https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Columbia University Irving Medical Center In their landmark 1961 paper on the lac operon, Nobel laureates François Jacob and Jacques Monod speculated that RNA might control gene activity in bacteria through base-pairing interactions. But once protein transcription factors were discovered, the idea was tossed aside. Sixty years later, a multi-institutional team of biologists shows that Jacob and Monod were on to something. Some species of bacteria, reports the team in Nature, have evolved an RNA-guided gene activating system by transforming a copy of a CRISPR-Cas gene-cutting system. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-bacteria-genes.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:00:02 EDT news693722477 With AI, it's now possible for researchers to predict the three-dimensional structures of proteins directly from their amino-acid sequences. But what biologists really want to predict, says Columbia biophysicist Hashim Al-Hashimi, is how RNA and DNA-encoded molecules behave inside their natural cellular environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-rna-therapeutic-possibilities.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 21 Mar 2026 11:00:03 EDT news693068764 A closer examination of the APOL1 gene in Black patients with kidney disease can provide more accurate diagnoses than current protocols, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found. Accurate diagnosis is important as treatments for kidney disease depend on the disease's root causes and will take on more importance when treatments in development for APOL1 kidney disease become available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-protocol-kidney-disease-diagnosis-black.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:06 EDT news692439062 After more than a decade of research, scientists have discovered the natural mechanism behind a novel form of cell death called ferroptosis. The work, described in the current issue of Cell, points toward an entirely new strategy for treating many types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-discovery-natural-mechanism-ferroptosis-longstanding.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:20:01 EST news691770662 CAR T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of many blood cancers, but has shown little success against solid tumors, which account for over 85% of all cancers. Columbia researchers have now found that a new type of cell therapy—HIT cells, a cousin to CAR T with enhanced sensitivity—overcomes a major obstacle to treating solid tumors with cell therapy and can completely eliminate kidney, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers in mice. The research appears in the journal Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-sensitive-cell-therapy-solid-cancers.html Immunology Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:20:03 EST news691338181 Researchers at Columbia University have found that accidental drug overdose, homicide, and suicide are the leading causes of death among pregnant and postpartum women. The researchers used information on death certificates to identify all pregnant and postpartum women (within 42 days of delivery) who died in the United States between 2018 and 2023. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-pregnancy-complications-common-maternal-death.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:00:03 EST news690047221 Heart disease, particularly a heart attack, can feel like it comes out of nowhere. However, the truth is that certain behaviors put us at risk—and changing those behaviors is largely within our control. Most heart disease risk can be attributed to nine factors that are influenced by our daily habits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-qa-laughter-heart.html Cardiology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:26:33 EST news689959561 Regular cervical cancer screening using HPV testing and/or Pap tests can prevent up to 90% or more of cervical cancers by detecting and treating precancerous lesions early, making it one of the most preventable cancers. Yet, only about 75% of women are screened as recommended. Barriers such as lack of health insurance, limited access to care, and pain or discomfort associated with Pap tests continue to prevent many people from getting screened. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-qa-home-hpv-usher-era.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:22:00 EST news688321262 Using marijuana just once or twice a month was associated with worse school performance and emotional distress for teens, according to a large national study of adolescents led by Ryan Sultán, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The more frequently teens used cannabis, the more likely they were to report emotional distress and other social and academic problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-teens-cannabis-impact-emotional-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:01 EST news685369493 Many people stop taking cholesterol-lowering statins because they experience muscle aches, weakness, and fatigue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-statins-muscle-aches.html Medications Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:03:20 EST news685026182 Scientists at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) have discovered a key mechanism that makes prostate cancer cells resistant to the latest drugs used to treat them. Their findings, reported in the current issue of Nature, solve a longstanding puzzle in tumor biology and present preclinical data on a drug compound that could soon enter the clinic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-reversing-treatment-resistance-prostate-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:36:46 EST news684419762 Even as they develop at their primary site, pancreatic cancer cells are already expressing the genes that will determine where they will metastasize, according to new findings from Columbia researchers. The work, published in Nature Genetics, reveals a new facet of cancer metastasis, and points toward novel strategies for anticipating and blocking this deadly phenomenon. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-pancreatic-cancer-cells-language-invade.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:33:42 EST news684419581 Columbia University researchers are the first to show that focused ultrasound—a noninvasive technique that uses sound waves to enhance the delivery of drugs into the brain—can be safely used in children being treated for brain cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-focused-ultrasound-treatment-pediatric-brain.