Albert Einstein College of Medicine Secures $192 Million in NIH Grants in 2024

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine received $192 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during 2024, remaining one of the top research institutions in the country. “Einstein’s faculty members continue to demonstrate their leadership in their fields, excelling in all areas across the research spectrum—from basic science and translational research to clinical trials and community-based studies,” said Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Einstein. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Columbia Biobank Expansion Set to Pay Dividends

At the beginning of 2020, Columbia University Irving Medical Center was getting ready to open its first, centralized biobank. Biobanks—collections of blood and tissue from patients—have proven essential for understanding human disease and developing new treatments. Over the past few decades, Columbia researchers have built several large biobanks, usually focused on specific diseases, that together hold 1.3 million samples from more than 100,000 individuals. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Research Highlights Deadly Combination of COVID-19 and Chronic Liver Disease

Chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, fatty liver, and alcoholic liver disease, can significantly increase the risk of severe COVID-19 infection complications and death, according to three new studies presented at the American College of Chest Physicians’ CHEST 2024 conference by Antony Arumairaj, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, at New York Medical College. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D.: A Potential New Approach to Treating Blood Cancers

Genes attract a lot of attention in discussions about health and disease. But transcription factors (TFs)—the proteins that turn genes on and off—are the genome’s real movers and shakers. Cancer can result when TFs act abnormally, but researchers haven’t found a way to successfully influence TFs—until now. Einstein and Montefiore researchers have developed a strategy for “redistributing” TFs, pointing to a possible approach for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other blood cancers. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Newfound Mechanism May Explain Why Some Cancer Treatments Boost Risk of Heart Disease

A cancer therapy that prompts the body’s immune defenses against viruses and bacteria to attack tumors can make patients more vulnerable to heart attack and stroke. A possible explanation for this side effect is that the treatment interferes with immune regulation in the heart’s largest blood vessels, a new study suggests. Learn more.

Cardiology

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: This is Your Future Health Care on AI

Several years ago, cardiologist Pierre Elias, MD, was working overnight in a cardiac intensive care unit when he was called by another hospital’s emergency room about a man complaining of shortness of breath and chest tightness. Three months prior, he had presented with the same symptoms. A quick EKG displaying the heart’s electrical activity as squiggles and lines showed nothing abnormal, and the emergency room had sent the man home with the good news that he was not having a heart attack. Learn more.

New York Medical College: New Studies Unravel Link Between Cardiovascular Disease and Dementia

Cardiovascular disease and dementia are two significant and devastating health challenges that are becoming more prevalent as global populations age—an estimated 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia, a figure expected to triple by 2050. With growing evidence highlighting the strong interconnection between cardiovascular disease and dementia, bridging the knowledge gap between neurology and cardiology is even more critical to fostering a more integrated approach to patient care. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: NEJM: For Chronic Subdural Hematomas, Blocking the Artery Supplying the Brain Covering Reduced Re-Operations Threefold

A dramatic, threefold reduction in repeat operations in patients surgically treated for chronic subdural hematoma was achieved when the artery supplying the brain covering was blocked, according to results of a national clinical trial led by neurosurgeons at the University at Buffalo and Weill Cornell Medicine that was published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Brain Mapping Advances Understanding of Human Speech & Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

Voice experiments in people with epilepsy have helped trace the circuit of electrical signals in the brain that allow its hearing center to sort out background sounds from their own voices. Such auditory corollary discharge signals start and end in two subregions of the brain’s top folded surface, or cortex, a new study shows. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Study Reveals New Way to Unlock Blood-Brain Barrier, Potentially Opening Doors to Treat Brain and Nerve Diseases

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed an innovative approach—demonstrated in mouse models and isolated human brain tissue—to safely and effectively deliver therapeutics into the brain, providing new possibilities for treating a wide range of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: New Model of Neuronal Circuit Provides Insight on Eye Movement

Working with week-old zebrafish larva, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and colleagues decoded how the connections formed by a network of neurons in the brainstem guide the fishes’ gaze. The study, published Nov. 22 in Nature Neuroscience, found that a simplified artificial circuit, based on the architecture of this neuronal system, can predict activity in the network. In addition to shedding light on how the brain handles short-term memory, the findings could lead to novel approaches for treating eye movement disorders. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: How Can Low-Dose Ketamine, a ‘Lifesaving’ Drug for Major Depression, Alleviate Symptoms Within Hours? UB Research Reveals How

