Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo Researchers Discover How a Gene Only Some of Us Have May Protect Against Neurodegeneration

University at Buffalo researchers have discovered how an active form of a gene present in 75% of the human population works to protect the brain against neurodegeneration. Published online in July in eBiomedicine and highlighted online this week, the findings provide insight into how the active form of CHRFAM7A helps strengthen brain structure in a way that is neuroprotective against diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Key Discovery by New York Medical College Researchers Could Offer Hope in Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease

As of 2020, approximately 5.8 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease but recent groundbreaking research may provide hope to better understand and potentially prevent this devastating condition. The study led by researchers at New York Medical College (NYMC) and Eastern Virginia Medical School and published in Nature Communications Biology has unveiled a crucial link between diet, inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease, shedding light on potential pathways for intervention. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: COVID-19 Patients Face Risk of New Hypertension

COVID-19 can cause persistent hypertension even in patients with no prior history of hypertension, according to a new study by Tim Duong, Ph.D., and colleagues. The findings were published online on August 21 in Hypertension. The researchers monitored the onset of new-onset hypertension in more than 45,000 COVID-19 patients and nearly 14,000 influenza patients treated at Montefiore Health System. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: Combination Radiation With Immunotherapy Shows Promise Against “Cold” Breast Cancer Tumors

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that radiation therapy combined with two types of immunotherapy—one that boosts T cells, and another that boosts dendritic cells—can control tumors in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer, a cancer type that’s typically resistant to immunotherapy alone. Immunotherapy activates the body’s own immune system to fight cancer but isn’t effective for difficult-to-treat “cold” tumors, like this. Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Understanding Epigenetic Changes in Glial Cells May be Key to Combatting Brain Tumors

Gliomas are incurable brain tumors. Researchers are trying to unlock the mysteries of how they originate from normal cells, which may lead to better treatments. A new study published in the journal Cell centers on epigenetic rather than genetic changes that drive normal cells to form tumors. The work reveals the precise genes that are regulated epigenetically and lead to cancer. Learn more.

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine: Early Detection for Mouth and Throat Cancers

A new saliva test was found to be highly accurate in the early detection of oral and throat cancers, a breakthrough that could potentially reduce mortality rates for these cancers. The research was published in the journal Oral Oncology. Learn more.

Neurology

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Should We Screen All Newborns for Neurodevelopmental Disorders?

Expanding newborn screening (NBS) to include identifying genes associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) would cause more harm than good, according to an article published in Pediatrics. While some experts believe early identification of NDDs in the newborn period would provide an equitable way to flag and treat disabilities early, the authors of the new paper contend that broader genomic sequencing would worsen existing health disparities. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Newfound Brain Circuit Explains Why Infant Cries Prompt Milk Release

Hearing the sound of a newborn’s wail can trigger the release of oxytocin, a brain chemical that controls breast milk release in mothers, a new study in rodents shows. Researchers found that once prompted, this flood of hormones continues for roughly five minutes before tapering off, enabling mothers to feed their young until they are sated or begin crying again. Learn more.

Weill Cornell Medicine: Newly Discovered Bone Stem Cell Causes Premature Skull Fusion

Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of the top of the skull in infants, is caused by an abnormal excess of a previously unknown type of bone-forming stem cell, according to a preclinical study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. Craniosynostosis arises from one of several possible gene mutations, and occurs in about one in 2,500 babies. By constricting brain growth, it can lead to abnormal brain development if not corrected surgically. In complex cases, multiple surgeries are needed. Learn more.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Blocking Abnormal Stem Cell Signal During Aging Lessens Bone Loss

A cellular signal essential to the development and repair of the skeleton increases abnormally during aging to weaken bones, finds a new study in mice. The study, led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, found that blocking the signaling pathway, called Notch, in aging skeletal stem cells caused a “massive increase” in bone mass and restored lost bone-healing ability during aging. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Mainstay Malaria Drug May Be Beginning to Fail in the Horn of Africa

