Understanding the Link Between HIV and Brain Health
New research will help define the association between HIV, inflammation, and brain health, focusing on cerebral small vessel disease, which increases the risk for cognitive problems later in life.
Stories
Celebrating Gilbert Gottfried: Comedy Stars Unite in NYC to Support Muscular Dystrophy Research
Some of comedy’s biggest names gathered in New York City on Wednesday to honor the life of Gilbert Gottfried and raise funds for muscular dystrophy research at the University of Rochester Medical ...
RSV Vaccines Effective, But More People Need to Get Them
Angela Branche, MD, details what we learned after the first season following the approval of RSV vaccines,
Future COVID Boosters Could Be Nasal: URMC Researchers Lead Study on Next-Gen Vaccines
A team is exploring the efficacy of COVID nasal vaccines, which could could offer broader protection against different variants and potentially provide stronger immunity in the respiratory system.
FDA Taps URMC to Develop New Digital Measures for Huntington's Disease
The study aims to detect early signs of the disease through mobility and chorea monitoring and these digital tools could support clinical trials targeting early-stage Huntington’s.
New Research Offers Hope for Preventing Age-Related Blindness
Findings published in the journal Developmental Cell provides important insights into the cellular mechanisms behind AMD and offers potential avenues for new treatments.
Celebrating Decades of Advances in Myotonic Dystrophy Research
On September 15, Strong Memorial Hospital lit up green to commemorate Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day and the significant scientific progress achieved in Rochester and beyond over the past 30 years. ...
Is Mercury in Fish Bad for You?
Vital for a healthy diet and providing nutrients essential for brain development, fish consumption is safe if you follow guidelines.
URMC Named Batten Disease Center of Excellence
Designation acknowledges URMC’s multidisciplinary care and research advancements for Batten diseases, a family of rare neurodegenerative disorders.
Study Reveals Brain Fluid Dynamics as Key to Migraine Mysteries, New Therapies
New research describes for the first time the connection between the neurological symptoms associated with aura and the migraine headaches that follow, identifying potential new drug targets.
Michael Scott, Surgical Recovery Pioneer, Named Chair of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Michael James Scott, MB, ChB, whose work in quality improvement has helped enhance recovery after surgery, has been appointed chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.
New Model Could Help Provide Expectant Mothers a Clearer Path to Safe Fish Consumption
New framework separates mercury exposure into fish intake and average mercury content of the consumed, findings that could reduce confusion, and produce clearer guidance on fish consumption for ...
What Is H5N1 Bird Flu, How it Spreads to Humans, and Safety Concerns
Infectious disease expert David Topham, who has studied bird and other influenza viruses for almost three decades, discusses the potential public health threat posed by the latest outbreak.
Tawil’s Retirement Marks Milestone in Neuromuscular Disease Research and Treatment
Rabi Tawil, MD, one of the world’s leading experts in rare neuromuscular diseases, is retiring after more than three decades with URMC.
Smartwatches Offer Window into Parkinson's Disease Progression
New research adds to growing evidence that widely used and user-friendly consumer devices can detect changes in Parkinson’s symptoms over time, findings that could help speed up the approval of new ...
In Memoriam: Ira Shoulson Leaves a Legacy of Hope for Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Patients
Shoulson's pioneering contributions in clinical research enhanced the quality of life for individuals battling neurological disorders.
Mobile Stroke Unit Extends Operating Hours, Expanding Reach of Lifesaving Care
The UR Medicine MSU, which brings the expertise and technology necessary to diagnose and treat stroke directly to the patient, has extended services and now operates seven days a week.
New Art Space in Neurology Embraces Diversity and Equity
A new art gallery in the Medical Center will feature diverse artistic voices. Under the stewardship of noted Rochester artist Shawn Dunwoody, the Unity Gallery will leverage art to provoke thought, ...
Microplastics Research Hub Aims to Unravel Health Impact in Changing Climate
A joint URMC and RIT research center will study the lifecycle of microplastics in the Great Lakes and how climate change could intensify the environmental and health threats posed by this pollution.