University at Buffalo neuroscientists have identified the binding site of low-dose ketamine, providing critical insight into how the medication, often described as a wonder drug, alleviates symptoms of major depression in as little as a few hours with effects lasting for several days. Published in September in Molecular Psychiatry, the UB discovery will also help scientists identify how depression originates in the brain, and will stimulate research into using ketamine and ketamine-like drugs for other brain disorders. Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University Study Identifies Pregnant Women at Risk for Substance Use

Use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and illicit drugs is dangerous in pregnancy, increasing risks of stroke, miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight and infant neurodevelopmental problems. Yet according to the 2020 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, more than 20 percent of pregnant women in the United States report using one or more of these substances. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: New Discovery Enables Gene Therapy for Muscular Dystrophies, Other Disorders

Gene therapy can effectively treat various diseases, but for some debilitating conditions like muscular dystrophies there is a big problem: size. The genes that are dysfunctional in muscular dystrophies are often extremely large, and current delivery methods can’t courier such substantial genetic loads into the body. Learn more.

Student Research

Zucker School of Medicine Student Publishes Research in JAMA Highlighting Inconsistencies of Genetic Markers for Predicting Heart Disease–Presents Findings at AHA

Sarah Abramowitz, BA, a medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow, published her research highlighting the inconsistencies of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on November 16, 2024. Learn more.

CUNY Medicine Students Showcase Pioneering Research Across Disciplines

From investigating the role of mast cells in melanoma to analyzing culturally sensitive dietary recommendations that affect women’s ability to control gestational diabetes, some 200 CUNY Medicine student researchers demonstrated their commitment to advancing medical knowledge and health equity at Student Research Day 2024. The event showcased 102 projects led by teams from the School’s MD program and the undergraduate Sophie Davis School for Biomedical Education. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: Summer Research Discoveries Showcased at Thirteenth Annual Medical Student Research Week

The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell hosted its Thirteenth Annual Medical Student Research Week November 4-8, 2024. Research Week is facilitated by the Office of Medical Student Research and the Advisory Committee for Student Research. Each year, the medical school community comes together for this auspicious week-long roster of events in support of student researchers at every level. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: Grant to Develop Portable PET Scanner for Alzheimer’s Disease

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have received a $6.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to build a portable, high-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner that can detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike current models, this PET scanner will be upright, so a patient can sit in a chair that travels with the unit, significantly improving portability and accessibility. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: $4M NIH Grant Supports Dementia Research at Albany Medical Center

Research scientists at Albany Medical College have been awarded a $4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of menopause on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and to test an estrogen therapy for dementia. Production of the hormone estrogen decreases during menopause. Low estrogen levels are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, vascular disease, and cognitive decline. Learn more.

CUNY Medicine Researcher Leads Trial to Assess a Non-Invasive TBI Therapy

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $2.2 million to CUNY Medicine’s Junghoon John Kim, PhD, to lead a multisite clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), a non-invasive therapy using near-infrared light to enhance cerebral blood flow and cognitive function in older adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). With over 450,000 service members and veterans diagnosed with TBI since 2000, the study aims to improve outcomes for those at heightened risk of dementia and neurodegeneration. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital to Lead Groundbreaking Sickle Cell Treatment Study

UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital received a multi-million-dollar grant to lead a first-of-its-kind study comparing the effectiveness of treatments for sickle cell disease. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the research aims to help families make more informed treatment decisions for children of different ages and at various disease stages. The project will compare two treatment options. Learn more.

More News

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: AACN Recognizes Stony Brook University Hospital’s Neurocritical Care Unit With Silver Beacon Award for Excellence

Stony Brook University Hospital’s Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU) has received the Silver Beacon Award of Excellence (2024-2027) from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). This three-year award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Stony Brook is one of only five NCCUs in New York State to receive a Beacon Award of Excellence. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Mount Sinai Opens the Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health to Transform Health Care by Spearheading the AI Revolution

On November 25th, the Mount Sinai Health System, one of New York City’s largest academic medical systems, announced the opening of the Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, which is dedicated to enhancing health care delivery through the research, development, and application of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Pharmacy Closures Are a Prescription for Catastrophe 

This October, just in time for flu season, Walgreens announced plans to close 1,200 stores nationwide. The news came on the heels of CVS closing 900 locations and Rite Aid shuttering hundreds of its own. On Long Island, more than a dozen Rite Aid stores closed, including those in Floral Park, Levittown, Bay Shore, and Huntington Station, among others. If you think a pharmacy desert could never happen here, think again. Learn more.