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immunofluorescent image of nerves innervating melanoma

Nerve fibers within melanomas can slow the growth of these tumors, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings help clarify the emerging field of cancer neuroscience and may inform future therapeutic strategies.

In the study, published April 29 in Neuron, the researchers used mouse models of the skin cancer melanoma to examine the presence and the effects of peripheral nerves that grow into tumors. They...

Image visualizing immune cells in the intestine

Discovery of Immune Tolerance Switch Could Yield Better IBD Treatments

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators made an unexpected finding about how the immune system normally suppresses inappropriate chronic inflammation in the intestine, potentially opening new avenues for therapies against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), food allergy and other autoimmune conditions.

The study, published April 24 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, focused on the cell-to-cell signals required for the immune system to...

Understanding the Origins of Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells Could Lead to Better Diagnostics

For the first time, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have demonstrated that Hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells from patient samples are immune cells stuck in an “identity crisis.” Normally, a B cell matures into a plasma cell that produces antibodies to fight infection, but in this case, the cells are trapped partway through the transition. They switch off key B cell features but never fully mature into functional plasma cells, instead surviving as malignant Hodgkin lymphoma cells, also called...

Scientists Uncover How the Intestine Balances Cell Growth and Maintenance

A new preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine found that the protein caspase-5 (CASP5), long thought to be a foot soldier in the body’s defense against bacterial infection, does not actually help clear invaders the way its close cousin caspase-4 (CASP4) does. Instead, the researchers discovered that CASP5 boosts the signal to proliferate in a population of gut cells that maintains a healthy intestinal lining and replaces injured cells with new, healthy ones.

The study, published...

illustration of TMEM16F protein in closed and open conformations

Catching a Scramblase in the Act

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have revealed the detailed workings of a cell membrane protein that has essential roles in all animals. The discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategies for blood coagulation disorders, cancers and other conditions in which the protein, called a TMEM16 scramblase, works abnormally.

Scramblases operate within cell membranes, where they alter or “scramble” the normal layered arrangement of lipid...

Disrupting Genome Architecture Selectively Impairs Developmental Genes

Temporarily disabling a protein complex that organizes DNA into loops inside the cell’s nucleus drastically disrupted the three-dimensional structure of the genome, but surprisingly most genes continued to function as usual, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found. However, they also discovered a small group of affected genes that play a critical role in guiding cells to become specific types, for example heart, brain, or liver cells.

The study, published April 13 in Nature Genetics,...

Reimagining Medicaid to Safeguard America’s Children

As states reassess Medicaid coverage following recent federal policy changes and the end of pandemic-era protections, researchers are advocating for evidence-based health care policy reform and expanded Medicaid coverage for children. Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, the Cornell Health Policy Center (CHPC) and Ariadne Labs are collaborating to launch the Era of the Child Initiative, which supports the design and implementation of effective policies to improve U.S. children’...

illustration of cancer cells surrounding and within bladder

American Cancer Society Grant to Fund Research on Urinary Tract Cancer Therapies

A $1 million Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society will help a multi-institution team led by Dr. Bishoy Faltas, associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, to develop new therapy combinations for hard-to-treat urinary tract cancers.

New therapies combining enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab dramatically improved outcomes for patients with advanced cancers of the cells lining the urinary tract and bladder. Yet about one-third of patients do not respond...

Research Shifts Toward Shared Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimer’s disease may not be a single illness, but a complex web of overlapping brain disorders that scientists have just started to untangle. Leaders in the field discussed this shift in research at the recent 13th annual Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute Symposium held in the Belfer Research Building at Weill Cornell Medicine.

“The vision of the Appel Institute is simple. We wanted to tackle some of the most devastating...

Burnout May Lead Family Doctors to Leave Medicine

Family physicians who report feeling burned out are nearly 1.5 times more likely to change practices or stop practicing medicine entirely compared to their peers who don’t report burnout, a study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found. Physician burnout can include emotional exhaustion, detachment from patients and colleagues, and feeling that work is no longer meaningful.

The findings, published March 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine, also highlight the consequences for patients:...