On World Parkinson’s Day, a New Theory Emerges on the Disease’s Origins and Spread
The hypothesis paper builds upon a growing scientific consensus that Parkinson’s disease route to the brain starts in either the nose or the gut and proposes that the likely source is environmental ...
David Gill to Lead Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology
David Gill, MD, has been appointed chief of the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at URMC. A highly respected local clinician and academic, he returns to the institution where he ...
New Imaging Method Illuminates Oxygen's Journey in the Brain
A new bioluminescence imaging technique has created highly detailed images of the movement of oxygen in the brains of mice, enabling researchers to more precisely study forms of brain hypoxia ...
Nedergaard Recognized with Nakasone Award for Pioneering Research
Maiken Nedergaard has been recognized by the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization for her “groundbreaking discovery and exploration” of the glymphatic system.
Jamie Capal Tapped as New Head of Child Neurology
Jamie Capal, MD, whose specializes in intellectual and developmental disabilities, will serve chief of the Division of Child Neurology at Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Calcium Channel Blockers Key to Reversing Myotonic Dystrophy Muscle Weakness, Study Finds
The study demonstrates that calcium and chloride channelopathy lies at the heart of the muscle dysfunction found in the disease and that common clinically available calcium channel blockers can ...
New Advanced Brain Injury Rehab Unit Opens at Strong Memorial Hospital
The state-of-the-art, 11-bed unit is dedicated to helping patients recover function and independence after traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Manipulating Fluid Flows in the Brain Could Save Lives, Improve Recovery Post-TBI
New research appearing in the journal Nature shows that a cocktail of drugs already approved to treat high blood pressure quickly reduces cerebral edema and improves outcomes in animal models of ...
From lab to life-changer: URMC neuromuscular researchers pave the way for gene therapy revolution
For almost five decades, researchers with the Medical Center have been studying myotonic dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and other rare neuromuscular disorders, and played a pivotal role in ...
Grant Boosts Drive to Transform Treatment Landscape for Rare Neurological Disorders
New funding will extend URMC's key role in national research network just a new gene therapies or neuromuscular and other disorders are emerging.
URMC Clinical Researchers Pave the Way for New Huntington’s Drug
The FDA has approved valbenazine as a treatment for Huntington’s disease chorea. A team of URMC researcher provided scientific, technical, logistical, and operational support for the phase 3 study ...
The Current and Future Role of Single-Port Robotic Surgery
The da Vinci single port robotic surgical system, which made its clinical debut in 2018, represents a significant technological advance in robotic surgery.
Trading Sickness for Health: Swapping Brain Cells Points to New Huntington's Therapies
New study answers important questions about the viability of treatments that seek to replace diseased and aged cells in the central nervous system with healthy ones.
Study Shows Surprisingly Low Use of COVID Antiviral Treatments in Nursing Homes
Only 18 percent of COVID cases in nursing homes received antiviral treatment, despite the known benefit of these drugs and the high risk of nursing home residents to adverse outcomes due to COVID.
An Unexpected Doorway into the Ear Opens New Possibilities for Hearing Restoration
An international team of researchers has developed a new method to deliver drugs into the cochlea, repair inner ear hair cells, and restore hearing in deaf mice.
New Gene Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy a “Monumental Advance”
Emma Ciafaloni, MD, describes how the new drug works, why the FDA chose to limit its use, and what it means for patients and their families.
Palliative Care: Creating a New Model to Address Suffering for Neurological Illnesses
In a review commissioned by the journal Lancet Neurology, an international team of experts argue that current models of care do not adequately address the needs of people living with neurologic ...
New Images Capture Unseen Details of the Synapse
Scientists have created one of the most detailed 3D images of the synapse, a technical achievement that allows researchers to study the different cells that converge at individual synapses at a level ...
Digital Tools Paint Vivid Portrait of Parkinson’s Disease
Eight years ago, University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) researchers helped launch the first smartphone application designed to track the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Apple featured the ...
What You Need to Know about the New Parkinson’s Biomarker
URMC neurologist Irene Richard, MD, discusses the importance of a recently discovered protein biomarker that can accurately identify Parkinson’s disease, even in undiagnosed and pre-symptomatic ...
