News from the Medical Schools: Research

Apr

2015

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.

March 27, 2015 – Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons have announced that the Mortimer D. Sackler, M.D. Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Developmental Psychobiology has been awarded to Dr. Huda Zoghbi, an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, Neuroscience, and Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Funds for Research

Mount Sinai Receives $8.8 million Grant to Further Stem Cell Research

April 7, 2015 – An $8.8 million grant from the New York State Stem Cell Science Program (NYSTEM) will accelerate efforts by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISSMM) to develop new stem-cell-based treatments for chemotherapy-resistant blood cancer and other genetic blood disorders. Specifically, the grant is expected to advance on-going research efforts seeking to increase the number of stem cells in cord blood collections.

$2.5 Million Grant Funds Research on Preventing Damage from Heart Attack

April 6, 2015 – With a $2.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry will study a new way to prevent the damage caused by a heart attack. Keith Nehrke, Ph.D. and Paul S. Brookes, Ph.D. will collaborate on the four-year grant, which focuses on the harm that results from a lack of blood flow to our body’s most vital organ. Without blood to deliver oxygen, heart cells die or don’t function as well as they should.

New Genomic Research Amends Earlier Triple Negative Breast Cancer Finding

April 15, 2015 – Weill Cornell Medical College investigators tried to validate a previously reported molecular finding on triple negative breast cancer that many hoped would lead to targeted treatments for the aggressive disease. Instead, they discovered that the findings were limited to a single patient and could not be applied to further clinical work. This discovery, published April 15 in Nature, amends the earlier work and underscores the importance of independent study validation and careful assay development.

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© 2015 Weill Cornell Medical College. All rights reserved.

Rare, Deadly Lymphoma Demystified

April 14, 2015 – The first-ever systematic study of the genomes of patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a particularly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), shows that many cases of the disease are driven by alterations in the JAK/STAT3 cell signaling pathway. The study also demonstrates, in mice implanted with human-derived ALCL tumors, that the disease can be inhibited by compounds that target this pathway, raising hopes that more effective treatments might soon be developed. The study, led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Weill Cornell Medical College, was published today in the online edition of Cancer Cell.

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© 2015 Columbia University Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Could Your Morning Cup of Joe Be Associated with Reducing Cancer Risks?

April 13, 2015 – Coffee is a morning staple for most Americans who turn to a hot cup to help increase wakefulness and to try to improve concentration and focus. Coffee is known as the world’s most popular beverage, with over one billion drinkers world-wide and 6.7 million tons global consumption yearly. But over the years there has been some conflicting reports on whether having that cup of Joe is good or bad for your health?

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© 2015 Stony Brook University. All rights reserved.

Stem Cell Disease Model Clarifies Bone Cancer Trigger

April 9, 2015 – Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a team led by Mount Sinai researchers has gained new insight into genetic changes that may turn a well known anti-cancer signaling gene into a driver of risk for bone cancers, where the survival rate has not improved in 40 years despite treatment advances.

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Researchers Identify Subtype of Lethal Prostate Cancer

April 9, 2015 – Researchers at Upstate Medical University and Harvard University have linked the loss of key gene, WAVE1, to a lethal form of prostate cancer, according to a study published in the journal Oncotarget.

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© 2015 SUNY Upstate Medical University. All rights reserved.

No Long-Term Survival Difference Found Between Types of Mitral Valve Replacements

April 14, 2015 – A comparison of mechanical prosthetic vs. bioprosthetic mitral valves among patients 50 to 69 years of age undergoing mitral valve replacement conducted by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai shows no significant survival difference at 15 years, but significant differences in risk of reoperation, bleeding, and stroke, according to a study in the April 14 issue of JAMA.

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University of Rochester Medicine Heart Team Uses 3D Printing to Save Woman’s Life

April 13, 2015 – A constellation of technological advances helped UR Medicine-led heart specialists save the life of an aging Brighton woman. They used a three-dimensional (3D) print of her heart along with a non-surgical technique to safely replace a failing heart valve.

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© 2015 University of Rochester Medical Center. All rights reserved.

DNA Abnormalities Found in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

April 20, 2015 – A significant proportion of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have unsuspected chromosomal imbalances, including DNA anomalies that have been linked to neurocognitive disorders, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) study. The findings suggest that routine genetic screening of children with CKD could lead to earlier and more precise diagnoses, as well as to more personalized monitoring, prevention, and treatment. Details of the study were published today in the online issue of the Journal of Clinical investigation.

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© 2015 Columbia University Medical Center. All rights reserved.

New DNA Test Highly Accurate at Detecting Down Syndrome

April 3, 2015 – A test that detects fetal DNA in the mother’s bloodstream is more accurate than conventional screening at identifying Down syndrome (aka trisomy 21), finds a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and UCSF.

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© 2015 Columbia University Medical Center. All rights reserved.

