Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Search for Human Longevity Genes Aided by $13.6 Million Grant Renewal

It’s long been recognized that extreme longevity—living to 100 or older—is an exceptional achievement (fewer than 1% of people do so) and is influenced by genes since it tends to run in families. Intensive efforts to identify those all-too-rare “longevity genes” have achieved little success, until now. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Neuromuscular Researchers Pave the Way for Gene Therapy Revolution

Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), a rare form of muscular dystrophy, can trace its origins to a meeting three decades ago in the Garvey Room on the fifth floor of Strong Memorial Hospital. Present at the regular gathering of neuromuscular researchers were Robert (Berch) Griggs, MD, and Richard Moxley, MD, two of the founding fathers of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Neurology, and Charles Thornton, MD. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Long COVID Patients at Greater Risk for Anxiety and PTSD New Study Finds

The mental health toll of long COVID is increasingly coming to light. A new study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry by New York Medical College faculty and alumni revealed high rates of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among long COVID patients – even in those who had initially experienced mild to moderate illness. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Study Finds “Long COVID” Includes Auditory and Vestibular (Balance) Problems

One of the early recognized symptoms of COVID-19 involved the loss of smell and taste, raising the question of whether COVID-19 affects other senses as well. Elyse Sussman, Ph.D., Ashley Berlot, B.S., and colleagues retrospectively reviewed the charts of 1,352 randomly chosen COVID-19 patients seen in 2020 at Montefiore Hospital, to identify patients with new or worsening auditory symptoms (tinnitus, hearing loss, other hearing problems) or vestibular symptoms (dizziness, vertigo, or other balance problems). Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Diabetes Drug for Prostate Cancer? Columbia Study Provides Clarity

In the years since a 2005 study found that diabetes patients taking metformin had lower rates of cancer, oncologists have been excited by the prospect of using the inexpensive, safe, and widely used diabetes drug to prevent or slow the development of many cancers. But in studies of prostate cancer, metformin performance has been mixed, with some studies reporting a lower incidence of prostate cancer among men using metformin and others finding no relationship. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: New Strategy Attacks Treatment-Resistant Lymphomas

A surprising mechanism that makes some cancers treatment-resistant has been discovered by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.  The mechanism, which involves the shuttling of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, ultimately facilitates DNA repair in cancer cells. These cancer cells can thereby thwart treatments aimed at damaging their DNA. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Researchers Construct First “Multiome” Atlas of Cell Development in the Human Cerebral Cortex From Before Birth to Adulthood

A team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Yale University School of Medicine has created the first “multiome” atlas of brain cell development in the human cerebral cortex across six broad developmental time points from fetal development into adulthood, shedding new light on their roles during brain development and disease. Learn more.

Diabetes

Weill Cornell Medicine: Large-Scale Study Reveals New Genetic Details of Diabetes

In experiments of unprecedented scale, investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have revealed new aspects of the complex genetics behind Type 2 diabetes. Through these discoveries, and by providing a template for future studies, this research furthers efforts to better understand, and ultimately, treat this common metabolic disease. Learn more.

Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University Researchers Find Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Don’t Take Medications as Directed, Leading to Significant Health Issues

A new study by Upstate Medical University doctors shows that young adults with type 2 diabetes don’t take their blood pressure and cholesterol medicine as they should, which may explain earlier findings of early onset of serious health problems and portends worsening medical conditions as they age. The study, “Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Medication Adherence in Young Adults With Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes,” is published in the October issue of the JAMA Network. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: Q&A: Preventing and Managing Diabetes

More than 37 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, with another 8.5 million believed to be living with the condition undiagnosed. In addition, 38 percent of the United States adult population is estimated to have prediabetes, a serious condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: Prospects Continue to Improve for People with MS but Disease Management in Older Adults Presents Challenges

The past five years have seen significant advancements in diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis, but challenges remain — especially among patients who are living longer, a result of more effective treatments — according to a new paper in Lancet by University at Buffalo researchers. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Researchers on the Scent