Halting the Rise of Parkinson’s
The University of Rochester’s leadership in the field of environmental medicine stretches back to toxicology research programs developed at the University under the Manhattan Project. These programs ...
Telemedicine Extends Reach of Stroke and Neurological Care
UR Medicine neurologists are now providing 24/7 remote stroke and neurological care for 16 hospitals across upstate New York, creating one of the more comprehensive hub-and-spoke networks in the ...
Smartwatches may be key to development of new Parkinson’s treatments
Commercially available smartphones and watches, like the Apple Watch, are able to capture key features of early, untreated Parkinson’s disease.
Frequent COVID Testing of Nursing Home Staff Protected Residents, Saved Lives
A new study in NEJM shows that nursing homes that conducted staff surveillance testing more regularly experienced significantly lower rates of COVID infections and deaths.
Common Dry Cleaning Chemical Linked to Parkinson’s Disease
An international team of neurologists makes the case that the chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), a common pollutant found in contaminated sites, is driving the global growth in Parkinson’s.
NINDS Delegation Tours Neurology Research and Education Programs in Zambia
U.S. and Zambian researchers and clinicians have building a decades-long partnership to address he neurological burden of diseases like cerebral malaria, HIV, and stroke in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Newly Discovered Anatomy Shields and Monitors Brain
The previously unknown component of brain anatomy, described in the journal Science, acts as both a protective barrier and platform from which immune cells scan the brain for infection and ...
Solar Panels for Cells: Light-Activated Proton Pumps Generate Cellular Energy, Extend Life
A team of U.S. and German researchers engineered mitochondria that can covert light energy to chemical energy, power cellular functions, and extend life in the roundworm C. elegans. The findings ...
What You Need to Know about Lecanemab, the Potential New Alzheimer’s Drug
Anton Porsteinsson, M.D., discusses results from a clinical trial for an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s, who benefits, and how the drug is an advance in care.
New DoD Partnership Will Pave the Way for Therapeutic Advances for Chronic Diseases
The Center for Health + Technology will partner with the Defense Department to develop tools that will allow patients to provide insight into the merit of promising therapies for four chronic, ...
Children with HIV at Greater Risk for Impaired Neurological Development
New research indicates that improved nutrition and faster diagnosis and treatment may help children who were born infected with HIV.
New Study Will Explore COVID’s Potential Link to Dementia
A new $3.7 million grant will allow researchers to more precisely understand how the virus triggers damage in the brain and the long-term impact on cognitive performance.
Brain’s Support Cells May Hold Key to New Huntington’s Treatments
A new study expands our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease, and reinforces the potential of therapies that target glia cells.
At-Home Sensors Can Spot Parkinson’s Disease
New research shows that a device that passively monitors breathing during sleep can detect Parkinson's and track the progression of the disease over time.
Study Finds COVID Vaccine Mandates for Nursing Home Staff Effective
New research shows that the state level vaccine mandates for nursing home staff improved vaccination rates without increasing staffing shortages.
New Grant Will Unlock Workings of Brain’s Waste Removal System
A new $15 million grant from the NIH will bring together several teams of researchers to accelerate our understanding of the complex mechanics that control the brain's unique waste removal system, ...
Rare Brain Disorder Does Not Derail Future Career in Medicine
Rachael Muggleton was a pre-med student at Penn State when a dangerous brain inflammation called autoimmune encephalitis suddenly struck. Her 6-month stay at Strong Memorial Hospital and the ...
New Study Will Examine How COVID Deepened the Opioid Crisis
Opioid-related deaths jumped more than 28 percent in the first year of the pandemic. A new grant will examine how COVID disruptions contributed to the increase and what can be done to reverse this ...
Current Guidance May Unnecessarily Delay Care for Stroke Victims
New research appearing in JAMA Surgery shows that scientific statements intended to lower risk for perioperative stroke may be too conservative, potentially resulting in unnecessary surgical delays.
