Author: Jenny C Leary

Cancer’s Potential On-Off Switch

A team of Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have proposed that an “on and off” epigenetic switch could be a common mechanism behind the development of different types of cancer. Epigenetics is the phenomena whereby genetically identical cells express their genes differently, resulting in different physical traits.Researchers from the Boston University Cancer Center […]

BUSM Physicians Assist in Development of Treatment Guidelines for Pulmonary Hypertension in Sickle Cell Disease

Physicians from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have helped create the first set of clinical guidelines for treating patients with pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease. Elizabeth Klings, MD, director of the pulmonary hypertension inpatient and education program at BMC and associate professor of medicine at BUSM, spearheaded the […]

Study Shows Decrease in Sepsis Mortality Rates

A recent study from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows a significant decrease in severe sepsis mortality rates over the past 20 years. Looking at data from patients with severe sepsis enrolled in clinical trials, researchers found that in-hospital mortality rates decreased from 47 percent between 1991 and 1995 […]

Neurochemical Traffic Signals May Open New Avenues for the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have uncovered important clues about a biochemical pathway in the brain that may one day expand treatment options for schizophrenia. The study, published online in the journal Molecular Pharmacology, was led by faculty within the department of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at BUSM. Patients with schizophrenia suffer […]

Virtual Patient Advocate Delivers Preconception Care to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes

Results of a pilot study suggest that a virtual patient advocate (VPA) could help influence positive changes and help women have healthier pregnancies. Developed at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Northeastern University, “Gabby” (pictured below) is an innovative tool developed to deliver preconception care (PCC) to African-American women through […]

Darrell Kotton Receives Alpha-1 Project Support to Expand iPSC Development

The Alpha-1 Project (TAP) announced a $150,000 commission to Darrell Kotton, MD, to expand development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines created from tissue donated by patients with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1). Kotton is Professor of Medicine and Co-director of both The Alpha-1 Center and the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Boston University School […]

BUSM Researchers Identify Novel Approach to Study COPD and Treatment Efficacy

BUSM researchers have pinpointed a genetic signature for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from airway cells harvested utilizing a minimally invasive procedure. The findings provide a novel way to study COPD and could lead to new treatments and ways to monitor patient’s response to those treatments. The study is published online in the American Journal […]