January 2014 News from the Medical Schools: Research

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) brings you the following compilation of the most recent updates and news on research from the academic medical centers in the state.

For the e-newsletter, click here.

Researchers at the Academic Medical Centers

Hearing Loss Expert Joins Columbia University Medical Center as Otolaryngology Chair
January 16, 2014 – One of the nation’s leading experts in hearing loss, Lawrence Lustig, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and otolaryngologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Judith Aberg Appointed Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
January 15, 2014 – Judith Aberg, MD, FIDSA, FACP, a nationally-renowned researcher in the field of HIV and AIDS, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

University at Buffalo Cystic Fibrosis Expert Receives Multiple Honors for Research, Car
January 10, 2014 – Drucy S. Borowitz, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics, has been recognized for her groundbreaking research and compassionate patient care by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB).

University at Buffalo Experts Among Top Implantable Defibrillator, COPD Researchers
January 8, 2014 – University at Buffalo (UB) was named one of the nation’s top five institutions for COPD research and two UB physician-scientists have been recognized as leading investigators in their medical specialties by the global health care information website Expertscape.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants for Research

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Retains Strong NIH Funding
January 16, 2014 – Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University ranked among the top fifth of medical schools in securing research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2013.

Other Funds for Research

Paige’s Butterfly Run Raises $215,000 to Fight Childhood Cancers at Upstate
January 9, 2014 – Paige’s Butterfly Run by Chris Arnold and Ellen Yeomans raised $215,000 this year to support cancer research and cancer care at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Weill Cornell Medical College Receives $75 Million Gift from Sandra and Edward Meyer Foundation to Create the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell
January 8, 2014 – $75 million gift from Sandra and Edward Meyer and the Sandra and Edward Meyer Foundation will expand and enhance the medical college’s distinguished cancer research and care programs

Prevent Blindness Grant Supports Innovative Vision Research at University at Buffalo
January 7, 2014 – Department of Ophthalmology received an unrestricted $110,000 grant from Research to Prevent Blindness to support research exploring vision processes and disease, as well as faculty professional development.

New York Cancer Research Gets $90 Million
January 5, 2014 – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center will use its $90 million portion of the $540 million total gift from Ludwig Cancer Research to support research in an emerging field called immuno-oncology.

Common Blood Cancer May Be Initiated By Single Mutation In Bone Cells

January 21, 2014 – Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) found that a mutation in the bone cells called osteoblasts, which build new bone, causes blood cancer in mice. The mutation was found in nearly 40 percent of patients who were examined as part of the study.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 Columbia University Medical Center. All rights reserved.}

Novel Nanotherapy Breakthrough May Help Reduce Recurrent Heart Attacks and Stroke

January 20, 2014 – Scientists at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai showcase the development of a new technology that may provide a solution to this high risk of repeat heart attacks — and potentially help save more lives.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. All rights reserved.}

NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Researchers Publish Study on Heart Failure

January 13, 2014 – Biomedical science faculty at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine suggest that regional peculiarities in structural adaptations within the heart may to some extent influence the sex/gender-related differences in post-myocardial infarction progression to heart failure.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. All rights reserved.}

Researchers Investigating How to Make PET Imaging Even Sweeter

January 13, 2014 – An international research team led by Mount Sinai Heart at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is testing its novel sugar-based tracer contrast agent to be used with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to help in the hunt for dangerous inflammation and risk factors that cause acute heart attacks and strokes.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. All rights reserved.}

University at Buffalo Selected to Co-Lead State Efforts to Position New York as National Leader in Genomic Research

January 8, 2014 – As a premier research university with world-class capacity in life sciences research, innovation and analytics, the University at Buffalo is uniquely positioned to help New York State become a national leader in genomic medicine and advance new ways to treat, prevent and manage serious disease.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 University at Buffalo. All rights reserved.}

Molecular Engines Star in New Model of DNA Repair

January 8, 2014 – In a new study NYU School of Medicine researchers reveal how an enzyme called RNA polymerase patrols the genome for DNA damage and helps recruit partners to repair it. The result: fewer mutations and consequently less cancer and other kinds of disease.

For the full story, click here.
^{© 2013 NYU Langone Medical Center. All rights reserved.}

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Named to National Institutes of Health Stroke Trials Network

January 16, 2014 – In a novel approach to stroke research, investigators from NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center will collaborate to create the New York Stroke Trials Network of Columbia and Cornell. The network is one of 25 regional stroke centers across the country.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 Weill Cornell Medical College. All rights reserved.}

Veterans’ Head Injury Examined by Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

January 9, 2014 – Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in cooperation with Resurrecting Lives Foundation, are investigating the effect of repeated combat-related blast exposures on the brains of veterans with the goal of improving diagnostics and treatment.

For the full story, click here.
_{© 2013 Albert Einstein College of Medicine. All rights reserved.}

Pro-Athlete Study to Assess Early Onset Dementia, Potential CTE

January 9, 2014 – A new, multidisciplinary study based in the University at Buffalo’s Concussion Management Clinic aims to assess former professional athletes for concussion-related health issues and help them maintain quality of life as they age.

Text Message Reminders Boost Flu Vaccine Rates in Pregnant Women

January 21, 2014 – A study by researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center evaluated the impact of text messaging reminders for influenza vaccine in a low-income obstetric population. The findings showed that text messaging increased vaccination coverage.

Study Explores Toxoplasma gondii’s Host Cell Pathway Regulation

January 21, 2014 – The results of a University at Buffalo study on infection-causing parasite Toxoplasma gondii pave the way for new therapies to fight devastating infections affecting AIDS and cancer patients as well as fetuses.

Mount Sinai Researchers Find Promising New Drug Targets for Cocaine Addiction

January 20, 2014 – Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters the brain’s reward circuits and causes addiction. This discovery provides new leads for the development of anti-addiction medications.

Some Celiac Patients Face Higher Hip-Fracture Risk

January 16, 2014 – Patients with chronic intestinal damage are more likely to break a hip than patients whose intestines have healed, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Prevalence of Hepatitis C Infection Found to Vary Widely Among Hispanics

January 14, 2014 – A study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University found that the hepatitis C infection varies widely, with Puerto Rican Hispanics much more likely than other Hispanic groups to be infected. It highlights which Hispanic populations would benefit most from increased hepatitis C testing and treatment.

Study Reveals Common Bacteria Linger on Surfaces, May Spread

January 9, 2014 – University at Buffalo experiments from a day care center have revealed that two common bacteria persist on various surfaces for extended periods of time. This research “is the first to directly investigate that these bacteria can survive well outside a human host, and potentially spread between individuals.”

Albany Scientist Explores New Avenue to Fight Multiple Sclerosis

January 8, 2014 – A research scientist at Albany Medical College has identified a potential path to providing relief of symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease with few treatments that affects 350,000 Americans.

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