Dr. Bryant Cameron Webb always imagined that he'd have a career in government. But he never thought that he'd have the opportunity to work in the White House — especially during an election year.

Yet that's precisely where this physician-lawyer and 2016 graduate of the internal medicine residency program at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center will be for the next year as a 2016 White House Fellow. On Aug. 22, Dr. Webb reported for his first day of work in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, which serves as the primary liaison between the president and the Cabinet.

"This is a chance to see how policy is made at the highest level of government," said Dr. Webb, who during his residency in the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center was co-president of the Housestaff Committee, co-chair of the Minority Housestaff Committee and ambulatory chief resident. "It's a unique program that has a great legacy. And it should make for an interesting and exciting year, particularly with the transition to a new administration and Cabinet on Jan. 20."

President Lyndon B. Johnson founded the year-long fellowship in 1964 to give promising young Americans in various disciplines the opportunity to work alongside top federal government officials and inspire life-long community service. The 16 fellows selected for the 2016-17 class — which also includes Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center General Psychiatry Residency graduate Dr. Robert Accordino — hail from fields such as astrophysics, community planning and development, education, engineering, finance, law, medicine, and the military. In addition to year-long service projects, the fellows will participate in an educational program through which they'll meet with current and former top government leaders to discuss their respective experiences and leadership roles.

For Dr. Webb, who is interested in general internal medicine and policy making — with a particular passion for addressing social determinants of health — this fellowship will enable him to see first-hand how the federal government operates before returning to medicine. In addition to his work with the Office of Cabinet Affairs, Dr. Webb will spend the next year helping President Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper initiative, which mentors and supports young boys and men of color in order to address persistent opportunity gaps in areas such as health, nutrition and education.

"I expect to spend my career working on some of the social issues that can negatively affect health, so I think that this experience in government, focusing on how policies can address some of these issues, is exciting," Dr. Webb said. "I am a physician first, but this opportunity will give me a unique perspective for when I return to practicing medicine."

Dr. Webb said the mentorship of Weill Cornell Medicine faculty, including Interim Dean Dr. Augustine Choi, Dr. Carla Bouton-Foster, Dr. Lee Shearer and Dr. Lia Logio, shaped him into a strong candidate. "They all went to bat for me," Dr. Webb said. "I'm grateful to them for being completely behind me in this lengthy application process."

Two of Weill Cornell Medicine's academic partners — NewYork-Presbyterian and Houston Methodist Hospital — are among the nation's elite hospitals, landing spots on U.S. News and World Report's 2016-17 "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll. The annual rankings, published Aug. 2, make Weill Cornell Medicine the rare medical school to have more than one affiliated hospital on the prestigious list.

Only Harvard Medical School also has two affiliates on this year's Honor Roll.

"We congratulate NewYork-Presbyterian and Houston Methodist for our peers' recognition of the outstanding care they provide. With nearly 5,000 hospitals considered, this is no small feat, and we are incredibly proud to partner with two Honor Roll hospitals that enhance patients' lives," said Weill Cornell Medicine Interim Dean Augustine M.K. Choi.

The national rankings use data on patient safety, death rates and hospital reputation. When compiling the 27th annual Honor Roll list, U.S. News took into account both its national rankings and its procedure and condition ratings, which were added last year and include nine procedures, ranging from hip replacement to heart bypass.

Out of 4,667 hospitals eligible for rankings, NewYork-Presbyterian was ranked No. 6 in the United States and No. 1 in the New York metro area. NewYork-Presbyterian is also ranked in the top 10 in nine out of 16 specialties this year.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized as the leading hospital in New York and among the best in the nation for the 16th consecutive year," said Dr. Steven Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "Our collective goal — together with Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine — is to continue to provide the most innovative and compassionate care to patients and their families in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the globe. Patients are — and will always be — our No. 1 priority. We pride ourselves on offering the most advanced treatment options and technology, powered by leading clinical research by our world-renowned physicians and experts. We could not have achieved this honor without our dedicated staff who continues to accomplish amazing feats in healthcare."

At No. 19, Houston Methodist Hospital regained its position in the Top 20 for the first time since 2009. It remains the top hospital in Texas for the fifth straight year, according to the rankings.

"Making the Honor Roll is a tremendous achievement for our physicians, nurses and employees who give the best of themselves every day to our patients," said  Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist. "This is validation that we are leading medicine, providing our community the highest quality medical care, research and education for almost 100 years."

U.S. News & World Report survey recognizes NewYork-Presbyterian for its excellence in numerous specialties

NEW YORK (August 2, 2016) — NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the largest and most comprehensive hospitals in the nation, is ranked New York's No. 1 hospital for the 16th consecutive year, and No. 6 in the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report annual survey of "Best Hospitals," published online today. The hospital has been once again included in the prestigious Honor Roll, which recognizes national excellence in multiple specialties.