In a new study, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Gonzalo Otazu, Ph.D., of the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), continues to pursue clues that could help explain how sense of smell is impacted in individuals with autism. People with autism have an “insistence on sameness” and often avoid unfamiliar elements, including new smells and foods, which can impact their quality of life. Learn more.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Downstate’s Global Impact Revolutionizes NICU Baby Treatments

Lawrence Fordjour, M.D., FAAP, clinical associate professor of Pediatrics and neonatologist, is first-author of a paper featured in the International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences. The paper delves into a project at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) in Ghana, where NICU nurses were trained on bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP). This simple, cost-efficient, noninvasive respiratory support method is less technically demanding than endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Learn more.

Student Research

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell Student Presents at AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Tennessee

Dylan Cooper, a fourth-year medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, had the unique opportunity to deliver multiple scientific podium presentations at the AAO-HNSF 2023 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, hosted by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in Nashville, Tennessee from Saturday, September 30 to Wednesday, October 4, 2023. Learn more.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: Third-Year Medical Student, Kristen John, Presents Research at the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, third-year medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Kristen John, had the honor of delivering an oral presentation titled “Implementation of a real-time AI-guided navigation service for pancreas cancer” during the Epidemiology and Early Detection Plenary Session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer in Boston, MA. This research detailed results of a pilot study, where researchers used AI-guided identification and navigation service for patients with pancreatic cancer. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: To Tackle Chronic Asthma and Health Disparities in Kids, UB Researchers Focus on School-Based Health Centers

University at Buffalo researchers have been awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant to study the delivery of comprehensive asthma care to Buffalo Public Schools children with frequent asthma attacks. Funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health, Project ASTHMA (Aligning with Schools to Help Manage Asthma and Decrease Health Inequities), was developed by researchers in the Department of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Professions at UB. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Michal Laniado Schwartzman, Ph.D., Awarded $2.2 Million Grant to Explore Mechanisms of Obesity-Driven Diseases

Michal Laniado Schwartzman, Ph.D. professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, professor of medicine, and associate professor of ophthalmology at New York Medical College, has been awarded a $2,268,684 four-year grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to work to identify the cellular mechanisms that link activation of the GPR75 gene to obesity-driven metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: NIH Awards $2M to Study Bone Marrow Failure

Scientists at Albany Medical College have been awarded a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study severe aplastic anemia, a type of bone marrow failure. A rare but serious disease, severe aplastic anemia occurs when stem cells in bone marrow can’t make enough new blood cells for the body, causing symptoms like fatigue, weakness, unexplained bruising, and frequent infections. Learn more.

Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University Researcher Awarded $600,000 Federal Grant to Investigate Link Between Obesity and Chronic Wounds

Norifumi Urao, MD/PhD, has been awarded a more than $600,000 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to better understand how obesity is connected to chronic wounds, a painful and costly condition that affects between 2 and 4 million people in the United States. Learn more.

More News

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Launches Discovery and Innovation Center in Midtown West

The Mount Sinai Health System, New York City’s largest academic medical system, recently announced the opening of its new Discovery and Innovation Center with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. This state-of-the-art research lab will expand research capabilities in collaboration with clinical neuroscience and neurosurgery centers of excellence at Mount Sinai West. Learn more.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Keeping a Human in the Loop: Managing the Ethics of AI in Medicine

Artificial intelligence (AI)—of ChatGPT fame—is increasingly used in medicine to improve diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and to avoid unnecessary screening for patients. But AI medical devices could also harm patients and worsen health inequities if they are not designed, tested, and used with care, according to an international task force that included a University of Rochester Medical Center bioethicist. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Andrea Califano on Harnessing the Immune System

The mission of the new Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York–led by Columbia’s Andrea Califano, Dr, —sounds a little like the 1966 sci-fi epic, “The Fantastic Voyage.” In the movie, a team of doctors shrink themselves, and a submarine, to the size of bacteria and dive into the bloodstream of an important scientist to remove a life-threatening clot in his brain. Learn more.