March 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.

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Researchers at the Academic Medical Centers

Integrated Medical Foundation Honors Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, with the Physician Blue Ribbon Award
March 21, 2014 – Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Chair in Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chairman, Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at The Mount Sinai Hospital, was the recipient of the Physician Blue Ribbon Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards Gala hosted by the Integrated Medical Foundation held on March 20th, 2014 at the Village Club in Lake Success, New York. Dr. Tewari was recognized for his commitment to the early detection of prostate cancer.

Dr. Ali Zaidi Named Director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care
March 18, 2014 – Montefiore Medical Center has named Ali Zaidi, M.D., director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program, Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care. Dr. Zaidi previously served as director of Research at the Columbus Ohio Adult Congenital Heart (COACH) Disease Program at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University. He brings unique expertise as a pioneering physician trained in the subspecialty of ACHD, as well as Adult Cardiovascular Disease and Pediatric Cardiology.

Dr. Ran Anbar is honored by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
March 12, 2014 – The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will honor Ran Anbar, M.D., director of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, for the body of his work with cystic fibrosis patients and his bountiful research contributions at its second annual 65 Roses Dinner Dance on March 15. Anbar will be the first person ever to be honored at this event.

Kuettel Wins National Award for Radiation Oncology Contributions
February 27, 2014 – Michael Kuettel, MD, PhD, professor and chair of radiation oncology and an international leader in his field, has won the American College of Radiation Oncology’s (ACRO) 2014 gold medal for distinguished service and contributions.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants for Research

Einstein Helps Establish $28 Million Consoritum To Find Ebola Treatment
March 20, 2014 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $28 million grant to establish a new center for excellence to find an antibody “cocktail” to fight two types of viruses that cause severe hemorrhagic fever, including the deadly Ebola virus. The project involves researchers from 15 institutions, including Kartik Chandran, Ph.D. and Jonathan Lai, Ph.D., at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Einstein will receive approximately $4 million of the total grant.

Other Funds for Research

New Heart Association Funds Support School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
February 25, 2014 – As part of its continued commitment to understanding and fighting heart disease, the American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded the University at Buffalo an additional $348,000 for student and faculty research projects.

SUNY Upstate Medical University Received $100k from Boeheim Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research
February 5, 2014 – The Boeheim Foundation made the contribution to the Foundation for SUNY Upstate Medical University to support two studies: one will investigate new treatment options for children with osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, two bone cancers that occur mainly in adolescents; the other will look at ways to reduce the adverse effects of radiation treatments for childhood cancer on bone growth and development.

Gene Implicated in Progression and Relapse of Deadly Breast Cancer: Finding Points to Potential Achilles’ Heel in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

March 24, 2014 – Scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Houston Methodist have found that a gene previously unassociated with breast cancer plays a pivotal role in the growth and progression of the triple negative form of the disease, a particularly deadly strain that often has few treatment options. Their research, published in this week’s Nature, suggests that targeting the gene may be a new approach to treating the disease.

Take a closer look.
© 2014 Weill Cornell Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Study Reveals How a Protein Common in Cancers Jumps Anti-Tumor Mechanisms

March 19, 2014 – A Stony Brook University-led international team of infectious disease researchers have discovered how a cellular protein, called STAT3, which is overactive in a majority of human cancers, interferes with an antitumor mechanism in cells and therefore promotes the growth of cancer. The findings, to be published early online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) add to the understanding of cancer development and provide a basis for potentially new targeted methods to prevent and treat cancer.

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© 2014 Stony Brook University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Small Wireless Pacemaker is Safe, Effective in Early Testing

March 24, 2014 – Mount Sinai reports promising European study results for new leadless pacemaker. It is currently testing in U.S. clinical trial.

A new small, wireless self-contained pacemaker appears safe and feasible for use in patients, according to a new study published by researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai on March 24 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Take a closer look.
© 2014 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. All rights reserved.

September 11 Linked to Two Heart Disease Culprits: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

March 20, 2014 – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers have linked high levels of exposure to inhaled particulate matter by first responders at Ground Zero to the risk of obstructed sleep apnea and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both conditions that may impact cardiovascular health.