NewYork-Presbyterian ranks in the top five in six specialties: cardiology and heart surgery (No. 3), diabetes and endocrinology (No. 5), nephrology (No. 4), neurology/neurosurgery (No. 3), psychiatry (No. 3) and rheumatology (No. 2), a collaborative program with the Hospital for Special Surgery. The Hospital also ranks in the top 10 in nine specialties this year.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized as the leading hospital in New York and among the best in the nation for the 16th consecutive year," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "Our collective goal — together with Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine — is to continue to provide the most innovative and compassionate care to patients and their families in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the globe. Patients are — and will always be — our number one priority. We pride ourselves on offering the most advanced treatment options and technology, powered by leading clinical research by our world-renowned physicians and experts. We could not have achieved this honor without our dedicated staff who continues to accomplish amazing feats in healthcare."

"Columbia University Medical Center is proud of its long and historic partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian. We have always known that patient care delivered by our faculty, ColumbiaDoctors, is unsurpassed, and this external acknowledgement of the hospital's value to the communities it serves, to New York City and to the nation makes all of us feel proud of the work we do every day," said Dr. Lee Goldman, dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of Columbia University Medical Center. "We join in congratulating NewYork-Presbyterian on this year's ranking, which is a testimony not only to the wonderful hospital services but also to our faculty who provide superb patient care, conduct research that moves medical care forward and supervise the outstanding trainees who epitomize the best characteristics of an academic medical center."

"We enthusiastically congratulate our partner NewYork-Presbyterian on this wonderful recognition," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. "Our esteemed physicians and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center always put patients first, providing them with the finest, most comprehensive care so that they can live their healthiest lives. Together we create one of the top academic medical centers in the United States, motivated by a shared commitment: to drive excellence in healthcare and truly make a difference in New York and beyond."

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive healthcare delivery networks, focused on providing the very best care for patients and families. Supported by its two medical school partners, Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian has expanded its offerings into the digital health landscape with the launch of NYP OnDemand, a comprehensive digital health platform designed to improve and expand patient care to more individuals, virtually anywhere in the world.

Furthermore, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and clinical innovation. It offers two esteemed heart centers, the Milstein Heart Center and the Perelman Heart Institute. The Hospital presented exceptional outcomes at this year's American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference with revolutionary heart valve replacement methods. These minimally invasive methods are now available to even more patients in need and in the future will soon be the preferred treatment option.

NewYork-Presbyterian is also home to the National Cancer Institute-designated Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center; the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, with a strong focus on precision medicine; the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, a specialized program that focuses on cutting-edge prevention strategies; world-class specialty care centers like The Spine Hospital, providing comprehensive and coordinated spine care and treatment for a vast range of spinal conditions; the nation's largest transplant program; and the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, a state-of-the-art facility designed for children, adults and families dealing with autism spectrum disorders.

NewYork-Presbyterian's pediatric specialties were recently recognized in the "Best Children's Hospitals" survey from U.S. News, ranking among the top in the nation for children's care in every specialty, which includes cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. NewYork- Presbyterian provides pediatric care in every area of medicine at two major sites: NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Komansky Center for Children's Health.

The rankings are published at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive healthcare delivery networks, focused on providing innovative and compassionate care to patients in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical school partners, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and clinical innovation.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the magazine's Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation; NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network is comprised of leading hospitals in and around New York and delivers high-quality care to patients throughout the region; NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services connects medical experts with patients in their communities; and NewYork- Presbyterian Community and Population Health features the hospital's ambulatory care network sites and operations, community care initiatives and healthcare quality programs, including NewYork Quality Care, established by NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell and Columbia.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. Each year, nearly 29,000 NewYork-Presbyterian professionals deliver exceptional care to more than 2 million patients.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork- Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Dramatic expansion of telemedicine the result of philanthropic partnership with Rita E. Hauser and Gustave M. Hauser

NEW YORK — NewYork-Presbyterian has announced the rollout of NYP OnDemand, a new suite of digital health services designed to improve and expand patient care, while also extending access to the clinical expertise of NewYork-Presbyterian's physicians to their peers throughout the Hospital's vast healthcare network. NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest, most comprehensive medical institutions in the nation and the only one on this scale to implement an enterprise-wide, comprehensive digital health portfolio.

The project was catalyzed by the visionary support of Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser, NewYork-Presbyterian's longtime philanthropic partners. This most recent gift builds on the couple's previous investments in telehealth infrastructure, further elevating the Hospital's ability to connect patients and clinical staff in new and innovative ways.

"At NewYork-Presbyterian, we are looking to redefine the intersection of technology and healthcare and our new digital health platform is our way of strengthening traditional telehealth services," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "I would like to extend our deepest thanks to Rita and Gustave Hauser, for providing support for this platform. Together with ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine, we are using data and technology to provide the very best care and treatment outcomes for our patients — wherever they may be — as well as seamless peer-to-peer access for our physicians across the entire organization."

