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).

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).

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 reduce their risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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.  

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 society.

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.

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.

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.