people, have discovered that a specific type of white blood cell called neutrophils plays a more critical role than was previously known. The research is especially relevant for the elderly because immunity declines with age. Take a closer look.

Alan Kadish, M.D., president of New York Medical College (NYMC) and Touro College and University System (TCUS), announced a patent, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a revolutionary new bandage using Nano technology, part of a new agreement for NYMC to acquire a world class portfolio of patents in medical, technological and consumer products with one of the world’s most prolific inventors. Take a closer look.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine used a novel genetic sequencing technology to identify the genetic cause of-and a treatment for-a previously unknown severe auto inflammatory syndrome affecting an 18-year-old girl since infancy. The study, led by Dusan Bogunovic, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology, and Pediatrics, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, faculty member of The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute and the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai, and Director of the Center for Inborn Errors of Immunity, was published in the August 3 issue of the journal Immunity. Take a closer look.

Women whose partners have a drinking problem are the focus of a clinical trial being conducted by Robert G. Rychtarik, PhD, senior research scientist in clinical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Take a closer look.

The University of Rochester Medical Center has been awarded another $24.3 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health to continue its efforts to turn scientific discoveries into health benefits faster. This new award brings URMC’s total funding from NCATS to $132 million, dating back to 2006 when it became one of the first 12 institutions in the nation to receive one of these awards. Take a closer look.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has received a $9.5 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC). The multi-institutional center is a leader in basic, translational, clinical, and community-based research and training in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic disorders. Take a closer look.

Sunlight streams through the lab of Audrey Bernstein, PhD, in Upstate Medical University’s Neuroscience  Research Building. The space, quieted by precautions taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is likely to become busier as Bernstein expands her team with the help of two new grants, a $1.7 million award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) and a VA Merit Award grant with $1 million direct to her lab and other support for the VA vision community. Take a closer look.

A Zucker School of Medicine professor has just established three grants through Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, to help fund cancer research. “Ask any doctor why he or she enters medicine and the answer will likely be the same,” said Marc L. Citron, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. “People become doctors to help patients. But to deliver the moments that matter to patients, to extend their lives and give quality to their days, doctors rely on new research.” Take a closer look.

CONGRATULATIONS are in order to Christina Guillén, M.D., FAAP, Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program and Co-Chair of the GME Resident/Wellness Committee, and to Jennifer Chao, M.D., FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor and Fellowship Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, both of whom were recently awarded the Leonard P. Rome CATCH Visiting Professorship Award. Take a closer look.

Assistant Professor of Surgery Dr. Paul Joshua Chung, MD, was recently awarded $150,000 over two years for his project entitled, “Automated Scenario Generation from Public Datasets for Simulation-based Training in Surgery,” by the National Board of Medical Examiners’ (NBME) Edward J. Stemmler, MD, Medical Education Research Fund. Take a closer look.

Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, a world-renowned expert in the molecular and cellular pathomechanisms of inflammatory skin diseases, has been named Chair of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System, effective Friday, January 1, 2021. Take a closer look.