URMC Partners with Sana Biotechnology to Advance Cell-based Therapies in Neurological Disorders
URMC and Sana Biotechnology have entered into an agreement which will allow Sana to expand its manufacturing footprint and create new job opportunities in Rochester.
UR Medicine’s Batavia Campus Opens
The new campus will open its doors to patients on May 16, strengthening the health system’s commitment to increase access to specialist and primary care for patients in Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming ...
More State Oversight Needed to Improve End-of-Life Care for Assisted Living Residents
New research shows that assisted living residents on Medicare/Medicaid who reside in states with looser oversight are less likely to die at home under hospice care, an important indicator of the ...
Documentary Sheds Light on the Parkinson’s ‘Pandemic’
A new documentary, titled The Long Road to Hope, tells the story of individuals with Parkinson’s and efforts to study, treat, and prevent the disease from a global perspective.
Daily Steroids Safe and Slow Progression of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
New research published in JAMA recommends daily steroid doses for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, marking a significant change in how the disease is treated.
Heatwole Appointed Director of CHeT
Chad Heatwole, M.D., M.S., has been appointed the new director of the Center for Health + Technology (CHeT) at the University of Rochester, one of the nation's leading academic centers in clinical ...
Study Links Fracking, Drinking Water Pollution, and Infant Health
New research links shale gas development in Pennsylvania to pollution of public water supplies and negative impacts on infant health. The findings call for closer environmental regulation of the ...
Study Examines Second COVID Booster to Strengthen Immunity, Prepare for Future Waves
Results are in! URMC-led study shows that current COVID boosters elicited weak immune responses to new COVID variants, suggesting a need for continued monitoring for new variants and possibly ...
Markman Recognized for Contributions to Pain Research
John Markman, M.D., has been named the 2022 Mitchell Max Scientific Award recipient for his contributions to pain research by the American Academy of Neurology.
When Does a Pandemic Become Endemic?
Ann Falsey, M.D., addresses the question of what life may look like once COVID takes its place among other circulating respiratory diseases that, while dangerous for some, do not produce spikes in ...
DoD Medical Teams Arrive at Strong Memorial Hospital
Two Air Force Military Medical Teams have been deployed to support clinical operations at UR Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital. The militarily personnel will begin service in medical-surgical, ...
Article Details Baseball Player’s Road to Recovery after Devastating Brain Injury
Last summer, a blood vessel in Daniel Brito's brain burst during a Triple-A game in Rochester. A new article in The Athletic tells the story of the months-long stay in the Neuro-ICU at URMC and his ...
Experimental Gene Therapy Targets Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Children in Rochester were recently among the first in the nation to be enrolled in a phase 3 clinical trial for a new gene therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Trust in Science at Root of Vaccine Acceptance
Results of a global research project indicate that trust in science is the most powerful determinant of whether a person will decide to get a COVID vaccine.
Study Details Lessons Learned from Remote Clinical Studies
A new study by researchers with the University of Rochester Center for Heath + Technology details the experience with three large remote clinical trials in Parkinson's disease and the lessons that ...
Huntington’s Study Recognized for Potential to ‘Shape Medicine’
The journal Nature Medicine has identified a phase 3 study of pridopidine as a treatment for Huntington’s disease as one of 11 clinical trials that will shape medicine in 2022.
New Research Points to Mercury’s Long-term Effects
A series of new studies from researchers at URMC indicate that mercury exposure may disrupt the early development of the connections between muscles and the brain, which could lead to motor control ...
URMC to Lead First Gene Therapy Study for Batten Disease
URMC will serve as the lead study site in the U.S. for an experimental treatment being developed by Neurogene for CLN5 Batten disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.
AHA Recognizes UR Medicine for Excellence in Stroke Care
UR Medicine’s Comprehensive Stroke Center was honored for providing lifesaving care, including the administration of interventions capable of improving outcomes, especially when provided as soon as ...
Legacy of Racism in Housing Policies Continues to Impact Maternal Health
Housing policies established more than eight decades ago that effectively trapped people of color in low income and segregated neighborhoods continues to impact the health of residents, resulting in ...