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Blocking Key Signaling Chemical in the Immune System Stalls Chronic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance Tied to Obesity

March 3, 2014 – Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that blocking the action of a key signaling molecule in the immune system known as Netrin-1 stalls chronic inflammation and insulin resistance tied to obesity and often derived from fatty diets.

Take a closer look.
© 2014 NYU Langone Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Miscarriage Clues Identified in New DNA Test According to Researchers at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine

March 19, 2014 – New research shows an alternative DNA test offers clinically relevant genetic information to identify why a miscarriage may have occurred years earlier. Researchers were able to identify chromosomal variants and abnormalities in nearly 50 percent of the samples. This first-of-its-kind study was conducted by researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The results were published in the March issue of Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

Take a closer look.
© 2014 Albert Einstein College of Medicine. All rights reserved.

NYIT Osteopathic Medicine Study: Continuing Medical Education on Genetics Key for Public Health

February 21, 2014 – Providing physicians with continuing medical education on genetic
could be a key factor in the future health of patients who may have high risks of developing colorectal and breast cancers, according to a team of New York Institute of Technology medical researchers.

Their study, published in Public Health Genomics, found that primary care physicians with continuing medical education training were more likely to know that genetic screening could be enhanced for patients with a hereditary cancer risk and that different screening recommendations would be necessary for those with risks.

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© 2014 NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. All rights reserved.

Husband-Wife Research Team at New York Medical College Unite to Identify New Epilepsy Treatments

March 25, 2014 – Dr. Velisek, along with his wife, Jana Veliskova, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, obstetrics and gynecology, and neurology at New York Medical College, have dedicated a major portion of their professional careers to studying epilepsy, improving treatments, and increasing awareness of this largely misunderstood disease.

Take a closer look.
© 2014 New York Medical College. All rights reserved.

Scientists Uncover Trigger for Most Common Form of Intellectual Disability and Autism

February 27, 2014 – A new study led by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists shows that the most common genetic form of mental retardation and autism occurs because of a mechanism that shuts off the gene associated with the disease. The findings, published in Science, also show that a drug that blocks this silencing mechanism can prevent fragile X syndrome — suggesting similar therapy is possible for 20 other diseases that range from mental retardation to multisystem failure.

University at Buffalo Researchers Urge Broad Study of Venous Abnormalities

February 27, 2014 – Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, professor of neurology, and his colleagues cite mounting evidence that the extracranial venous system may play a role in a broad range of central nervous system disorders and aging.

Dr. Jeremy Coplan and Colleagues Show Excess Weight Linked to Brain Changes that May Relate to Memory, Emotions, and Appetite

February 11, 2014 – Jeremy D. Coplan, MD, professor of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, in conjunction with other researchers from SUNY Downstate, Yale University School of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Baylor College of Medicine, have shown that being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control. The study was published in Neuroimage: Clinical. Dr. Coplan’s article, “Reduced Hippocampal N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) as a Biomarker for Overweight,” can be found online here.

SUNY Upstate Medical University Study links prenatal nicotine exposure to smoking preference later in life

March 21, 2014 – Despite health care warnings, 25 percent of women who smoke continue to do so while pregnant. “Given the extent to which maternal tobacco use occurs during pregnancy,” says SUNY Upstate Medical University researcher, Steven Youngentob, PhD, “understanding why the progeny of these mothers first start using tobacco products is critical to both prevention and timely treatment.” Youngentob’s laboratory, in Upstate’s Department of Psychiatry, studies what influences these children to have that first cigarette or similarly, that first drink in children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy

Light is Key to a Good Night’s Sleep, Morning Energy, Says University at Buffalo Expert

March 17, 2014 – Exposure to light at the right time can help our bodies adapt when we set the clocks forward each spring, says sleep medicine expert Eric Ten Brock, MD, professor of medicine.

Nature Publishes Geisler’s Study on Origin of Toothed Whale Echolocation

March 12, 2014 – Research led by an anatomy professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine indicates that echolocation – the sonar-like system based on high-frequency vocalizations and their echoes – was present in a 28-million-year old relative of modern-day toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Study of Hispanic/Latino Health Presents Initial Findings

February 24, 2014 – The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the landmark research study of Hispanic/Latino health funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has released initial findings that show significant variations in disease prevalence and health behaviors among groups with different backgrounds.

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