NYP OnDemand is comprised of telehealth services for both patients and providers, available on the NewYork-Presbyterian website and mobile app, and will ultimately include these key areas of service:

• Digital Second Opinion: NewYork-Presbyterian specialists from both ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine can now offer their world-class clinical expertise for second opinions to patients around the country — and eventually, the globe — through an easy-to-access online portal. Patients are walked through the entire process without having to wait for an in-person appointment.
• Inter-hospital Digital Consults: Connecting patients at NewYork-Presbyterian's Regional Network Hospitals to NewYork- Presbyterian Hospital specialists, Inter-hospital Digital Consults provide greater access to advanced, specialty care for patients across the New York City metro region and facilitate real-time communication between providers.
• Digital Emergency and Urgent Care: As part of a new pilot program, visitors to the Lisa Perry Emergency Center at NewYork- Presbyterian/Weill Cornell now have the option of a virtual visit through real-time video interactions with a clinician after having an initial triage and medical screening exam. This will be done in a private room with a webcam/monitor, significantly reducing time spent in the Emergency Department. For any non-emergency conditions that require expedited treatment, patients will eventually also be able to access a separate virtual urgent care service from NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell doctors from the comfort of their home via the NYP OnDemand smartphone application.
• Digital Follow-Up Appointments: Launching in fall 2016, Digital Follow-Ups will provide patients a virtual follow-up option, instead of asking patients to come back to the office in person. The service offers a more convenient way to access care without another trip to the doctor.

"When patients visit ColumbiaDoctors at NewYork-Presbyterian, they know they will see outstanding physicians who will combine the latest technologies with highly personalized care and caring. This new suite of digital health services will help to maintain and enhance that experience," said Dr. Lee Goldman, dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of Columbia University Medical Center.

"NYP OnDemand extends the reach of our world-class doctors beyond their offices, ensuring that patients receive quality healthcare when and where it's most convenient for them," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. "We are proud to join NewYork-Presbyterian and ColumbiaDoctors in offering these vital telehealth services to our patients."

Among the first services available for patients is NYP OnDemand Second Opinion. Launched earlier this summer in collaboration with ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine, the service connects patients from anywhere in the country seeking a second opinion on their diagnosis from clinical experts at NewYork-Presbyterian. After a patient initiates the process online, they are assigned a care coordinator matched with the best physician for their condition, resulting in a written second opinion to the patient — all without having to leave the comfort of home. Equipped with the second opinion, the patient can then make a more informed decision about their treatment plan and, if they choose, opt to receive care at NewYork-Presbyterian. To date, NYP OnDemand Second Opinions are offered by over 300 physicians in 80 medical specialties.

In addition to the patient access services, NYP OnDemand also facilitates real-time peer-to-peer physician consults within the nine hospitals that are part of the NewYork-Presbyterian system. The NewYork-Presbyterian Telestroke Initiative, which has been deployed at NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, uses video conferencing and data sharing to allows 24/7 coverage for acute stroke care with rapid evaluation by a neurologist with stroke expertise. To date, the telestroke service has resulted in improved door-to- treatment times, which has been shown to improve overall patient outcomes. In the coming months, additional digital consult services such as behavioral health, emergency medicine, and pediatrics will also be established.

The NYP OnDemand suite of services was developed by NewYork-Presbyterian's Innovation Center, launched in 2014 to deliver both clinician- and consumer-facing solutions to enhance care delivery.

For more information on NYP OnDemand, visit www.nyp.org/ondemand.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive healthcare delivery networks, focused on providing innovative and compassionate care to patients in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical school partners, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and clinical innovation.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the magazine's Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation; NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network is comprised of leading hospitals in and around New York and delivers high-quality care to patients throughout the region; NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services connects medical experts with patients in their communities; and NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health features the hospital's ambulatory care network sites and operations, community care initiatives and healthcare quality programs, including NewYork Quality Care, established by NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell and Columbia.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. Each year, nearly 29,000 NewYork-Presbyterian professionals deliver exceptional care to more than 2 million patients.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ColumbiaDoctors

ColumbiaDoctors, the faculty practice of Columbia University Medical Center, includes more than 1,700 physicians, surgeons, dentists, and advanced nurse practitioners, offering more than 230 medical specialties and subspecialties. All ColumbiaDoctors are affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian, ranked No. 1 in New York.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

An enzyme that stimulates the breakdown of fats in immune cells helps trigger inflammation, or an immune response to pathogens, a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers suggests. The findings enhance scientists' understanding of the connection between metabolism and inflammation, and may offer a new approach to treat dangerous infections such as pneumonia.

