Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Stephen Thomas, MD, was appointed the lead principal investigator for the world-wide Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial, which is showing a more than 90 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19. Upstate serves as one of the global phase three vaccine trial locations. “New York’s medical experts are second to none and from the very beginning of this pandemic, we have relied on their vast knowledge and expertise to inform our response. I’m glad Pfizer is doing the same,” Cuomo said. Take a closer look.

 

The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Infectious Diseases Division has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to study HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years. Their efforts have been recognized with a new $18 million grant to continue conducting vaccine and treatment trials and engaging with communities affected by HIV. The award also allows Rochester researchers to study other high-priority infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Take a closer look.

 

David D. Ho, MD, the director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University, will receive the National Leadership Recognition Award(link is external and opens in a new window) from the National AIDS Memorial on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also will be given the same award. Take a closer look.

 

In November, Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine opened the doors to its new COVID-19 vaccine unit, which will enroll people in clinical trials that will test the efficacy of vaccines against the novel coronavirus. The unit is led by Barry Zingman, MD, professor of medicine at Einstein and clinical director, infectious diseases, at the Moses division of Montefiore Health System. The vaccine unit opening comes as global coronavirus infections are rising sharply, with nearly 200,000 cases reported daily in the United States. Take a closer look.

 

Columbia University researchers have been pursuing several areas of investigation, from monoclonal antibodies to ultraviolet light, and making progress with new ways to detect the virus, prevent transmission, and treat patients with COVID. CUIMC News asked several investigators to update us on their progress. Take a closer look.

 

Anyone who has undergone a nasal swab or saliva test for COVID-19 knows that the virus is most easily detected in the nose and mouth. That’s why, University at Buffalo researchers argue in a new paper, more COVID-19 studies should be devoted to how immunity emerges to SARS-CoV-2 in the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth. The paper was published Nov. 30 in Frontiers in Immunology. Take a closer look.

 

A single protein that appears necessary for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) virus to reproduce and spread to other cells is a potential weakness that could be targeted by future therapies. The molecule, known as transmembrane protein 41 B, is believed to help shape the fatty outer membrane that protects the virus’s genetic material while it replicates inside an infected cell and before it infects another. Take a closer look.

 

A new nationwide study of more than 50,000 individuals is now underway to determine factors that predict disease severity and long-term health impacts of COVID-19. Researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons are coordinating the NIH-funded study called the Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) Study. Participants in C4R are currently enrolled in 14 long-term cohort studies conducted at 37 academic medical centers across the country. Take a closer look.

 

Experts trained a computer to tell which patients with skin cancer may benefit from drugs that keep tumors from shutting down the immune system’s attack on them, a new study finds. Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Center, the study showed that an artificial intelligence tool can predict which patients with a specific type of skin cancer would respond well to such immunotherapies in four out of five cases. Take a closer look.

 

The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, known by its brand name Keytruda, is a safe and effective option for patients with locally advanced and metastatic squamous cell esophageal cancer who have already received standard chemotherapy, according to a new study co-authored by a Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigator. The study reports results of a phase 3 clinical trial in which Weill Cornell Medicine, with NewYork-Presbyterian, was a lead site. Take a closer look.

 

Today’s consumer is gob smacked by CBD-infused products claiming to provide a wide array of health benefits. Brunch menus now offer CBD pancakes. Major drug store retailers like Walgreens are announcing plans to provide CBD-infused pain relief creams. Even Martha Stewart just released a line of CBD gummies and oils. Brands are throwing their full marketing might to peddle bold statements about the benefits of CBD. Take a closer look.

 

Epidemiological studies have frequently associated increased immune responses in pregnant women brought on by such factors as maternal infection, autoimmune disorders and asthma with later development of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, in their children. A team of researchers at New York Medical College, led by Sangmi Chung, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology and anatomy, neurology and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, recently conducted a study investigating the impact that the activation of microglia can have on an embryo’s development of cortical interneurons, a specific class of neurons that regulates information processing. Take a closer look.

 

While the broad architecture and organization of the human brain is universal, new research shows how the differences between how people reimagine common scenarios can be observed in brain activity and quantified. These unique neurological signatures could ultimately be used to understand, study, and even improve treatment of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Take a closer look.

 

What happens in our brain that makes us experience the sweet taste of a donut or the bitter taste of tonic water? What are the patterns of neural activity responsible for the perception of taste? A new study from Stony Brook University found that the map of neural responses mediating taste perception does not involve, as previously believed, specialized groups of neurons in the brain, but rather overlapping and spatially distributed populations. Take a closer look.