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Genetic Variation That Affects Fear and Anxiety May Advance Personalized Psychiatry

April 1, 2015 – Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have determined that a genetic variation found in 20 percent of Americans alters the emotional processing of anxiety and fear in the brain. This finding, published March 3 in Nature Communications, could pave the way to establishing a psychiatric genetic biomarker, and shows the promise of precision medicine to advance patient care in the field.

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© 2015 Weill Cornell Medical College. All rights reserved.

Mount Sinai Researchers Discover Genetic Origins of Myelodysplastic Syndrome Using Stem Cells

March 27, 2015 – Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—adult cells reprogrammed back to an embryonic stem cell-like state—may better model the genetic contributions patient’s particular disease. In a process called cellular reprogramming, researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have taken mature blood cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and reprogramed them back into iPSCs to study the genetic origins of this rare blood cancer. The results appear in an upcoming issue of Nature Biotechnology.

New Computational Method Matches Brain Lesions to Impairments

April 9, 2015 – Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a new mathematical method that can predict the type and severity of impairment that a patient with brain damage will have given the location of their lesion. With further development, this tool could not only allow clinicians to make more precise prognoses, but could also help them provide individual patients with personalized treatment plans, investigators say.

New Blood Signature Analysis May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Disease Earlier

April 6, 2015 – A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a new study published in the journal Movement Disorders. The study, conducted by researchers at Mount Sinai and funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, applies a new approach to looking for blood biomarkers for both patients with and without a known genetic risk factor for PD. This paper is the fourth in a series that report new computational techniques to improve the identification of reliable blood biomarkers.

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Extending Treatment Up to Eight Weeks With Infusion Medication Shown Safe and Effective in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

April 22, 2015 – Extending the dose of an infusion medication for multiple sclerosis (MS) from four weeks up to eight has been shown to be well tolerated and effective—and resulted in no cases of the potentially fatal side effect progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Mount Sinai Scientists Find Unprecedented Microbial Diversity in Isolated Amazonian Tribe

April 17, 2015 – Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine, collaborating with a multicenter team of U.S. and Venezuelan researchers, have discovered the most diverse collection of bacteria yet in humans among an isolated tribe of Yanomami Amerindians in the remote Amazonian jungles of Venezuela. Bacterial diversity in the Yanomami, previously unexposed to antibiotics or industrialized diets, was found to be nearly double that of people living in industrialized countries, and was also significantly higher than in other remote populations moderately exposed to modern practices. The team published its findings today in the journal Science Advances.

Big Data Key to Precision Medicine’s Success

April 15, 2015 – Technological advances are enabling scientists to sequence the genomes of cancer tumors, revealing a detailed portrait of genetic mutations that drive these diseases. But genomic studies are only one piece of the puzzle that is precision medicine, a Weill Cornell Medical College researcher writes in Nature. In order to realize the promise of this field, there needs to be an increased focus on creating robust clinical databases that include medical histories from patients around the country, which physicians can then use along with genomic data to tailor individual treatments.

Partial Knee Replacement Sugery Results in Better Outcomes and is Cost-Effective Compared to Total Knee Replacement, Study Suggests

April 6, 2015 – Partial knee replacements are economically superior to total knee replacements in older adults, and with a few small improvements, can be an attractive option for younger patients as well, new research from Weill Cornell Medical College and Hospital for Special Surgery investigators suggests.

Blood Test Predicts Severity of Peanuts and Seafood Allergies

April 1, 2015 – A blood test may help to predict which people will have severe allergic reactions to foods according to a new study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the The Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

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Highlights

Cancer

Cardiology

Genetics

Neurology

Other Studies

Researchers at the Academic Medical Centers

Funds for Research

New Genomic Research Amends Earlier Triple Negative Breast Cancer Finding

Rare, Deadly Lymphoma Demystified

Could Your Morning Cup of Joe Be Associated with Reducing Cancer Risks?

Stem Cell Disease Model Clarifies Bone Cancer Trigger

Researchers Identify Subtype of Lethal Prostate Cancer

No Long-Term Survival Difference Found Between Types of Mitral Valve Replacements

University of Rochester Medicine Heart Team Uses 3D Printing to Save Woman’s Life

DNA Abnormalities Found in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

New DNA Test Highly Accurate at Detecting Down Syndrome

Genetic Variation That Affects Fear and Anxiety May Advance Personalized Psychiatry

Mount Sinai Researchers Discover Genetic Origins of Myelodysplastic Syndrome Using Stem Cells

New Computational Method Matches Brain Lesions to Impairments

New Blood Signature Analysis May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Disease Earlier

Extending Treatment Up to Eight Weeks With Infusion Medication Shown Safe and Effective in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Mount Sinai Scientists Find Unprecedented Microbial Diversity in Isolated Amazonian Tribe

Big Data Key to Precision Medicine’s Success

Partial Knee Replacement Sugery Results in Better Outcomes and is Cost-Effective Compared to Total Knee Replacement, Study Suggests

Blood Test Predicts Severity of Peanuts and Seafood Allergies