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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.