Medical schools across New York are pushing for a $25 million investment from the state budget in growing the Empire State’s medical academic research capacity. Our President & CEO Jonathan Teyan discussed the potential economic development benefit from this commitment with WNYC’s The Capitol Pressroom. Learn more.

 

Albany Medical College led the Capital Region in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year, with 35 grants totaling $11.5 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Economic Growth (CEG). CEG reported that overall NIH funding for the region topped $71 million in 2022. It was spread among 19 local institutions and businesses. Learn more.

 

A new University at Buffalo study conducted at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is one of the first to reveal that there were fewer cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the omicron wave of the pandemic than the delta wave. MIS-C is a rare but severe complication that occurs in children who’ve previously had COVID-19, and has near 1% mortality. Learn more.

 

Scientists at Albany Medical College study many well-known diseases, including breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, hepatitis B, influenza, and heart disease. They also research very rare diseases. John Lamar, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, presenting on epithelioid hemangioendothelioma“It’s very motivating to know that the work you do could lead to new treatments for patients living with a cancer that very little is known about,” said John Lamar, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Learn more.

 

A clinical trial led by Upstate Medical University radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Bogart may have major implications for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer. The study, High-Dose Once-Daily Thoracic Radiotherapy in Limited-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer, was published Jan. 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Learn more.

 

A protein commonly found at high levels in lung cancer cells controls a major immunosuppressive pathway that allows lung tumors to evade immune attack, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery could hasten the development of treatments that overcome this tumor defense mechanism and improve outcomes for lung cancer patients. Learn more.

 

Serotonin can impact the mitral valve of the heart and potentially accelerate a cardiac condition known as degenerative mitral regurgitation, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University’s Department of Surgery in collaboration with the Pediatric Heart Valve Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the University of Pennsylvania, and the Valley Hospital Heart Institute. Learn more.

 

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has launched a neurometabolism program that combines basic science research with a clinic dedicated to the care of patients with brain metabolic diseases. The new core also will be home to intensive collaborative efforts with researchers from around the globe who are committed to working on these rare diseases and other neurological conditions in which metabolism plays a key role. Learn more.

 

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) contain chemical marks that are critical for antiviral defense in cells, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The finding solves a 50-year mystery concerning the purpose of these chemical modifications and suggests that faulty mRNA modification may underlie some autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Learn more.

 

In late 2003, Kathryn Anastos, M.D., received an emailed plea from a grassroots organization of women widowed by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Many of the women had been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through genocidal rape, and their organization was appealing for access to lifesaving treatment. Learn more.

 

About 13,200 men and another 2,300 women in the United States over age 50 are estimated to have VEXAS syndrome, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. VEXAS was long considered a mystery illness until its genetic basis was identified in 2020, and the latest findings offer the first indication of how common the illness is domestically. Learn more.

 

Rice cereal, formula, purees and puffs. They’re among the most popular products purchased from the baby food aisle. And they share one more thing in common: They likely contain toxic metals. What’s more, the U.S. doesn’t have the kind of strict regulations for commercially produced baby foods that parents might expect. Learn more.

 

A new study by Stony Brook University researchers shows that there is a strong relationship between what we eat early in life, as babies or young children, and food preferences in adults. The research, published in Science Advances, highlights the importance of early exposure to a variety of tastes and identifies the neural basis regulating preferences for favorite foods, providing important new information about the relationship between nutrition and brain function. Learn more.

 

Young blood has a rejuvenating effect when infused into older bodies, according to recent research: Aging hearts beat stronger, muscles become stronger, and thinking becomes sharper Many scientists are looking for the elements of young blood that can be captured or replicated and put into a pill. Learn more.

 

In a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Chanelle Diaz, M.D., M.P.H., Jonathan Ross, M.D., M.S., and Albert Einstein College of Medicine colleagues described the results of one of the only studies to have examined the health impact of immigration-related confinement in the United States. Formerly detained individuals who were interviewed described aspects of immigration detention that broadly erode health and create barriers to obtaining medical care, and they shared how detention and neglect of basic human needs undermined their well-being. Learn more.

 

Subway riders waiting in stations near tunnels that run below New York City’s rivers are exposed to higher levels of hazardous pollutants than are found in other stations. The “river-tunnel effect,” as researchers call it, may help explain extremely poor air quality in the nation’s largest underground transit system and have particular implications for stations close to rivers in general. Learn more.

 

An important component to a more successful treatment course for burns is correctly assessing them, and current methods are not accurate enough. A team of Stony Brook University researchers believe they created a new method to significantly improve burn assessment. They are employing a physics-based neural network model that uses terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) data for non-invasive burn assessment. Learn more.

 

Mount Sinai researchers have been awarded $12 million over five years by the National Institutes of Health to create a center to elucidate novel causes of, and contributing factors to, food allergies and atopic dermatitis. The Systems Biology of Early Atopy (SunBEAm) Analysis and Bioinformatics Center intends to develop a better understanding of allergy development. Learn more.

 

Debra Bessen, Ph.D., professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, has been awarded a five-year $2,931,474 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the discovery and design of a vaccine to prevent Group A streptococci (Strep A) infection, which annually causes more than 750 million infections and over 500,000 deaths throughout the world. Learn more.

 

William Spencer, PhD, assistant professor at Upstate Medical University, was awarded a $250,000 grant from the E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind to further his research into the role ectosomes play in retinal disease and possible treatments. Spencer is building off of previous research he’s conducted on Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRCD). Learn more.

 

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) and St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center®’s DeMatteis Center for Cardiac Research and Education have launched a research collaboration that could improve the health of Long Islanders and patients around the world. The new initiative provides NYITCOM students the prestigious opportunity to join St. Francis Hospital’s world-renowned, innovative cardiovascular research that could have life-saving implications. Learn more.

 

Two students from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell recently presented their research findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium held at Moscone West from January 19-21, 2023 in San Francisco, CA. Dylan Cooper, Class of 2024, and Kristen John, class of 2025, joined renowned doctors and healthcare professionals from around the world to learn about and share the latest advancements in multidisciplinary care and research in gastrointestinal cancer care. Learn more.

 

Nearly 100 New York Medical College (NYMC) medical students showcased their research on a wide range of basic and clinical science topics during the 27th Annual Medical Student Research Forum on January 5. Planned exclusively by SOM students, the forum, which was held in person for the first time since before the pandemic, included oral and poster presentations by medical students, as well as a keynote address by Joseph English, M.D., chair emeritus and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Learn more.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with nearly half of Americans having at least one of three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, or smoking. Since 1963, the United States government has annually recognized February as American Heart Month, a time to raise awareness for heart disease and educate Americans about lifestyle improvements that could reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Learn more.