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:50:04 EST news682786201 In the United States, 1 in every 250 people has inherited a genetic variant that leads to dangerously high cholesterol levels from birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-kids-screened-high-cholesterol-genes.html Genetics Sun, 09 Nov 2025 17:00:01 EST news681728161 While vaping has been touted by manufacturers as a safer smoking alternative, the public health community is careful to point out the risks. Since the introduction of e-cigarettes to the U.S. in 2007, vaping has taken hold among young people, with approximately 6% of surveyed middle and high school students reporting using e-cigarettes in 2024. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-qa-vaping-young-people.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:30:05 EST news681669001 Adolescents who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were less likely to develop long COVID after their first SARS-CoV-2 infection than unvaccinated peers, finds a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-covid-vaccination-lowers-adolescents.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:30:02 EST news681661226 After trying to start a family for nearly two decades, a couple has conceived with the help of researchers at the Columbia University Fertility Center. The case is described in a research letter published in The Lancet. It reports the first successful pregnancy using an AI-guided method developed to recover sperm in men with azoospermia, in which ejaculate contains little or no sperm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-couple-ai-sperm-recovery-method.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Fri, 31 Oct 2025 19:30:01 EDT news681118861 In 1962, a pediatric neurology resident at Columbia's Neurological Institute and his colleagues in the College of Physicians and Surgeons published a detailed paper in Pediatrics describing a new syndrome of neurodegeneration in male infants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-gene-therapy-infants-rare-fatal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 30 Oct 2025 04:31:27 EDT news681017481 New discoveries about the malaria parasite made by researchers at Columbia and Drexel universities could change the way malaria is treated in the future. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-insights-malaria-parasite-sodium-reshape.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:45:03 EDT news680183101 Working with an international team of collaborators, scientists at Columbia University have found a way to shift the balance of a type of white blood cell inside a stomach tumor, causing the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer instead of ignoring it. The work, published in the August issue of Cancer Cell, also sheds light on immune functions that may drive many other diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-immune-drug-suppresses-tumor-cells.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:31:04 EDT news680175061 Neuroscientists at Columbia and McGill have discovered that high levels of a brain chemical cause depression and suicidal thoughts in people who experienced trauma or adversity during childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-brain-chemical-linked-suicide-childhood.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:20:04 EDT news679752601 The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) scribes in health care is outpacing validation and oversight, potentially compromising patient safety, Columbia Nursing researchers warn. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-health-ai-scribes-patient-safety.html Health informatics Mon, 13 Oct 2025 09:03:03 EDT news679564981 A brain imaging technique developed by Columbia researchers has identified areas in the brain's cerebral cortex—just behind the forehead—that are most damaged by the repetitive impacts from heading a soccer ball. Their study also found that the damage leads to cognitive deficits seen in soccer players who head the ball frequently. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-soccer-brain-area-critical-cognition.html Neuroscience Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:00:06 EDT news677321070 Mobile integrated health (MIH) can help heart failure patients transition from the hospital to home, and may offer additional benefits to women and younger patients, say Columbia Nursing researchers in a report in JAMA Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-home-heart-failure-patients-benefit.html Health Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:00:03 EDT news677170801 A novel intervention aimed at helping adolescents with sickle cell disease maintain hydroxyurea treatment plans shows promising results at improving their quality of life, a new Columbia University School of Nursing study finds. These findings offer insight into methods that mitigate the effects of sickle cell disease. The study, "HABIT Efficacy Trial Intervention Improves Elements of General and Disease-Specific Quality of Life in Youth with Sickle Cell Disease," is published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-intervention-path-quality-life-adolescents.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:49:03 EDT news675528541 For a few dozen people in the world, the downside of living with a rare immune condition comes with a surprising superpower—the ability to fight off all viruses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-experimental-therapy-universal-antiviral.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:05:37 EDT news674316333 In the beginning, not even Hynek Wichterle's postdoc thought his idea to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) had a chance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-neurons-young-als.html Neuroscience Wed, 13 Aug 2025 09:53:35 EDT news674297611 Adolescents and young adults with cancer who are navigating life between childhood and early adulthood face a unique set of challenges. Despite overall improvements in cancer survival rates, this group has not experienced the same gains as younger children or older adults. Researchers are working to change that by addressing not just treatment, but also the financial, emotional, and practical barriers that affect care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-qa-adolescents-young-adults-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:51:05 EDT news673699861 A new study led by researchers at Columbia University reveals that cannabis products sold in unlicensed retail shops in New York state often lack required health and safety labels and many feature colorful, cartoon-like packaging attractive to youth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-cannabis-products-unlicensed-lack-safety.html Medications Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:21:03 EDT news673622462 The idea that herpes infections trigger or contribute to Alzheimer's disease has been gaining favor among some scientists, raising hope that herpes treatments could slow the progression of Alzheimer's symptoms among patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-antiviral-treatment-early-stage-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:38:03 EDT news673022281