COVID-19 Treatment Research |
Albert Einstein College of Medicine & NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Clinical Trial Begins to see if Convalescent Plasma can Treat COVID-19
Montefiore Health System, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and NYU Grossman School of Medicine have launched a new clinical trial to study if convalescent plasma-taken from people who have recovered from COVID-19-is effective in treating the disease. The body’s immune response to viral infections includes making molecules called antibodies. Antibodies can combat the infection and possibly prevent reinfection in people-and may be successful for helping people who are sick with COVID-19 fight the virus. This therapy, known as convalescent plasma therapy, has been deployed in viral outbreaks over the past century, and has shown promise in reducing the severity of illness and improving survival rates. Take a closer look here and here.
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New York Medical College Collaborates With Regeneron for COVID-19 Clinical Drug Trials
When COVID-19 first hit our shores in early March with no vaccine nor proven drug treatment in sight, new innovative collaborations sprouted up across the nation, as leading research institutions, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals joined forces to find a solution fast. Among them-a collaborative clinical drug trial by New York Medical College and Regeneron launched at Westchester Medical Center within the first few weeks. Take a closer look.
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Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Hydroxychloroquine: First Large Study Does not Support Routine use in COVID-19 Patients
A study of nearly 1,400 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease at a single New York hospital found that patients who received the drug fared no better than patients who did not receive the drug. Hydroxychloroquine has been widely administered to COVID-19 patients but without robust evidence supporting its use. Recent laboratory studies suggested that hydroxychloroquine may prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating in mammalian cells. Data from small clinical studies have been difficult to interpret. Take a closer look.
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University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: URMC, RRH Collaborating to Test Experimental Coronavirus Vaccine
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Rochester Regional Health (RRH) are investigating a new potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. “COVID-19 is a highly infectious and deadly disease and there is a tremendous urgency to develop a vaccine that will help us fight this global pandemic,” said Edward Walsh, M.D., a professor in the URMC Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and member of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Rochester General Hospital. Take a closer look.
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Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Conduct Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Drugs
As doctors face the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with a very limited arsenal of treatments, physicians at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian have rapidly mobilized to test candidate drugs in clinical trials. These carefully designed studies are critical to determining whether a drug is truly effective and that positive outcomes are not a result of chance. “With no current proven treatments for COVID-19, we quickly launched clinical studies testing antivirals that directly target the coronavirus and immune-based therapies to dampen the overactive immune response, in hopes of identifying something that would help our patients,” said Dr. Roy Gulick. Take a closer look.
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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Blood Thinners may Improve Survival Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Patients get admitted to the ER and have tested positive for COVID-19 to possibly improve outcomes. However, each case should be evaluated an individualized basis to account for potential bleeding risk.” The publicatially given to those who already have clots or are suspected to have clots. Treatment with anticoagulants was associated with improved hospital survival among COVID-19 patients both in and out of the intensive care unit setting. Take a closer look.
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SUNY Downstate Joins Mayo Clinic Convalescent Plasma Trial for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, a dedicated COVID-19 facility, is participating in a national project using convalescent plasma for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. SUNY Downstate is seeking blood donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19 in order to produce the plasma that will be given to patients. Potential donors must have evidence of previous COVID-19 infection with either a nasopharyngeal swab at the time of illness or a positive serologic test for antibodies to SARs-COV2, and they must be symptom-free for 14 days and seen by a health care provider. Take a closer look.
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University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: New URMC Coronavirus Research Examines Immune Response
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have launched a new study to understand how the body’s immune system responds to COVID-19, including if and when a person could be re-infected with the virus and whether some people have pre-existing immunity. The findings could have significant implications for the public health response to the pandemic, the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and decisions related to re-opening the economy and society. Take a closer look.
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Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: New Highly Sensitive COVID-19 Clinical Test now in use at Stony Brook
Stony Brook University now has access to a new highly sensitive clinical test for COVID-19. The new testing protocol, developed in collaboration with scientists at Applied DNA Sciences, received FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a unique assay, which detects RNA of SARS Cov-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Take a closer look.