 

Memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be able to be restored by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in abnormal gene transcription, according to a preclinical study by researchers at the University at Buffalo. The findings could pave the way toward new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The paper was published on Dec. 9 in Science Advances.  Take a closer look.

 

Several Upstate Medical University researchers are contributors to a recently published study about a new way to detect a higher risk for schizophrenia or an intellectual disability among those with a common genetic syndrome. The study published Nov. 9 in Nature Medicine focuses on 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, which is caused by a missing piece of genetic material on the long (q) arm of chromosome 22. The syndrome occurs in about one in every 4,000 live births and is one of the most common genetic disorders along with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. Take a closer look.

 

A new study showing how a stomach ache associated with a novel, appealing food forms an aversion to that food also reveals how areas of the brain may work together to alter behavior based on good or bad experiences. Led by Stony Brook University researchers, the study is published in eLife. The study involved conditioning rats to dislike the taste of sugar water, something they normally would like, by creating a mild digestive malaise after consumption. Take a closer look.

 

Sam (not his real name) was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in his early teens. He struggled to follow the insulin regimen needed to control his blood-glucose level, even after experiencing diabetes-related complications that required hospitalizations. Finally, in his late 20s, Sam started handling self-management for his diabetes, but his effort came too late to prevent permanent disability. Take a closer look.

 

A vaccine that induces immune responses to a wide spectrum of influenza virus strains and subtypes has produced strong and durable results in early-stage clinical trials in humans, Mount Sinai researchers have found. The universal influenza virus vaccine, which produces antibodies that target the part of the surface protein of the influenza virus known to neutralize diverse influenza strains, was described in a study published today in the journal Nature Medicine. Take a closer look.

 

Seeking to advance the scope of precision medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Illumina, Inc. are entering into a collaboration to sequence the complete human genomes of thousands of consenting patients, in order to identify genetic alterations driving disease and potentially reveal previously unidentified therapies for treatment. The initiative, which also includes a collaboration between Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and the New York Genome Center (NYGC), aims to evaluate the diagnostic potential of whole-genome sequencing at scale, which allows the interrogation of the full genome sequence of a patient’s DNA. Take a closer look.

 

The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell virtually hosted its ninth annual Scholarship Day on November 4, 2020, showcasing the summer research of over ninety Zucker School of Medicine students comprised of both MD and MD/PhD candidates. “Research is a way to develop analytic and critical thinking skills,” said Joel N.H. Stern, PhD, associate professor of science education/neurology and director of the Office of Student Medical Research at the Zucker School of Medicine. Take a closer look.

 

A Touro College of Osteopathic Medical student in Middletown received an award for his group’s research on the attitudes of healthcare practitioners toward vaccination. The study Atif Towheed, 37, of Middletown and his colleagues worked on, called “The Role of Health Care Providers in Community Immunization,” will be sent for peer review in the coming weeks, around the same time a COVID-19 vaccine may become available to some members of the public. Take a closer look.

 

Heather L. Brumberg, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, professor of pediatrics and professor of clinical public health at New York Medical College, has assumed the role of president of the Eastern Society of Pediatric Research (ESPR)—the first woman to do so. ESPR is the largest of four regional societies for pediatric research with approximately 400 members from academic pediatric centers from throughout the northeast and middle Atlantic regions of the United States and eastern portions of Canada. Take a closer look.

 

CUNY School of Medicine Research Associate, Rose Saint Fleur-Clixte, Ph.D., has been awarded the American Statistical Association’s (ASA) Professional Statistician (PStat) accreditation. The accreditation conveys to the wider world that Calixte is a professional statistician, much the way architects, engineers, doctors, and lawyers who hold accreditations are viewed as professionals by their coworkers, clients, the media, and the public. For that reason, PStat is a valuable recognition for statisticians working in the business industry, government, or private consulting. Take a closer look.

 

Today the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai launched a new podcast, Real, Smart People, which profiles the clinicians and researchers behind some of the most important medical breakthroughs of our time. The show gives listeners a window into the lives and work of the most innovative minds in medicine. Each episode pulls back the curtain on an expert as they guide us through their successes, failures, and passions. Their stories will inspire current and future scientists and clinicians, and show the general public the human side of science and medicine. Take a closer look.

 

Weill Cornell Medicine neuroscientist Dr. Li Gan is driving toward one of the most coveted medical breakthroughs: an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. A growing global epidemic, Alzheimer’s is projected to affect 14 million people by 2050 if no cure or preventive is devised by then. It’s a daunting task, exacerbated by the failure of a once-promising therapeutic strategy targeting the buildup of the amyloid beta protein in the brain—a hallmark of the disease. Not discouraged, Dr. Gan has instead devised an innovative two-pronged therapeutic approach that has so far shown promise in mice. Take a closer look.