• share
• favorite_border

More than six decades after it first opened its doors, Albert Einstein College of Medicine is now an independent academic institution, with the authority to confer its own medical and graduate degrees. This achievement had been set in motion more than three years ago, when Yeshiva University entered into a strategic joint collaboration with longtime Einstein affiliate, Montefiore. Einstein’s academic independence is the result of a vote by the Board of Regents of New York State’s Department of Education, which awarded Einstein an absolute charter, establishing it as an autonomous educational institution.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study published online today in the journal Science, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, prove for the first time that the brain’s cerebellum—long thought to be mainly involved in coordinating movement—helps control the brain’s reward circuitry. The surprising finding indicates that the cerebellum plays a major role in reward processing and social behaviors and could potentially lead to new strategies for treating addiction.

• share
• favorite_border

Hantaviruses cause severe and sometimes fatal respiratory infections, but how they infect lung cells has been a mystery. In today’s issue of Nature, an international team including researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine reports that hantaviruses gain entry to lung cells by “unlocking” a cell-surface receptor called protocadherin-1 (PCDH1). Deleting this receptor made lab animals highly resistant to infection. The findings show that targeting PCDH1 could be a useful strategy against deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

• share
• favorite_border

By incorporating a gene-suppressing drug into an over-the-counter gel, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and their colleagues cut healing time by half and significantly improved healing outcomes compared to control treatments. Results from the combination therapy, which was tested in mice, were published online today in Advances in Wound Care.

• share
• favorite_border

Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, M.D., M.S., a New York City-based expert in opioid use disorder will serve on a national board advising the CDC on best approaches to address the nation's opioid epidemic.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Women’s brains are much more vulnerable than men’s to injury from repeated soccer heading, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore. The study found that regions of damaged brain tissue were five times more extensive in female soccer players than in males, suggesting that sex-specific guidelines may be warranted for preventing soccer-related head injuries. The results were published online today in Radiology.

• share
• favorite_border

It’s been known for years that humans and other mammals possess an antiviral gene called RSAD2 that prevents a remarkable range of viruses from multiplying. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, have discovered the secret to the gene’s success: The enzyme it codes for generates a compound that stops viruses from replicating. The newly discovered compound, described in today’s online edition of Nature, offers a novel approach for attacking many disease-causing viruses.

• share
• favorite_border

A study in today’s issue of JAMA Oncology reports that New York City firefighters exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster site face an increased risk for developing myeloma precursor disease (MGUS), which can lead to the blood cancer multiple myeloma. The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Health System, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

• share
• favorite_border

Ever wonder why intense exercise temporarily curbs your appetite? In research described in today’s issue of PLOS Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers reveal that the answer is all in your head—more specifically, your arcuate nucleus.

• share
• favorite_border

Worse cognitive function in soccer players stems mainly from frequent ball heading rather than unintentional head impacts due to collisions, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found. The findings suggest that efforts to reduce long-term brain injuries may be focusing too narrowly on preventing accidental head collisions. The study published online today in the Frontiers in Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study published online today in Science Translational Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers report that an experimental peptide (small protein) drug shows promise against the often-lethal cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and describe how the drug works at the molecular level. The findings have led to a Phase I/II clinical trial for patients with advanced AML and advanced myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), now underway at Montefiore Health System.

• share
• favorite_border

A newly discovered family of viruses appears to play a major role in killing marine bacteria and maintaining the ocean’s ecology. Preliminary evidence suggests that related bacterial viruses also occur in the human gut. The study, by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was published online today in the journal Nature.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, and Hackensack Meridian Health John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center have secured a five-year, $6.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify biomarkers that can predict which women with pre-cancerous tissue in their breast will develop invasive breast cancer. This research could help personalize treatment and improve outcomes for tens of thousands of women each year.

• share
• favorite_border

The number of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise, but the number of treatments for the condition has not kept pace. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, have received a $6.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify networks of genes in healthy centenarians that protect them against dementia. The results could help identify new targets for drugs to treat Alzheimer’s.

• share
• favorite_border

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine nutrition scientist Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Ph.D., R.D., a five-year, $4 million grant to test whether a diet rich in foods with anti-inflammatory properties can reduce cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease risk. Middle-aged and older participants from the Bronx will follow this diet, which is designed to appeal to a multicultural population, and researchers will measure cognitive function over time to assess its impact.

• share
• favorite_border

Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers report that the composition of people’s gut bacteria may explain why some of them suffer life-threatening reactions after taking a key drug for treating metastatic colorectal cancer. The findings, described online today in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, a Nature research journal, could help predict which patients will suffer side effects and prevent complications in susceptible patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Juan Robles, M.D., attending physician at Montefiore Health System and assistant professor of family and social medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has earned a $1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support Bronx students pursuing healthcare careers and create a more inclusive workforce dedicated to underserved communities.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study in today’s issue of Science, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore Medicine, report that certain nerves sustain prostate cancer growth by triggering a switch that causes tumor vessels to proliferate. Their earlier research—which first implicated nerves in fueling prostate cancer—has prompted Montefiore-Einstein to conduct a pilot study testing whether beta blockers (commonly used for treating hypertension) can kill cancer cells in tumors of men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists now believe that the Fountain of Youth flows from our genes, or at least from the genes of people who live healthy lives to age 100 or later. To discover what’s special about the genes of centenarians—and apply that knowledge to extend the healthy lives of the rest of us—the NIH has awarded researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) a five-year, $9 million grant.