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COVID-19 Risk Groups |
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Thrombosis Emerges as Significant Risk for COVID-19 Patients
The idea that the risk of blood clots is greater for COVID-19 patients than other severely ill patients began emerging in early reports from China a few months ago. “But the gravity of these clotting disorders in COVID-19 only became clear over the past three to four weeks as we’ve started seeing these patients here,” says Behnood Bikdeli, MD, MS, a cardiovascular medicine fellow at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a specialist in thrombosis. Take a closer look.
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Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Why Does COVID-19 Kill Some Adults but Barely Affects Most Children?
A new clinical study on COVID-19 launched late last month by a University at Buffalo researcher is investigating why the novel coronavirus is so potentially devastating for adults but barely causes a reaction in most children. The study began enrolling patients in April. Take a closer look.
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Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Cancer Patients Face High Mortality From COVID-19
People with cancer who develop COVID-19 are much more likely to die from the disease than those without cancer, according to physician-researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The study, published today in the online edition of Cancer Discovery, is the largest so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with COVID-19. Take a closer look.
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Other COVID-19 News |
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Research Guides National COVID-19 Protocols
SUNY Downstate Emergency Medicine physician and Assistant Director of Research Lorenzo Paladino, M.D., collaborated with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and other experts to develop national protocols based on his 2008 research showing that a single ventilator could be used to support up to four people. “It is not the ideal way to offer breathing support, nor is it a substitute for having each patient on a single ventilator. But if that is not an option, this technique could be a viable, short-term, life-saving bridge,” said Dr. Paladino. Take a closer look.
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NYU Grossman School of Medicine Scientists Track Evolution of Coronavirus in New York City
As of April 9, NYU Grossman School of Medicine researchers have determined the genetic code for 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) virus taken from 91 New York City patients, the most completed on the U.S. East Coast during the current pandemic, the researchers say. Upon determining the order of the genetic letters in the codes from the local viral samples, also called their “sequences,” the researchers submit them to GISAID EpiFlu™, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data. Take a closer look.
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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Outcomes Data Published From Large, Diverse COVID-19 Patient Study in NYC
Sema4 scientists released results from an analysis of patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 at five hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System. Spanning more than 28,000 patients, this is one of the largest and most racially diverse COVID-19 studies performed in the United States to date. The study findings were posted as a preprint on medRxiv. The team at Sema4 analyzed de-identified electronic medical records from 28,336 patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 at Mount Sinai Health System hospitals in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens between February 24 and April 15. Take a closer look.
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Weill Cornell Medicine Tackles COVID-19
Physicians and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian have rapidly mobilized to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing a broad spectrum of expertise on the critical issues the disease is posing to healthcare workers and public health officials. As COVID-19 spreads across the United States, state and county governments require new tools to track the disease, and physicians urgently need effective treatments for their patients. Take a closer look.
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NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Telemedicine Transforms Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Disease Epicenter
A rapid increase in virtual visits during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic could transform the way physicians provide care in the United States going forward, according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The findings, published online recently in the Journal of the American Informatics Association, captures the largest experience to date of the speed, scale, and rapid expansion of video-enabled visits by patients and providers in varied and diverse settings. Take a closer look.
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Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: UB-Led Team Developing 3D-Printed, Reusable N95-Like Respirators
There are plenty of online tutorials for using 3D printing to create N95-like respirators. Yet to work properly, and reduce the spread of COVID-19, these improvised respirators must meet stringent requirements. For example, a respirator’s effectiveness is “highly dependent upon proper fit and use,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Otherwise, virus-laden respiratory droplets can sneak past tiny gaps between the respirator and user’s face. Take a closer look.
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New York Medical College Med Student Works on Project to Test NYC Subways for COVID-19
Rising fourth-year medical student Ebrahim Afshinnekoo’s passion for research has long been in evidence. So it came as no surprise that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York, Mr. Afshinnekoo rose to the occasion as part of a team to test New York City hospitals and urban environments for the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other viruses and to address the limitations in patient testing. Take a closer look.
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Faculty News |
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Renowned Immunologist Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, is Elected to the National Academy of Science
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, a pioneering immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been elected to the National Academy of Science (NAS), an honor that recognizes her transformational contributions to the fields of myeloid cell biology and innate immunity. Dr. Merad, the Mount Sinai Professor in Cancer Immunology and Director of the Precision Immunology Institute, joins an elite group of international scientists with membership in the NAS. Take a closer look.
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