In eastern Africa, malaria parasites have developed resistance to artemisinins, the backbone of current treatment regimens, a development that could dramatically worsen malaria’s impact if partner drugs fail in the future. The finding from studies in Eritrea was reported Sept. 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine by a team of researchers led by Didier Ménard, PhD, of the Université de Strasbourg/Institut Pasteur in France and including Columbia University microbiologist David Fidock, PhD, the C.S. Hamish Young Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and professor of medical sciences in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Learn more.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: People Who Used E-Cigarettes Before Pregnancy Were More Likely to Stop Smoking Than Those Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy

The risks of smoking during pregnancy for both maternal and fetal health are well documented, but only about half of pregnant people quit smoking on their own. To learn more about how e-cigarette or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) influences smoking cessation later in pregnancy, University at Buffalo researchers compared abstinence rates in the two groups. They found that those using e-cigarettes before pregnancy were more likely to abstain from smoking later in pregnancy. Learn more.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Researcher and NPR Ask Listeners to ‘Walk the Walk’ in Real-World Study

As a graduate student, Keith Diaz, PhD, an exercise physiologist and researcher at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, read a news article claiming that exercise is not enough to undo the damage from prolonged sitting. “I remember thinking that just couldn’t be right—exercise is the best thing that you can do for your body,” Diaz says. Learn more.

New York Medical College: Dr. Mitchell Cairo Awarded $2.6 Million Grant from Department of Defense for Pediatric Cancer Research

The prognosis of children, adolescents and young adults with relapsed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-cell ALL/LL) is dismal with less than a 25 percent overall survival, in large part due to mechanisms of chemoradiotherapy resistance. The few who survive require an allogeneic stem cell transplant, however, may still relapse after the treatment. Learn more.

Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University Scientists Awarded $2 Million to Unlock Secrets of Aging: Investigating Mitochondria-Lysosome Interaction

Xin Jie Chen, PhD, along with Patricia Kane, PhD has been awarded more than $2 million dollars from the National Institute on Aging over the next five years to study the interaction between different organelles and their impact on aging. Chen is a SUNY Distinguished Professor, and Kane is a professor and department chair, both in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Learn more.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center Awarded Comprehensive Designation from the National Cancer Institute

The newly renamed Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) has been awarded comprehensive designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health, the ultimate standard achieved by only 55 other NCI cancer centers in the U.S. Through NCI’s peer-review process, MECCC was nationally recognized for its paradigm-shifting, practice-changing, policy-impacting cancer-focused science. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Researchers Secure Prestigious Federal Grants

In recent weeks, five research projects led by New York Tech faculty have collectively secured more than $1.6 million in federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NYITCOM Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Weikang Cai, Ph.D., received a $306,000 NIH grant to lead a two-year research project that will investigate how certain molecules may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more.

Albany Medical College: 2023 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research Awarded

The 2023 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research has been awarded to three scientists whose research has advanced the study and understanding of the microbiome, bacteria, and how they communicate in the body and their role in disease and health. They accepted the award at a special ceremony in Albany on Oct. 5. Learn more.

More News

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: After a Summer on Capitol Hill, a Mount Sinai Medical Student Draws Attention to the Need for Changes to Medicare and Medicaid to Help Vulnerable Populations

With the annual Medicare open enrollment period approaching, Mount Sinai medical student Sunjay Letchuman (class of 2026) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-LA) have come together to shine a light on a vulnerable population of Americans who are poor, elderly, and sometimes disabled. This group of more than 12 million Americans is so called “dually eligible” because they qualify for insurance through both Medicare and Medicaid. Learn more.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Hosts Cardiovascular Research Seminar

The College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) hosted the second annual New York City Area Inter-Institutional Cardiovascular Retreat. Each year, the event convenes researchers from NYITCOM’s Department of Biomedical Sciences with peers from esteemed research institutions located in and around the New York City area, including Weill Cornell, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York University, and others. Learn more.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Role in Hemodialysis: From the First Treatment in the United States to Continuing Innovations

It has been more than 75 years since Mount Sinai conducted the first hemodialysis treatment in the United States in 1948, a monumental accomplishment, and Mount Sinai continues to play a leading role in research to help patients in need of this lifesaving treatment. The first type of dialyzer, called the artificial kidney, was built in 1943 by a Dutch physician, Willem Kolff, MD, PhD, working in the Netherlands during World War II. Learn more.