News & Events

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Coronavirus Q&A - CUIMC Experts Explain What You Should Know

As public health authorities in China institute travel restrictions to prevent further spread of a new coronavirus, there are still critical unknowns about the virus. We talked with CUIMC experts about the latest developments with the virus and what New Yorkers need to know. .

Autism

SUNY Upstate Medical University Research Leads to First Epigenetic Test for Autism

Quadrant Biosciences Inc., a developer of novel diagnostic solutions, announced the release of Clarifi ASD™, the first-ever epigenetic test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Clarifi ASD™ is designed to aid the diagnosis of autism in children 18 months through six years of age. Quadrant Biosciences is a StartUpNY company headquarter at Upstate Medical University Central New York Biotech Accelerator.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Largest Autism Sequencing Study to Date Identifies 102 Genes Associated With the Condition

In the largest genetic sequencing study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to date, researchers have identified 102 genes associated with risk for autism. The study also shows significant progress towards teasing apart the genes associated with ASD from those associated with intellectual disability and developmental delay, conditions which often overlap. The study results are published online January 23 in the journal Cell.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: New Autism Guidelines Recommend Early Screening, Treatment for Developmental Delays Before Official Diagnosis

Early intervention for symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder - even before the condition is formally diagnosed - is critical for helping families improve outcomes for their children, according to updated recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The new clinical report to guide diagnosis and care of children with autism is the AAP's first in 12 years and reflects changes in how autism is diagnosed and treated.

Cancer

Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: New Inhibitor Shows Promise Against Metastatic Prostate Cancer

When prostate cancer spreads it is often a deadly disease, but now a Stony Brook University-led research team believes a new approach that inhibits a specific fatty acid binding protein (FABP) may be the key to halting disease progression. Their research results on FABP5 inhibitors as promising therapeutic agents against metastatic prostate cancer led to a new five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) totaling $4.2 million to advance the research to 2025.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Translational Research Focused on Personalized Medicine for the Treatment of Cancer

Dr. Stacy Blain is an NIH-funded investigator leading several translational studies on the role of p27 and cyclin D-cdk4 (D-K4) in cancer. The CDK4 targeting drugs (CDK4i), such as Palbociclib (Ibrance@) are approved as a frontline treatment for metastatic Hormone (HR)+, Her2- patients. Targeting DK4 has long been a type of holy grail in the oncology field as it is downstream of almost all oncogenic signaling pathways. However, while CDK4i therapy increases progression-free survival (PFS), many patients exhibit primary resistance, and ultimately, the majority develop secondary resistance. .

Cardiology

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Study Estimates 2 Million People With Heart Disease Have Used Marijuana

Marijuana use is on the rise as more states legalize it for medicinal and recreational purposes, and physicians are fielding more questions about its safety. Although smoking tobacco is responsible for approximately one in four deaths from cardiovascular disease, the effects of smoking marijuana on the heart are not fully understood. Some studies suggest that marijuana can trigger heart attacks and strokes in some users.

Diabetes

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Harlem & NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Barbershop Diabetes Tests Can Cut Into Health Barriers

If you're an African American man, there could come a day when ordering a tight-fade haircut, a little off the sides or even a shavedto-the-scalp baldy could help save your life. A new study indicates that the barbershop, long considered an important space for African American men, can be a highly effective venue to screen black men for diabetes - a potentially deadly illness that affects black men at a disproportionately high rate.

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo Clinical Trial Contributed to Approval of Fast Acting Insulin for Children

The approval on Dec. 19, 2019 by the Food and Drug Administration of a fast-acting insulin for children with diabetes mellitus came about with the help of researchers and providers at the University at Buffalo, UBMD Pediatrics and Oishei Children's Hospital, as well as some highly committed Western New York families.


Weill Cornell Medicine: Inexpensive Cognitive-Behavioral Training Program Reduces Pain and Improves Quality of Life Among Diabetic Patients with Limited Healthcare Access

An inexpensive program using trained community members to deliver a structured program based on cognitive behavioral therapy by telephone was able to improve daily functioning, selfreported physical activity, and overall quality of life among diabetic patients with chronic pain, according to a clinical trial led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Neurology

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Flame Retardants & Pesticides Overtake Heavy Metals as Biggest Contributors to IQ Loss

Adverse outcomes from childhood exposures to lead and mercury are on the decline in the United States, likely due to decades of restrictions on the use of heavy metals, a new study finds. Despite decreasing levels, exposure to these and other toxic chemicals, especially flame retardants and pesticides, still resulted in more than a million cases of intellectual disability in the United States between 2001 and 2016. Furthermore, as the target of significantly fewer restrictions, experts say, flame retardants and pesticides now represent the bulk of that cognitive loss.


SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Exploring Treatments for Generalized Convulsive Epilepticus

Generalized convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) is a serious, potentially life threatening condition which requires medical intervention. Evidence for first line treatment was shown for benzodiazepines, mostly in out of hospital settings. Although, this controls up to two thirds of CSE, the remaining third is benzodiazepine refractory and requires further treatment. There is little to no evidence on the choice of further antiepileptic medication.