Fracking Comes at the Expense of Water Quality
In a perspective piece that appears in the journal Science, Elaine Hill, Ph.D., calls for tighter regulation and monitoring of fracking as more evidence points to the negative health consequences of ...
FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine
The federal Food and Drug Administration today granted full approval to the COVID vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech for people 16 and older, making it the first to move beyond emergency use ...
The intersection of science and surgery
The Program for Translational Brain Mapping that represents a unique nexus between science and neurosurgery to improve care and outcomes. It brings together neuroscientists and neurosurgeons to ...
Book Provides Roadmap for Recovery from Brain and Spinal Cord Injury
Former URMC CEO Bradford C. Berk reflects on his own spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic and details his experience – as a doctor and a patient – to create a user’s manual for those ...
COVID Infection, Death Linked to Racial Diversity in Nursing Homes
New research shows that people nursing homes with higher concentrations of Black and Latino residents were more than 50% more likely to be infected with COVID and twice as likely to die in the first ...
Brain Map Will Help Identify Risk Factors for Mental Health Problems
New findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD) provide researchers with a roadmap of brain activity that could be used to identify cognitive processing problems that could ...
New Study Mismatches Vaccine Doses to Boost Immunity to COVID and Variants
URMC is participating in a new clinical trial that will help inform public health decisions around re-vaccination schedules and the deployment of boosters that target COVID variants.
New Award Explores Intersection of Infectious Diseases and Neurological Disorders
URMC neurologist Gretchen Birbeck, M.D., M.P.H., has received a $4.3 million award from the NIH to continue her research in sub-Saharan Africa on the neurological problems that arise in people ...
Grant Recognizes National Leadership in Environmental Health Disparities Research
The University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center has received a $7.7 million, five-year renewal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science. The grant marks five ...
Deerfield and Empire Discovery Institute Partner to Advance Life Sciences R&D in Rochester, Buffalo
Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm, and Empire Discovery Institute have established a new $65 million research fund to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries ...
Study Links Fracking with Higher Heart Attack Risk
In New York State unconventional natural gas development – or fracking – is banned, while in Pennsylvania it represents a multi-billion dollar industry. New research takes advantage of this ‘natural ...
You Got the COVID Vaccine. How Long Are You Protected?
It’s too soon to know with certainty, but experience with other infectious diseases leads experts to believe that your immune system will probably be able to detect and respond to the coronavirus for ...
Expanding Access to COVID Vaccination in Vulnerable Communities
URMC is involved in several new initiatives to improve access and equity in COVID vaccine distribution in underserved portions of the City of Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.
Early Results Show Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine Safe, Highly Effective in Adolescents
Interim study data released today show that the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is 100% effective in preventing infections in 12-15 year olds. The vaccine is currently approved for emergency use ...
UR Medicine Vaccinating Hospital Patients at Discharge
UR Medicine has begun vaccinating at-risk patients who are in the process of being discharged from Strong Memorial Hospital. The effort is part of a New York State initiative announced earlier this ...
New Coronavirus Vaccine Study Seeks to “Boost” Immune Response
URMC and RRH have begun a new clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This study represents an important step in the ...
New Research Sheds Light on Vision Loss in Batten Disease
Progressive vision loss, and eventually blindness, are the hallmarks of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL) or CLN3-Batten disease. New research shows how the mutation associated with the ...
FDA Approves Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine: Vaccination Begins in Frontline Health Care Workers
An interim analysis of study data from a coronavirus vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech indicates that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing COVID-19.
Memories Create ‘Fingerprints’ That Reveal How the Brain is Organized
While the broad architecture and organization of the human brain is universal, new research shows how the differences between how people reimagine common scenarios can be observed in brain activity ...
Research to Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases Advances: URMC Start-up Acquired
Oscine Therapeutics – a biotechnology company that is developing cell-based therapies for neurological disorders based on discoveries made at the University of Rochester Medical Center – has been ...
New Institute Takes Aim at Infectious Pathogens, Builds Pipeline of Clinician Researchers
The Translational Immunology and Infectious Diseases Institute will focus on the development of new treatments and vaccines, and strategies to better control the spread of infectious diseases like ...