Mount Sinai researchers have received a grant award to lead a collaborative team of New York institutions in an initiative that addresses disparities in the participation of Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in cancer clinical trials. Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) awarded $6 million to a multi-institutional team, its first team of researchers dedicated to health equity in cancer research. Learn more.

 

Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed the first 3D research model of the human retina to study age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that causes loss of central vision. The new model is already unlocking new understanding of the disease and could speed the development of therapies – including personalized treatments. This “retina in a dish” was developed by faculty members Ruchira Singh, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, and Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering. Learn more.

 

A letter published in JAMA Pediatrics, co-authored by Rachel Kidman, PhD, of the Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University, presents a statistical model showing that around 40,000 children (est. between 37,000 and 43,000) had lost a parent due to the Covid-19 pandemic by February 2021. This amounts to an average of one child losing a parent for every 13 Covid-19 deaths. Learn more.

 

Most people with cancer who are infected by the novel coronavirus produce antibodies at a rate comparable to the rest of the population—but their ability to do so depends on their type of cancer and the treatments they’ve received, according to a new study by researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The findings, published online in Nature Cancer, may lead to better care for cancer patients, who face a heightened risk of dying from COVID-19, and suggests that cancer patients should respond well to COVID-19 vaccines. Learn more.

 

Two distinct diagnostic tests, a host/pathogen RNA sequencing platform, and spatially-resolved tissue mapping tools were created by a multidisciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-led researchers and used to map SARS-CoV-2 infections at the height of the initial COVID-19 outbreak in New York City. These alternatives to the gold standard RT-PCR test expand the repertoire of tools available to the public health community and together offer the benefits of speed, simplicity, and in-depth knowledge about the virus.Learn more.

 

Early in the pandemic, neurologists expressed concern that COVID-19 patients with dementia may be at higher risk for complications and mortality. But those fears have not been realized, according to a new study(link is external and opens in a new window) of patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in New York City. The study, led by James Noble, MD, MS, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, and Amro Harb, a Vagelos medical student, was published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Learn more.

 

At ENDO 2021, this year’s annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held virtually March 22-24, Samara Skwiersky, M.D., MPH, PGY2 Internal Medicine Resident, released information on the dangerous effects of high blood sugar on patients hospitalized for COVID. These can include higher ICU admissions, as well as higher mortality, intubation rates, and severe kidney injury. The findings held true for patients with and without diagnosed diabetes. Learn more.

 

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Health System, and Yale University have established for the first time that, in response to infection with the novel coronavirus, children mount a stronger innate immune response than adults. This difference in innate immunity (which involves immune-cell activation against viruses and other pathogens) was also linked to outcomes, with children experiencing much milder cases of COVID-19 compared with adults. Learn more.

 

Upstate Medical University will be one of the first sites in the world to enroll children under 5 years of age in the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine trial when the study begins April 5. Joseph Domachowske, MD, professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology and Immunology at Upstate, is the principal investigator. Learn more.

 

Katherine Mendis, CUNY School of Medicine’s bioethicist and Course Director for the Introduction to Biomedical Ethics spoke with writer Angela Lashbrook for her article “No One Should Have to Explain Their Vaccine Eligibility.” Lashbrook, who has contributed to publications including The Atlantic, Vox, Yahoo, Allure, Good Housekeeping, The Kitchen, and Towards Data Science, wrote this for Vice, and online periodical. Learn more.

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Lucky Number 100,000: Stony Brook University Vaccine Point Of Distribution Hits Huge Milestone

 

In the race to get America vaccinated against COVID-19, Stony Brook University is celebrating the 100,000th shot at the Point of Distribution (POD) center, which is located at the University’s R&D Park and is part of the network of state-run vaccination sites established by Governor Cuomo. The POD has been up-and-running since January 18. Learn more.

 

Molecular “bookmarks,” which allow cells to retain their characteristics during cell division, ensure fast reactivation of critical cell identity genes after cell division, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine. The new work helps illuminate a process that has puzzled biologists for decades and suggests new strategies for modulating cell fate both for stem cell therapy and cancer treatment. Learn more.

 

A newfound feature of human anatomy made up of a series of compartments is interconnected throughout the body, researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine have discovered. This anatomical “highway” provides a route for normal signals and may potentially be involved with spreading cancer cells. Learn more.