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry: Brain 'Drowns' in its own Fluid After Stroke

Cerebral edema, swelling that occurs in the brain, is a severe and potentially fatal complication of stroke. New research, which was conducted in mice and appears in the journal Science, shows for the first time that the glymphatic system - normally associated with the beneficial task of waste removal - goes awry during a stroke and floods the brain, triggering edema and drowning brain cells.

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell: Well Said with Dr. Ira Nash Living with Spinal Cord Injury

Each year, there are more than 17,000 new spinal cord injuries in the US-or about 50 new cases per day-and an estimated 5 million Americans living with paralysis. These statistics are higher than in most other countries worldwide. Despite the grim figures, scientists remain optimistic that advances in research will someday make the repair of spinal cord injuries possible. At the same time, current treatments and rehabilitation allow many people with spinal cord injuries to lead productive, independent lives, as we will discuss with our guests on Well Said.

Other Studies

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: How Understanding Genomes Can Help Treat the Diverse People of the Bronx

Diversity of the patients we serve is no secret at Montefiore in the Bronx, where I practice. You see it in their faces, clothing, languages, and accents. The people present an extraordinary array of ancestries, making the borough a microcosm of the world. As a healthcare provider, you may wonder about your treatments; maybe one size doesn't fit all? Does something embedded in our genetic histories lead individuals toward different disease courses, therapeutic responses, and outcomes? .


Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo: New X-ray Method has Profound Implications for Developing Lifesaving Drugs

Proteins that contain metal, known as metalloproteins, play important roles in biology, regulating various pathways in the body, which often become targets for lifesaving drugs. While the amount of metal in such proteins is usually tiny, it is crucial to determining the function of these complex molecules.


Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University: Study: Early Intervention of Hyperkalemia Cuts Mortality in Half

In a new study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Adam Singer, MD, et al reported that quickly correcting high potassium levels, a condition known as hyperkalemia, in emergency department patients cut mortality in that population by half. In the study, Singer, professor and vice chair of research for the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and colleagues, reviewed nearly 115,000 Stony Brook University Hospital ED visits during 2016 and 2017, finding the mortality rate was significantly reduced in this patient cohort (6.3 % vs. 12.7 %).

NYU Grossman School of Medicine: Genetic Scanning System in Sperm May Control Rate of Human Evolution

Maturing sperm cells turn on most of their genes, not to follow their genetic instructions like normal, but instead to repair DNA before passing it to the next generation, a new study finds. Led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine researchers and published online January 23 in Cell, the study focuses on a mystery of biology: human sperm cells activate by far the largest number of genes (90 percent), a pattern also seen in other species like mice, birds, and even fruit flies. .


Weill Cornell Medicine: Digital Domains: Apps, Video Games and Other Media are Filling Gaps in Mental Healthcare

Tegan Lee always thought of himself as "a very systematic thinker," the sort of person who solves problems quickly and efficiently. It's a style that served him well through a long career as a project manager and consultant in the tech industry. But two years ago, when Lee was in his late 50s, a diagnosis of late-onset bipolar disorder forced him into early retirement-and upended his life. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody," says Lee. "I was very motivated to get better.

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown: Educating the Community on Benefits of Vaccination

Ninety percent of health professionals believe a lack of education is the greatest barrier to patients receiving vaccinations, according to research conducted by a group of scientists from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Middletown. The research was presented recently at the Annual Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents Winter Research Symposium.

Grants

Albany Medical College Receives $1.9M Grant to Study Neuropathy

Researchers at Albany Medical College have been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study peripheral nerve repair. More than 20 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have some form of peripheral nerve damage, also known as neuropathy. .

Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Secure $5.9 Million NCI Grant to Improve Cancer Care for Minority and Underserved Communities

Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has received a $5.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to build on its success recruiting minority and underserved patients into cancer clinical trials and delivering the highest quality cancer care. This new grant, part of the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, is a continuation of funding first awarded in 2014.

CUNY School of Medicine has Been Awarded two R25 Grants from NIH to Support Diversity in Neuroscience Research

Dr. Gonzalo Torres, Medical professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Cellular & Biomedical Sciences at the CUNY School of Medicine, received two awards totaling $2.5 million. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders/NIH has awarded $ 1.25 million to Dr. Gonzalo Torres and the CUNY School of Medicine to establish the Mentoring Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Scholars through an R25 mechanism.

Faculty News

New York Medical College Dean Appointed to the Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, was appointed to a threeyear term of the Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to advocate for women in biochemistry and molecular biology, both in academia and in industry.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Brain Cancer Expert Joins Neurosurgery Faculty at Mount Sinai

Dolores Hambardzumyan, PhD, MBA, has been appointed Senior Faculty in the Department of Neurosurgery and a member of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on developing novel therapeutic pathways for the treatment of glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor that is among the most deadly forms of human cancer. She is also exploring the relationship between cancer cells and immune cells within the tumor. 


New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine: NYITCOM Opens Center for Biomedical Innovation

Kicking off 2020, a year marking the beginning of a new decade and a new era of innovative medicine, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed its Center for Biomedical Innovation with a grand opening on January 15. New York Tech faculty, staff, and students gathered at NYIT de Seversky Mansion, where Jerry Balentine, D.O., dean of NYITCOM and vice president for Medical Affairs and Health Sciences, introduced the center as a means for state-of-the-art collaboration and education.