News from WCM

Does a toxin found in the Arabian Desert Raise the Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases Like ALS

Molecules that coordinate the development of highly specialized blood vessels in the kidney have been identified by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Hofstra University. The findings pave the way toward new strategies for repairing damaged organs.

When Cornell President Martha E. Pollack talks about the experiences that shaped her career, she starts by talking about mentorship, and a pivotal conversation she had with Professor Hoyt Alverson at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Katherine Hajjar, an esteemed physician-scientist with expertise in pediatric hematology and vascular cell biology, has been named senior associate dean for faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine

When I sit in the doctor’s office, I wonder what she thinks of me.

Apps, video games and other media are filling gaps in mental healthcare

An inexpensive program using trained community members to deliver a structured program based on cognitive behavioral therapy by telephone was able to improve daily functioning, self-reported physical activity, and overall quality of life among diabetic patients with chronic pain.

In an IVF breakthrough, artificial intelligence helps identify the embryos most likely to lead to successful pregnancies.

Trainees of Hispanic ethnicity, compared with non-Hispanic trainees, were only about 40 percent as likely to pass, on the first try, the final examination for American Board of Surgery (ABS) certification, despite having passed an initial qualifying exam to demonstrate sufficient applied knowledge, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators. 

An eight-week course of treatment with the daily oral drug glecaprevir/pibrentasvir cured chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 98% of previously untreated patients with an asymptomatic form of cirrhosis or liver scarring known as compensated cirrhosis.

Decreased amounts of a neurotransmitter called GABA, whose main function is to reduce activity in the brain, leads to changes in the number of neurons in the developing brain and alters signaling between them.

A transformative scholarship initiative will eliminate loans for many of Weill Cornell Medicine’s future MDs

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have built the first global database of clinical trials testing a rapidly expanding approach to cancer treatment that involves genetically modifying immune cells to recognize specific targets on a patient’s cancer cells and attack them.

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have developed a machine-learning algorithm capable of predicting biological targets of prospective drug molecules.

Medical schools evaluating the merits of eliminating tuition, as opposed to pursuing debt-free initiatives, should approach the debate in the same way physicians and scientists engage in medicine: with empirical data, according to new commentary by leaders at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered how a key transcription factor protein called KLF4 helps “reprogram” skin cells into stem cells, according to a new study.

African American patients who underwent knee-replacement surgery were several times more likely than white patients of similar age to be discharged to inpatient facilities for post-operative care and rehabilitation rather than home, according to a large study from a team led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. 

Dr. Yoon Kang has been appointed senior associate dean for education at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective Dec. 9.

Neurons have a special mechanism that allows them to quickly boost energy production to support bursts of brain activity, according to a new study from scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine.

More diverse applicants will be encouraged to apply to M.D.-Ph.D. programs if medical schools publish admissions statistics on their websites, a team from Weill Cornell Medicine says in a viewpoint published Dec. 9 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.