News | Graduate School of Medical Sciences

immunofluorescence image of mouse stomach with fungus stained red

What a Gut Fungus Reveals About Symbiosis and Allergy

A fungus discovered in the mouse stomach may hold a key to fungal evolution within the gastrointestinal tract, according to new research led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The finding suggests that preclinical studies until now have overlooked a major influencer of mouse physiology.

Scientists recently have come to appreciate the importance, for human health and disease, of microbes—often called “commensals”—that naturally dwell in the gut. Bacterial commensals, for example,...

Graduate Students Showcase Science Communication Skills with Three-Minute Talks

With just one slide and three minutes, fourth-year graduate student Erin Keblish described how she is developing a carbon nanotube-based sensor that could act like a “smoke detector” for early signs of deadly sepsis, during Weill Cornell Medicine’s ninth annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition on November 13.

Keblish, who is a graduate student in physiology, biophysics and systems biology, explained how the excess production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines in response...

inflammatory microglia stained green and yellow

Alzheimer’s Genetic Risk Factors Spark Inflammation in Females

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have found that two genetic variants that confer high risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) together trigger a harmful inflammatory response in the brain’s immune cells, particularly in females, in a preclinical model.

The findings, published Sept. 30 in Neuron, emphasize the importance of considering sex differences in Alzheimer’s research – a step that could ultimately lead to more precise and effective treatments.

Dr. Li Gan...

Human lung cancer cells stained for various surface markers

Metabolic Reprogramming of T cells May Enhance Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

Stimulating a key metabolic pathway in T cells can make them work more effectively against tumors when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, according to a preclinical study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The findings suggest a potential strategy for enhancing the potency of anticancer immunotherapies.

In the study, which appears Sept. 26 in Nature Immunology, the researchers discovered that activating a metabolic pathway called the pentose phosphate pathway...

Innovative Model Provides Valuable Insights into Prostate Cancer Spread

A new preclinical model using CRISPR, an advanced technology that allows scientists to cut and edit genes, has given Weill Cornell Medicine researchers and their colleagues a deeper insight into how prostate cancer spreads or metastasizes.

In the study, published Sept. 23 in Cancer Discovery, scientists charted the complicated routes prostate cancer metastatic cells take as they travel through the body.

“Using virtual maps, we can reveal the hidden highways of metastases, one day...

H&E histology slides and immunofluorescent images of B cells and T cells

Machine Learning Helps Identify Rheumatoid Arthritis Subtypes

A machine-learning tool created by Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) investigators can help distinguish subtypes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which may help scientists find ways to improve care for the complex condition.

The study published Aug. 29 in Nature Communications shows that artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can effectively and efficiently subtype pathology samples from patients with RA.

“Our tool automates the...

immunofluorescence image of a hippocampal neuron stained for PGK1

The Role of an Energy-Producing Enzyme in Treating Parkinson’s Disease

An enzyme called PGK1 has an unexpectedly critical role in the production of chemical energy in brain cells, according to a preclinical study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The investigators found that boosting its activity may help the brain resist the energy deficits that can lead to Parkinson’s disease.

The study, published Aug. 21 in Science Advances, presented evidence that PGK1 is a “rate-limiting” enzyme in energy production in the output-signaling branches, or...

image of neurons with EEG trace and chemical structure superimposed on them

A New Use for Propofol in Treating Epilepsy?

The general anesthetic propofol may hold the keys to developing new treatment strategies for epilepsy and other neurological disorders, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Linköping University in Sweden.

In their study, published July 31 in Nature, the researchers determined the high-resolution structural details of how propofol inhibits the activity of HCN1, an ion channel protein found on many types of neurons. Drug developers consider inhibiting...

Cell Division: Before Commitment, a Very Long Engagement

Before a cell commits fully to the process of dividing itself into two new cells, it may ensure the appropriateness of its commitment by staying for many hours—sometimes more than a day—in a reversible intermediate state, according to a discovery by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. Their revelation of this fundamental feature of biology includes details of its mechanisms and dynamics, which may inform the development of future therapies targeting cancers and other diseases.

In...

2024 Business Plan Challenge Pitch Competition Supports Innovation for Health Care Challenges

“In this accelerator, we not only have our faculty explore their deep scientific questions but also help them expand their mindset to think of themselves as innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Loren Busby, director of BioVenture eLab, a part of Enterprise Innovation. She shared these remarks at the 2024 Business Plan Challenge pitch competition, which took place at Uris Auditorium on June 4.

The accelerator’s cohort of 24 participants went through weeks of didactic instruction focusing...

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