 

Have you ever wondered why you are able to hear a sentence and understand its meaning – given that the same words in a different order would have an entirely different meaning? New research involving neuroimaging and A.I., describes the complex network within the brain that comprehends the meaning of a spoken sentence. Learn more.

 

Two papers by University at Buffalo researchers reveal important new findings as to how regeneration of myelin in multiple sclerosis fails and, potentially, more efficient ways to treat it. The findings include the first demonstration that an existing drug, currently being studied as a cancer therapy, can alter key signaling cascades that result in MS. Learn more.

 

In addition to smoothing out wrinkles, researchers have found that botulinum toxin—commonly known by its trade name, Botox®—can reveal the inner workings of the brain. A new study used it to show that feedback from individual nerve cells controls the release of dopamine, a chemical messenger involved in motivation, memory, and movement. Learn more.

 

After decades of tireless efforts to halt America’s diabetes epidemic, nothing seemed to move the needle — until now. According to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control, after a 20-year increase, new diabetes cases are in decline. It is the first sign that efforts to stop the nation’s diabetes epidemic are working. Among those leading the charge is New York Medical College to prevent and treat diabetes on several fronts: from population studies to curriculum enhancements, and from targeted cellular therapies to community nutrition programs. Learn more.

 

A shift in the definition of high blood pressure may help identify more women who are at risk of developing life-threatening complications during pregnancy and delivery, suggests a new study from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Under the stricter definition, more than 50,000 additional women each year in the United States could become eligible for treatment with aspirin in pregnancy, which lowers the risk of developing preeclampsia, a sudden increase in blood pressure that can lead to stroke, seizures, hemorrhage, and death. Learn more.

 

A new research paper in the journal JMIR Dermatology, co-authored by NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine student Moshe Bressler, reveals a major concern among dermatologists: how social media plays a dangerous role in spreading misinformation on skin health. The February 24 paper, which Bressler completed alongside NYU Langone Medical Center Dermatologist John G. Zampella, M.D., addresses the dangerous influence of non-medical experts sharing skincare advice on channels such as Instagram. Learn more.

 

When it comes to Lyme and tick-borne disease, the statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paint a foreboding picture. The CDC estimates 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease annually, while the number of new cases of tickborne disease rose by 22 percent over the prior year. The good news—New York Medical College’s expertise in the arena of tick-born disease is also on the rise. Learn more.

 

An Upstate Medical University researcher and professor has been awarded a five-year $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for his work studying diseases that cause blindness. Peter Calvert, PhD, is a professor in the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He’s been studying retinal degeneration at Upstate for 15 years. His latest grant from NIH is his third iteration of a grant funding this aspect of his research, which he says has made “steady progress,” since it began in 2007. Learn more.

 

Researchers at Albany Medical College have been awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging to study how age-related changes may impact obstructive sleep apnea, a growing public health concern. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the airway relax during sleep, causing breathing to temporarily stop and interrupting sleep. Learn more.

 

CUNY Med’s own Associate Medical Professor, Dr. Andreas Kottmann, Assistant Professor, Dr. Rinat Abzalimov, Assistant Professor, Dr. Ye He, and CUNY Graduate Center Ph.D. student, Aria Walls, received the 2021 CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant (IRG) for their proposal titled “Identify and Quantify SARS-CoV2 Spike Protein Caused Changes in Catalytic Activity, Substrate Specificity and Product Pattern of Brain Resident ACE2.” Learn more.

 

It looks like science fiction: A machine dips into a shallow vat of translucent yellow goo and pulls out what becomes a life-sized hand. But the seven-second video, which is sped-up from 19 minutes, is real. The hand, which would take six hours to create using conventional 3D printing methods, demonstrates what University at Buffalo engineers say is progress toward 3D-printed human tissue and organs — biotechnology that could eventually save countless lives lost due to the shortage of donor organs. Learn more.

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reveal the significant racial disparities that exist in health care access and treatment across the United States, Mount Sinai’s neuroscience community is additionally exploring the profound connections between racism and mental health through a new seminar series. The first seminar, “The Impact of Racism on Mental Health,” held virtually on Monday, January 25, featured two guest speakers, and drew nearly 500 members of the general public, and researchers and students from 35 universities across eight nations. Learn more.