Year in Research

Several studies this year focused on aging and countering the effects of growing older.  

Other Stories

• Computer Models Mimic Brain in Telling Faces Apart: Models that perform statistical analyses of hundreds of visual clues point the way to understanding how our brains give us the ability to distinguish faces. 
• Is There a Link Between Mental Health and Mass Shootings?: Findings from a Columbia University database help dispel the myth that having a severe psychiatric illness is predictive of who will perpetrate mass murder. 
• Hidden Consciousness Detected with EEG Predicts Recovery of Unresponsive Patients: Using EEG to identify covert consciousness in unresponsive brain-injured patients could help predict which patients may recover. 
• New Insights into Melanoma Brain Metastases: Columbia cancer researchers have completed one of the most comprehensive studies of the cells inside melanoma brain metastases. 
• Gun Violence: Can Research Help?: The Columbia Scientific Union for the Reduction of Gun Violence, or SURGE, is a coalition of faculty, students, and alumni from across the university dedicated to finding creative scientific solutions to gun violence. Novel interventions being explored include work by Ashley Blanchard, MD, a pediatric emergency physician at VP&S, and other SURGE members. Dr. Blanchard’s pilot feasibility study aims to determine if a tablet-based tool called Lock and Protect works to increase safe storage or removal of guns and other lethal means by parents whose adolescents are at increased risk of suicide. Other research examines the relationships among gun ownership, gun violence, and mental illness. 
• Why Many IVF Embryos Fail to Develop: Spontaneous errors in the earliest phase of cell division may explain why so many human embryos fail to develop normally. 
• Transforming Treatment for Multiple Myeloma: Columbia researchers have found that a protein released by multiple myeloma cells prevents the immune system from attacking the cancer, a finding that could lead to better treatments. 
• How Close Is Xenotransplantation, Really?: Transplantation of animal organs into human bodies may become medical reality sooner than we think. 
• Drug Side Effects Across Pediatric Development Stages Identified: Researchers have developed a new algorithm to better identify safety signals of prescribed drugs in different stages of childhood. 
• Study Reveals New Causes of Common Lymphoma: Cancer researchers have found a multitude of mutations linked to lymphoma in previously ignored regions of the genome. 
• 60 New Autism Genes Identified: A new study may provide important clues to the causes of autism across the full spectrum of the disorder. 
• The Next Revolution in Gene Editing?: New findings may help Columbia researchers develop a gene editing tool that can make more precise edits than CRISPR-Cas9. 
• Sugar Disrupts Microbiome, Eliminates Protection Against Obesity and Diabetes: A study of mice found that dietary sugar alters the gut microbiome, setting off a chain of events that leads to metabolic disease, pre-diabetes, and weight gain. 
• Common Back Ailment Could Be Sign of Heart Failure: A third of patients undergoing surgery for spinal stenosis, a common back ailment, had protein deposits in their spine that hint at heart failure in their future. 
• Cravings for Fatty Foods Traced to Gut-Brain Connection: Columbia neuroscientists have discovered a previously unknown connection between the gut and the brain that drives the desire for fatty foods. 
• Alcohol Use Disorder: A Growing Public Health Crisis: Nearly one-third of Americans consume an amount of alcohol that puts them at risk for alcohol dependence. 
• The Neural Cartography of Smell: The experience of every odor derives from precise brain circuitry that researchers now are revealing in unprecedented detail. 
• Columbia Scientists Receive Prestigious New Innovator Awards from NIH: Four Columbia researchers received awards that enable exceptionally creative scientists to push the boundaries of biomedical science. 
• Fine Tuning Movement: Columbia neuroscientists have discovered that the brain has greater control over the motor neurons that move the body than previously thought possible. 
• Study Points Toward New Ways to Prevent Liver Cancer: A study shows that a shift from quiescent to activated liver cells sets the stage for liver cancer and suggests ways for people with liver disease to reduce the risk of developing cancer. 
• One in 10 Older Americans Has Dementia: In a nationally representative study of cognitive impairment prevalence, Columbia researchers found almost 10% of older adults have dementia and 22% have mild cognitive impairment. 
• Crossword Puzzles Beat Computer Video Games in Slowing Memory Loss: Adults with mild cognitive decline who were assigned crossword puzzles showed less brain shrinkage and better daily functioning than adults assigned other games. 
• Using SNAP Benefits Can Help Your Memory: Older adults who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may have slower memory decline than people who are eligible but do not participate. 
• Decades of Air Pollution Undermine the Immune System: The diminished power of the immune system in older adults is usually blamed on the aging process. A study shows that decades of inhaled particulates due to air pollution also take a toll. 
• Breast Implants After Mastectomy Associated with Very Low Risk of Lymphoma: A recent rise in a rare lymphoma has been linked to breast implants, but Columbia researchers have found that the risk is extremely low among women who have reconstructive surgery after mastectomy. 
• Positively Charged Nanomaterials Treat Obesity at Targeted Locations: Columbia researchers have discovered that a nanomaterial injected into mice shrinks fat at targeted locations, revealing an unexpected strategy to treat obesity. 
• What Will It Take to Reach HIV Epidemic Control?: Obstacles remain before the world reaches the point of eliminating AIDS, but new prevention technologies and outreach programs are reasons to be optimistic about the future. 
• “Living Drug” Created by Columbia Immunologists May Save Transplanted Organs: Columbia’s cell therapy lab, which creates customized cell therapies, is testing its first product, T cells trained to fight dangerous infections in transplant patients. 