In their study, published July 25 in Nature Medicine, the team showed that the mitochondrial enzyme NOX4 regulates the activation of an inflammation-triggering protein complex called an inflammasome. It does this by increasing the levels of a key enzyme in fat breakdown, a process called free fatty acid oxidation.

"Inflammation is an important immune response to pathogens, but when it becomes chronic or if the response is too strong, it can hurt the patient," said senior author Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine. "We knew that people with obesity-induced metabolic diseases, like diabetes, have an abnormal response to infectious agents, and in this paper we were able to make a connection between the two."

The connection is found in mitochondria, which in addition to being the cell's powerhouse plays an important role in the cellular stress response. The mitochondrial enzyme NADPH oxidase-4 (NOX4) produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules that kill pathogens and signal that the cell is under stress, among other cellular responses. "Since NOX4 was linked to both diabetes and immunity, we wanted to understand what it was doing at the interface between the two," said lead author Dr. Jong-Seok Moon, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Choi's laboratory.

In mice infected with pneumonia, the researchers found a reduced inflammatory response and reduced mortality in mice lacking NOX4. Human immune cells lacking NOX4 also showed a reduced inflammasome response when presented with chemicals that normally provoke the cells. The group showed that these responses were lacking because there was a corresponding failure to increase levels of a key enzyme for mitochondria fatty acid oxidation, called CPT1a. Without this NOX-4-dependent boost in fat breakdown, the inflammatory response was blunted.

Currently, a drug that inhibits NOX4 is in phase 2 clinical trials to treat diabetic nephropathy, a condition where blood vessels in the kidney are destroyed. The team showed that the drug, GKT137831, was also effective in reducing inflammasome activation in mice, including in the pneumonia model. "Since this drug is already in phase 2 clinical trials, we think it is a good candidate for additional research as a treatment for patients with metabolic inflammation and infectious disease as well," said Dr. Choi, who is also physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "With the number of people affected by type 2 diabetes and obesity growing each year, we need to understand the link to inflammation and infection so we can treat these patients more effectively."

$4 million grant gives Columbia, Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, and NYC Health + Hospitals key role in precision medicine cohort program

NEW YORK, NY, July 8, 2016 — Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Weill Cornell Medicine, in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, have been awarded a grant from the NIH for approximately $4 million in fiscal year 2016 to enroll participants in the Cohort Program of President Barack Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) — a large-scale research effort to improve our ability to prevent and treat disease based on individual differences in lifestyle, environment and genetics. The five-year award is estimated to total $46.5 million, pending progress reviews and availability of funds.

CUMC is one of several medical centers that will provide expertise and infrastructure needed to launch the PMI Cohort Program. This landmark research effort aims to engage 1 million or more U.S. volunteers from the diversity of America in a significant research effort to improve our ability to advance precision medicine. The program seeks to extend the success of precision medicine in some cancers to many other diseases. Importantly, the program will focus not just on disease, but on ways to increase an individual's chances of remaining healthy throughout life.

"Columbia's university-wide commitment to pioneering research and clinical care in precision medicine coincides perfectly with the national priority established by President Obama to improve health and save lives, and we are deeply enthusiastic about being selected to help lead this effort," said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. "We believe that in years to come, our society will benefit immeasurably from the advances in medical science that will emerge from this collaboration with this team of outstanding New York-based medical centers."

"Cornell University has a distinguished legacy of leading scientific discoveries that address our greatest healthcare challenges," said Hunter R. Rawlings III, interim president of Cornell University. "The launch of this collaboration marks a turning point in our effort to conquer disease and to translate research discoveries into life-changing impact for communities in New York and around the world."

"The PMI Cohort Program aligns perfectly with our own precision medicine effort, which we launched in 2015 in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian and faculty from across Columbia University," said Lee Goldman, MD, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and Chief Executive, CUMC. "This award, in collaboration also with NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell, and our long-standing colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, will extend our ongoing successes in taking an individualized approach to treating some cancers and rare genetic diseases to a broader range of human illnesses across the ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse population we serve. It will also enable us to make sure that research findings benefit our local population and beyond as quickly as possible."

"Precision medicine has the power to fundamentally change the way we understand and treat some of the world's most challenging diseases," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. "This NIH grant, and our critical work with colleagues from Columbia, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem and NewYork-Presbyterian, will ensure that we are better able to understand the key genetic and other biological drivers of disease and ultimately improve the lives of our patients. We are incredibly honored to be selected for this grant, and grateful to President Obama and the NIH for their bold vision."

"It's an incredible honor for our physicians and researchers to be a part of this historic initiative," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "As we delve into new research and discover new prevention and treatment options, this grant gives us a tremendous opportunity to continue to excel in our collective fight against cancer and all life-threatening diseases."

"The 'patient-powered' research that will result from our partnership with CUMC promises to help transform the way we achieve our mission to deliver equitable and culturally responsive care to the city's most vulnerable populations," said Ram Raju, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. "Our collaboration with CUMC also underscores the critical role that the public hospital system plays in medical education and cutting-edge research to benefit the communities we serve."

