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Two Weill Cornell Graduate Students Awarded HHMI Fellowships

Two doctoral students at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences have been awarded prestigious Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

Ph.D. candidates Ahmed Mahmoud and Ifé Akano, both in the pharmacology program, are among 51 students nationwide selected for the 2022 HHMI award. The fellowship, awarded to the students and their dissertation advisors, was established in 2004 and provides $53,000...

virtual reality scene next to brain imaging

New Study Reveals Where Memory Fragments are Stored

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As mice navigate different rooms in virtual reality, the prefrontal neurons (top) communicate with those in the hippocampus (bottom) to conjure associated memories. Video courtesy of Nakul Yadav. From Yadav, N., Noble, C., Niemeyer, J.E. et al. Prefrontal feature representations drive memory recall. Nature (2022).

An unforgettable time at a restaurant is not just about the food. The odors, the decor, the sound of the band playing, the...

COVID-19 Virus Can Cause Inflammation in Infected Placentas

SARS-CoV-2 infections of women in late pregnancy frequently spread to their placentas and led to inflammation, according to a study from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. The findings suggest that further research is needed on the virus’s effects in pregnancy and underscore the current recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that pregnant women continue to take precautions, such as masking, social distancing and vaccination, to...

students at graduation reciting the Hippocratic oath.

Commencement Returns to Carnegie Hall, Marking Joyous Day For Graduates

Video of Congratulations to the Class of 2022 | Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Meridith Pollie was always interested in math and science, but a volunteer opportunity working and bonding with patients at a long-term health care facility inspired her to dedicate those passions in service of others.

“I realized that I got a whole different kind of fulfillment from building relationships with people whom I can potentially help,” said Dr. Pollie, who through those patient...

Dr. John MacMicking Wins Graduate School of Medical Sciences Alumni Award of Distinction

Dr. John MacMicking, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and professor of immunobiology and microbial pathogenesis at Yale University School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2022 Graduate School of Medical Sciences Alumni Award of Distinction.

Since 1997, graduate school alumni have been recognized with this award for their outstanding contributions to biomedical research in education, focusing on science and scholarship, leadership, mentoring and teaching, and service to...

Graduate Students Recognized at Convocation

The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences honored students in the Class of 2022 for their academic achievements during its convocation ceremony on May 18.

The ceremony recognized students who are graduating with their master’s degrees, as well as those who earned special awards and prizes for their accomplishments accomplishments in research, scholarship and service.

In addition to honoring students, the ceremony also recognized the 2022 Weill Cornell Graduate School...

Advance in Understanding Cell Division Could Lead to New Cancer Treatments

A protein called CDC7, long thought to play an essential role early in the cell division process, is in fact replaceable by another protein called CDK1, according to a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The finding represents a fundamental advance in cell biology and may lead to new cancer therapies, since cancers frequently alter the molecular machinery of cell division to sustain their rapid growth.

The study, published online May 4...

Study Reveals Structure of Anti-Tumor Therapy’s Target

Using cutting-edge techniques, Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering investigators have visualized the structure of a receptor targeted by an anti-cancer immunotherapy. The new information may help scientists improve this type of cancer treatment.

The study, published Feb. 25 in Science Advances, used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the full-length structure of the glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR), an advance over previous studies...

New Collaborations Win Funding from Starr Cancer Consortium

Two multi-institutional teams led by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have been awarded grant support from the Starr Cancer Consortium. Both grants will fund work applying new technologies to develop more detailed knowledge of tumor biology, with one team focusing on Hodgkin lymphoma and the other on the purity of tumor samples on pathology slides.

The Starr Cancer Consortium, established in 2006, is a collaboration among five leading research institutions: The Broad Institute of MIT...

New Discovery May Help Reduce Side Effects of Multiple Sclerosis Drugs

Investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered how a drug for multiple sclerosis interacts with its targets, a finding that may pave the way for better treatments.

The study, published Feb. 8 in Nature Communications, details the precise molecular structure of the multiple sclerosis drug siponimod as it interacts with its target, the human S1P receptor 1 (S1P1), and off-target receptors using a cutting-edge electron microscopy...