Weill Cornell Medicine

A preclinical study provides new insights into a pair of proteins that may help determine which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer, would benefit from immunotherapy. The proteins, called p62 and NBR1, have opposing functions in regulating the interferon response in hepatic stellate cells, a critical immune component in the liver’s fight against tumors. The study, led by Dr. Jorge Moscat and Dr. Maria Diaz-Meco of Weill Cornell Medicine, demonstrates that high levels of the immune-suppressing NBR1 in these specialized cells may identify patients who are unlikely to respond to immunotherapies. It also shows that NBR1-lowering strategies help shrink tumors in pre-clinical models, suggesting a potential new therapeutic approach for patients who do not respond to immunotherapy. Full story: https://bit.ly/489Pluo

Immune cells called monocytes produce a key inflammatory protein called interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) through an unconventional pathway in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly called lupus. The findings from Weill Cornell Medicine's Dr. Virginia Pascual and Dr. Simone Caielli could lead to new treatments targeting IL-1β to better manage inflammation in patients with lupus who don’t respond well to existing therapies. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, leading to widespread inflammation that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys and heart. Full story: https://bit.ly/4hdB0RR

Please mark your calendars and join us for an inspiring conversation with Dean Robert A. Harrington and Dr. Rachel Haurwitz, co-founder of Caribou Biosciences and inventor of patents covering multiple CRISPR-based technologies.

While most states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana, regulation is limited, and products range in form from leaves to vapes to edibles and can carry far higher concentrations of psychoactive ingredients than were typical decades ago. How can the medical community best address these largely unregulated, readily available and potentially harmful products? Our Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital experts have some thoughts. https://bit.ly/3U7izo0

There's still time to register for this event, the Virtual Healthcare in the Mainstream Symposium & Research Forum, which will feature leaders from renowned healthcare institutions and industry innovators. Register now: https://bit.ly/3U3zI1x

A new technology enables the control of specific brain circuits non-invasively with magnetic fields, according to a preclinical study. The technology holds promise as a powerful tool for studying the brain and may aid the development of future treatments for neurological and psychiatric conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, obesity and complex pain. “We envision that magnetogenetics technology may someday be used to benefit patients in a wide range of clinical settings,” said Dr. Michael Kaplitt of Weill Cornell Medicine, who led the study with researchers from The Rockefeller University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Full story: https://bit.ly/4eY9BRV

Dr. Ali Jalali has been awarded the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award through its Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative. This highly competitive and prestigious award supports creative, early-stage researchers conducting cutting-edge work that has the potential to impact significant scientific challenges. Over three years, the $2.5 million grant from The National Institutes of Health will support Dr. Jalali’s project to address the difficulties of analyzing data from randomized controlled trials that evaluate opioid use disorder treatment interventions. Full story: https://bit.ly/40iHskz

The origins and progression of bladder cancer have been uncovered in unprecedented detail in a new study. The findings shed light on bladder cancer biology and may help drive new strategies to treat bladder cancer, which affects about 80,000 people per year in the United States. The team led by Dr. Bishoy Faltas and Dr. Olivier Elemento of Weill Cornell Medicine and Dr. Nicolas Robine of New York Genome Center found that antiviral enzymes that mutate the DNA of normal and cancer cells are key promoters of early bladder cancer development, and that standard chemotherapy is also a potent source of mutations. The researchers also discovered that overactive genes within abnormal circular DNA structures in tumor cells genes drive bladder cancer resistance to therapy. Full story: https://bit.ly/480Lz6i

We’re getting into the thick of the academic year and, in looking at priorities for the year ahead, innovation is always top of mind. As a physician, I constantly seek advances to help diagnose or treat people, using translational science to advance health. Bringing new treatments to the commercial market is essential. After working in the Bay Area at Stanford and with my roots in Boston, both highly respected for entrepreneurship, I hope to drive a similar culture of collaboration and innovation here in New York. We have the science and NYC is a financial epicenter. I'm excited to lead Weill Cornell Medicine, creating an ecosystem that showcases NYC's potential as the next corridor of entrepreneurship. Stay tuned.