"We are pleased and excited that the NIH has chosen the Columbia/Weill Cornell/NewYork-Presbyterian and Harlem Hospital collaboration as one of the partners in this ambitious and fundamentally important program," said Tom Maniatis, PhD, Director of the Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Precision Medicine Initiative and co-founder of the New York Genome Center. Dr. Maniatis is also the Isidore S. Edelman Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at CUMC. "This award is a validation of our commitment to realize the vision of precision medicine, which identifies relationships between genetic, lifestyle and environmental differences in individuals, and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. This grant also recognizes the successful establishment of the Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) at Columbia by its Director, Dr. David Goldstein, who has demonstrated the reality of a precision medicine-based approach to treating children with rare, previously undiagnosed genetic disorders."

"As doctors and scientists, we are committed to providing our patients with the very best, most cutting-edge care to ensure that illness isn't a barrier in their everyday lives," said Dr. Mark Rubin, director of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine and the Homer T. Hirst III Professor of Oncology in Pathology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and director of the precision medicine program at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "This grant will enable us to detect and delineate the key genetic drivers of disease across the diverse population of patients we serve — and move us closer to fulfilling the promise of precision medicine."

CUMC is one of four centers that have been designated as a regional PMI Cohort Program Healthcare Provider Organization (HPO). As an HPO, CUMC and its partners seek to enroll at least 150,000 volunteers by 2021. By engaging with a number of community organizations throughout New York City, this multicenter collaboration will help to ensure that participants in the PMI Cohort Program represent the geographic, ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity of the country that the NIH is hoping to achieve.

Principal Investigators include:

• David Goldstein, PhD, Contact Principal Investigator, professor of genetics and development and Director, Institute for Genomic Medicine
• Ali Gharavi, MD, professor of medicine and Chief, Division of Nephrology
• George Hripcsak, MD, MS, the Vivian Beaumont Allen Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at CUMC and Director of Medical Informatics Services for NewYork-Presbyterian
• Mark Rubin, MD, director of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine and the Homer T. Hirst III Professor of Oncology in Pathology Weill Cornell Medicine; director of precision medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
• Rainu Kaushal, MD, chair of the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medicine; physician-in-chief of healthcare policy and research at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
• Margaret Ross, MD, PhD, the Nathan Cummings Professor in Neurology, and a professor of neurology and of neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Rhonda Trousdale, MD, Chief of Endocrinology, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive healthcare delivery networks, focused on providing innovative and compassionate care to patients in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical school partners, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and clinical innovation.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the magazine's Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation; NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network is comprised of leading hospitals in and around New York and delivers high-quality care to patients throughout the region; NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services connects medical experts with patients in their communities; and NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health features the hospital's ambulatory care network sites and operations, community care initiatives and healthcare quality programs, including NewYork Quality Care, established by NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell and Columbia.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. Each year, nearly 29,000 NewYork-Presbyterian professionals deliver exceptional care to more than 2 million patients.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.   

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation committed to providing equal access to quality, culturally-responsive, affordable health care for all New Yorkers. The system is an integrated network of 11 hospitals, trauma centers, neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, and post-acute care centers. It includes a home care agency and a health plan, MetroPlus. The health system provides essential services to 1.2 million New Yorkers every year in more than 70 locations across the city's five boroughs. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees are uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is one of the system's 11 acute care hospitals. The 286-bed hospital provides a broad array of preventive, primary and acute care services. The hospital has an Area-Wide Burn Center, Level I Trauma Center, a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, a designated Stroke and AIDS Center, and received the World Health Organization's UNICEF Baby Friendly designation. For more information, visit nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on or Twitter @NYCHealthSystem.

Innovative Partnership of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medicine Expands Focus to Include Antibody Drug Discovery Research

NEW YORK (June 16, 2016) and OSAKA, JAPAN, (June 17, 2016) — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine today announced that they will expand the focus of the successful Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute, Inc. (Tri-I TDI), a partnership established in 2013 to expedite early-stage drug discovery of innovative new therapies. Under this expansion, Tri-I TDI will extend its current relationship with its industry partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. (TSE:4502) from the realm of small molecule discovery into the new research area of antibody drug discovery. All three institutions will benefit from Tri-I TDI's expansion.

"We are thrilled at the prospect of growing our strong Tri-I TDI partnership, where we continue to tackle important health questions and improve drug development efficiency. Through our current work, we've established a streamlined process to apply our breakthrough research into clinical application and look forward to adding antibody knowledge into our expanding range of capabilities," said Dr. Augustine Choi, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medicine.

"TDI has already had an important impact by providing an opportunity for our scientists, and those of our collaborating institutions, to develop small molecules that might lead to new drugs," said Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of The Rockefeller University. "With the addition of its antibody program, TDI will go even further, jumpstarting the development of an additional type of therapy for poorly treated diseases."