• New Study Reveals Disparities in 3D Mammography Screenings for Breast Cancer: A significantly lower proportion of Hispanic and Black women who underwent screening received 3D mammograms, according to a study presented at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. 
• Can Stem Cells Improve Shoulder Surgery?: Columbia researchers have found that specific cells, when present in the shoulder, promote healing of rotator cuff injuries in mice. 
• Foundation Establishes Neurodegeneration Research Center: The Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration will bring novel approaches to research on Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. 
• Overactive Cell Metabolism Linked to Biological Aging: Human cells with impaired mitochondria ramp up their metabolism to enhance short-term survival, but at a cost: more rapid aging. 
• Pursuing a Lifelong Interest in How Brains Age: An associate research scientist in the Department of Neurology studies how lived experiences affect the way the brain ages in diverse populations. 
• Brain Scans May Predict Best Treatment for OCD: Researchers used neuroimaging to determine whether the brain can predict response to exposure and response prevention in teens and adults with OCD.  
• Serotonin May Accelerate Heart Valve Disease: Serotonin can impact the mitral valve of the heart and potentially accelerate a cardiac condition known as degenerative mitral regurgitation. 
• Will Revitalizing Old Blood Slow Aging?: Young blood may be an elixir for older bodies, rejuvenating aging hearts, muscles, and brains. But how can old blood become young again? Columbia stem cell scientists may have found a way. 
• Microbiome Disturbances Reported as Signature of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research has revealed differences in the gut microbiomes of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome compared with those of healthy controls. 
• New Atlas of the Spinal Cord May Help Science Solve Neurological Mysteries: Using a new atlas of the cells in the human spinal cord, Columbia and NIH researchers found that the genes that allow motor neurons to become so big are also the genes most often dysregulated in ALS. 
• Understanding These Immune Cells May Lead to New Ways to Treat Brain Diseases: Immune cells in the brain must rearrange a part of their cytoskeleton before they can perform their jobs, a finding that may lead to new ways to slow some brain diseases. 
• What Makes a Memory Stick: Once a new memory is created, patterns of high-frequency brain waves must be coordinated to make the memory stick. 
• Can Genomic Screening of Newborns Help More Children Born with Rare Diseases?: In the GUARDIAN study, the genomes of newborns are being scanned to identify children who have one of hundreds of treatable and preventable rare genetic conditions before symptoms emerge. 
• Two Columbia Scientists Receive Hirschl Trust Research Awards: Iok In Christine Chio, PhD, and Oliver Clarke, PhD, early-career investigators,  are 2023 recipients of prestigious awards from the Irma T. Hirschl Trust Research Scientist Program. 
• Engineered Bacteria Find Cancer, Then Alert the Authorities: Columbia researchers have engineered bacteria that not only find cancers but also trigger the host’s own immune cells to kill the malignant cells. 
• New Paradigm for Pediatric Brain Tumors: Researchers have begun a trial of a noninvasive, focused ultrasound approach to open the blood-brain barrier, enabling higher concentrations of an effective drug to enter the brain. 
• Family Financial Struggles During Pandemic Took Toll on Kids' Mental Health: The driving force for children’s well-being during the COVID pandemic was their family's financial capacity, not school closures. 
• New Insights into the Origins of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Researchers have discovered how a genetic defect leads to spinal muscular atrophy, a finding that could lead to a new therapy for a disease that affects 1 in 6,000 children. 
• Alzheimer’s: Study Supports Amyloid Hypothesis But Suggests Alternative Treatment: Amyloid sparks an alliance between two proteins in the brain that can potentially explain up to half of the gene changes that occur in Alzheimer’s. 
• Mild COVID During Pregnancy Did Not Slow Brain Development in Babies: Brain development is normal in babies whose moms had mild COVID during pregnancy, a study found.  
• Illuminating Tumor Cells with Dark Proteins: Columbia researchers have shined new light on how the “dark” part of the genome allows cancer cells to be detected by the immune system, which could lead to better immunotherapies. 
• 60 Years Later, High School Quality May Have a Long-Term Impact on Cognition: Attending a high school with a high number of teachers with graduate training was the clearest predictor of the impact of school quality on late-life cognition. 
• Gun Deaths More Likely in Small Towns Than Major Cities: Contrary to popular belief, firearm deaths in the United States are statistically more likely in small towns, not major cities. 
• Accelerated Biological Aging May Contribute to Depression and Anxiety: Poor mental health is thought to accelerate aging, but a study suggests the reverse process may also occur. 
• Mpox Antiviral Outcomes Are Similar Regardless of HIV Status: Patients with mpox who were treated with the antiviral drug tecovirimat had similar outcomes regardless of HIV status. 
• “List Diving” Skips Top Candidates Awaiting Donor Kidneys: Some transplant centers routinely skip their highest-ranking candidate to give a donated kidney to a lower-ranked patient. 
• New Study Reveals Hidden Mechanism for Controlling a Cell's Molecules: By altering the propensity of a molecule to form biologically active states, researchers can fine-tune the molecule’s activity inside cells. 
• Source of Common Kidney Disease Lies Outside the Kidney: The discovery of new genes linked to IgA nephropathy, a common kidney disease, confirms the idea that the immune system drives the disease.  
• Understanding the Inner Workings of Decision Making to Develop Therapies: Neuroscientists are studying decision-making to uncover treatments for brain disorders that affect the process. 
• How to Build a Better Aptamer: Scientists have found a more efficient way to isolate aptamers, antibody-like structures with biomedical applications. 
• How Heart Failure Leads to Cognitive Decline: Heart failure may lead to cognitive decline by creating a tiny calcium leak inside the brain’s neurons.