"What began as a novel partnership between academia and industry has now become a powerful voice in medical research," said Memorial Sloan Kettering President and CEO Dr. Craig B. Thompson. "Our collaboration has provided more efficient paths to translate laboratory discoveries into bedside treatments that lead to improved patient care and well being.  This partnership is a great example of how collaboration and open partnerships are the future of medical research."

"As we look ahead to what's next, beyond small molecule drug discovery, this flagship collaboration will continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in medical research," said Andrew Plump, Takeda's chief medical and scientific officer. "We at Takeda understand the value of, and connection between, innovation and external collaboration. This is why we are so pleased to continue our relationship with the Tri-I TDI and help expand its mission to move toward novel research frontiers such as antibody drug discovery."

Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute

The independent nonprofit Tri-I TDI was launched in 2013, and has its own scientific advisory board and board of directors. The Tri-I TDI is located on the top floor of the new, state-of-the-art Belfer Research Building at Weill Cornell Medicine, and the new antibody facilities are housed in the Zuckerman Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Tri-I TDI was established to bridge the gap between groundbreaking early-stage academic research discoveries and the development of new diagnostic or therapeutic agents. Tri-I TDI supports translational research across the Tri-I community by leveraging the expertise of all three academic institutions and its industry partner, Takeda.

The organization's initial and continuing goals are to foster discovery and translational research, to provide high-quality educational opportunities to all members of the Tri-I community, and to deepen faculty involvement in drug discovery. In the context of its expanding partnership with Takeda, Tri-I TDI will explore new areas where it can provide value to patients. As innovation and technology take center stage in the conversation around the future of healthcare, the new antibody drug discovery initiative — which many consider a frontier in the health industry — is a clear and inspiring direction in which to take the institute.

As Tri-I TDI's sole industry partner, Takeda contributes a team of experienced chemists and pharmacologists, along with a wealth of institutional knowledge and best practices gained from its position as an established industry leader in the pharmaceutical sector.

Philanthropy is helping to drive discoveries at the Tri-I TDI. The three institutions received an initial $15 million gift from Lewis and Ali Sanders to launch the Tri-I TDI and, recently, a second $15 million gift from the couple to grow its mission. The institute is also funded through direct contributions from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine. An important aspect of the institute continues to be the Sanders Innovation and Education Initiative, which lends organizational infrastructure, project management, director salary support, education for a new generation of drug discovery scientists, and in-lab support of faculty to drive the institute's innovative mission.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) is the world's oldest and largest private cancer center, home to more than 14,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff united by a relentless dedication to conquering cancer. As an independent institution, MSK combines 130 years of research and clinical leadership with the freedom to provide highly individualized, exceptional care to each patient. And MSK's always-evolving educational programs continue to train new leaders in the field, both at MSK and around the world. For more information, go to www.mskcc.org.

The Rockefeller University

The Rockefeller University is the world's leading biomedical research university and is dedicated to conducting innovative, high-quality research to improve the understanding of life for the benefit of humanity. Its 79 laboratories conduct research in neuroscience, immunology, biochemistry, genomics and many other areas, and a community of over 2,000 faculty, students, postdocs, technicians, clinicians and administrative personnel work on a 14-acre Manhattan campus. Rockefeller's unique approach to science has led to some of the world's most revolutionary and transformative contributions to biology and medicine. During Rockefeller's 115-year history, 24 of our scientists have won Nobel Prizes, 21 have won Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards and 20 have garnered the National Medal of Science, the highest science award given by the United States.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. is a global, R&D-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its research efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. It also has specific development programs in specialty cardiovascular diseases, as well as late-stage candidates for vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology and gastroenterology, as well as its presence in emerging markets, fuel the growth of Takeda. More than 30,000 Takeda employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients, working with our partners in health care in more than 70 countries. For more information, go to www.takeda.com/news.

Cardiologist Dr. Geoffrey Pitt to Lead Institute Designed to Translate Research Discoveries in Cardiovascular Disease from Bench to Bedside

NEW YORK (April 29, 2016) — With the goal of improving heart health for patients worldwide, Weill Cornell Medicine has established the Cardiovascular Research Institute to expand and enhance the institution's basic and translational research activities. Dr. Geoffrey Pitt, a leading cardiologist and scientist, will direct the institute, which will be dedicated to understanding the molecular, cellular and genetic underpinnings of the disease.

Headquartered in the Belfer Research Building, the interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Institute will build upon the successes of Weill Cornell Medicine's already robust cardiovascular research activities while unifying them under one research entity. Dr. Pitt will recruit a team of leading scientists to the institute to pursue innovative research that improves treatments and therapies for conditions including coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension. Basic and translational investigators in the institute will complement and collaborate closely with the exceptional clinical cardiology and cardiovascular surgery teams at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, ensuring that laboratory breakthroughs are rapidly applied to the clinic.

Dr. Pitt was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine from Duke University, where he is currently the director of the Ion Channel Research Unit and a professor of medicine, neurobiology, and pharmacology and cancer biology. He is also an attending cardiologist at Duke University Hospital, caring for patients in its Adult Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic. A distinguished physician-scientist, Dr. Pitt investigates the structure, function and regulation of proteins located on the surface of cells that enable the transmission of electrical signals, called ion channels. His laboratory uses electrophysiology, biochemistry and structural biology approaches to discern how abnormal ion channel function causes diseases such as cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsy and ataxias, which are characterized by a loss of muscle control during voluntary movements.

"Physician-scientists have made critical advances in cardiovascular clinical care that have produced a difference in patients' lives, but we have not yet found a cure for heart disease," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. "It is vital that we discover and develop better diagnostic and treatment strategies, and there is no one better than Dr. Pitt to direct these efforts at Weill Cornell Medicine. A proven leader, I have no doubt that he will take us to the next level of excellence in cardiovascular research and care."

"It's a truly exciting opportunity to lead the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine," said Dr. Pitt, who was recruited as the Ida and Theo Rossi Distinguished Professor of Medicine and will have a clinical appointment at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. "Weill Cornell Medicine is uniquely positioned at the forefront of basic and translational research, which is critically important to support and improve patient care. The high-impact science our esteemed investigators will perform at the institute dovetails perfectly with the outstanding care our clinical cardiologists provide to our patients — with the goal of making that care even better."

While research advances achieved in recent decades have transformed the way doctors treat patients with cardiovascular disease, the condition remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17.3 million deaths each year — a number that the American Heart Association expects to swell to more than 23.6 million by 2030.

At the Cardiovascular Research Institute, investigators will use cutting-edge scientific approaches — including precision medicine and stem cell research — to explore the fundamental biology of heart and blood vessel development and function. Researchers will also seek to understand how the structure and function of proteins and the way small molecules interact with larger biological systems are involved in cardiovascular disease. The insights physicians glean from these studies will enable them to develop effective diagnostic strategies and clinical interventions when these systems fail. They will also collaborate with investigators at the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island to mine and analyze data generated from genome sequencing and from patient medical devices to develop more effective treatments.

About Dr. Geoffrey Pitt

Dr. Pitt, a board-certified internist and cardiologist, is a member of the American Heart Association, Biophysical Society, Society for Neuroscience, Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Heart Rhythm Society. He is also an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He currently serves as associate editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation; and is on the Journal of General Physiology's Editorial Advisory Board. Dr. Pitt previously served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and was an associate editor of Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy and editor for its Education in Cardiovascular Therapy section. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and is an ad hoc reviewer for 33 top-tier journals, including the Cell Metabolism, Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Nature, PNAS, and Science - STKE. He has also reviewed for or served on several national and international study sections, including those of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

Dr. Pitt has received numerous awards, including the Harrington Discovery Institute Scholar-Innovator Award (2015), the American Heart Association's Established Investigator Award (2007), the Lewis Katz Cardiovascular Research Prize for a Young Investigator (2006), the Harold and Golden Lamport Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research (2006), and the Irma T. Hirschl Monique Weill-Caulier Trust Research Career Award (2004).

Dr. Pitt received his bachelor's degree in 1984 from Yale University and his medical degree and doctorate in 1993 from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also earned a Master of Science degree in 1987 from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Pitt completed a residency in internal medicine and cardiology fellowship training at Stanford University Hospital in 1995 and 1999, respectively, and a postdoctoral fellowship in 1999 at the Stanford University School of Medicine. After spending two years at Stanford as a research associate in molecular and cellular physiology, Dr. Pitt joined Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons as the Esther Aboodi Assistant Professor of Medicine and as an assistant professor of pharmacology. Dr. Pitt earned a position on Duke's faculty in 2007.

He will begin his appointment at Weill Cornell Medicine on July 1.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Cornell University has formed a committee to search for a new Weill Cornell Medicine dean and provost for medical affairs. Co-chaired by Cornell University Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III and Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers Chairman Jessica Bibliowicz, the committee is tasked with selecting the institution's next leader, who will take the reins during a period of unprecedented growth.

The new dean will succeed Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, who announced in February that she would be leaving Weill Cornell Medicine to lead the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The search committee comprises 19 members who have a deep and comprehensive understanding of Weill Cornell Medicine’s commitment to enhancing human health by providing exemplary and individualized patient care, making groundbreaking biomedical discoveries, and educating generations of exceptional doctors and scientists. In addition to Rawlings and Bibliowicz, the committee includes board members from Cornell and Weill Cornell Medicine, senior administrators, faculty, alumni and students, as well as NewYork-Presbyterian leadership:

• Robert Appel, vice chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers
• Dr. Avery August, chair of microbiology and immunology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
• Dr. David Blumenthal, clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dr. Lewis Cantley, Meyer Director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dr. Steven Corwin, president and chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian
• Dr. Deborah Estrin, professor of computer science at Cornell Tech and professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Barbara Friedman, vice chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers
• Robert Harrison, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees
• Dr. Barbara Hempstead, senior associate dean for education at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dr. Gary Koretzky, dean of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and vice dean for research at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Dr. Michael Kotlikoff, provost of Cornell University
• Raul Martinez-McFaline, M.D.-Ph.D. student in the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program and Weill Cornell Medicine student overseer
• Edward Meyer, member of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers
• Dr. Carl Nathan, chairman of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Timothy O’Neill, member of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers
• Dr. Gene Resnick, past president of the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association Board of Directors
• Dr. Michael G. Stewart, vice dean and the E. Darracott Vaughan Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Augustine Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was named interim dean effective June 1. Glimcher will continue as an adviser at Weill Cornell Medicine through Aug. 31.

Excessive iron buildup in the lungs could be a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Weill Cornell Medicine scientists find in a new study. The investigators also believe that they have identified the culprit for the excess: A gene they previously found to increase patients' susceptibility to the progressive lung disease.

For their study, published online on Jan. 11 in Nature Medicine, researchers examined a gene that is tasked with regulating iron uptake in cells, called iron-responsive element-binding protein 2 (IRP2). They discovered that mice that express IRP2 developed the hallmark symptoms of COPD — a condition defined by obstruction to expiratory airflows that makes breathing difficult — when exposed to cigarette smoke, while rodents that lacked the gene remained healthy. A drug given to the symptomatic mice prevented additional lung damage and even reversed COPD's effects.

The investigators say their discovery is significant because they validate the results of a 2009 study that implicated IRP2 in the disease's development and demonstrate how the gene supports COPD. The findings also illustrate that IRP2 may be a powerful therapeutic target.

"At the end of the day, we always like to have an impact on human disease, whether it's improving diagnostics, prevention or therapeutics, and this study actually gets to the therapeutic angle," said senior author Dr. Augustine Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. "Not only does it validate our previous work, but it also provides us with a really good understanding of how IRP2 functions and facilitates the development of COPD."

COPD, which includes smoking-induced emphysema, chronic bronchitis and non-reversible asthma, is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, affecting more than 20 million people nationwide. It's commonly associated with smoking cigarettes and long-term exposure to air pollution, second-hand smoke, dust fumes and chemicals. But investigators have long wondered if there is a genetic predisposition to the disease.

These microscopic images illustrate epithelial cells from a human airway. IRP2 is stained in red in cells exposed to room air (left) and 30 minutes of cigarette smoke (right). Image: Dr. Suzanne Cloonan

In 2009, Dr. Choi and colleagues published a study in the American Journal of Human Genetics that analyzed the genes of patients with COPD and their family members to determine if there was a common genetic link. IRP2 was one of the top hits.

To validate that finding and determine the gene's functional role, the researchers exposed two sets of mice to cigarette smoke for six months. Mice that lacked IRP2 were found to be resistant to the smoke's effects, while the rest developed first inflammation and then emphysema — two very common characteristics of COPD.

The investigators then examined the rodents' lung tissue and found that mice expressing IRP2 had an excessive buildup of iron in their cells, particularly in the cells' powerhouse, called the mitochondria. This indicated that the presence of the IRP2 gene and its corresponding protein caused an increase in iron. While iron is key to the body's metabolism, the balance is delicate – too little or too much can cause disorders such as anemia or hemochromatosis, respectively.

Dr. Suzanne Cloonan

"We think that this excess of mitochondrial iron leads to mitochondrial dysfunction," said first author Dr. Suzanne Cloonan, an assistant professor of biochemistry in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. "The mitochondria cannot behave as normal – they cannot utilize oxygen as well, they cannot make as much energy as they should, and they're stressed out."

Mitochondria are so integral to cell function that the stress caused by excessive iron buildup can lead to inflammation and damage to the lung's air sacs, as well as to cells that line the airways — all of which is common in COPD patients. To offset this imbalance, researchers tested deferiprone (DFP), an orally administered drug that binds to and removes excessive iron from the mitochondria, relocating it to different cell populations in the body for their own metabolic purposes. When given to the sick mice, the drug was able to prevent and even reverse the lung inflammation, Dr. Cloonan said.

DFP is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the blood iron disorder beta thalassemia. This means that scientists may be able to more quickly apply these findings in COPD to the clinic, Drs. Choi and Cloonan said.

"The drugs we currently use for COPD really just relieve symptoms and don't change the course of the disease," Dr. Choi said. "Our study suggests that we may be able to affect the progression of the disease. A cure would be even better."