Category: Archives

Calculating genetic links between diseases, without the genetic data


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Physicians use standard disease classifications based on symptoms or location in the body to help make diagnoses. These classifications, called nosologies, can help doctors understand which diseases are closely related, and thus may be caused by the same underlying issues or respond to the same treatments. An important part of understanding disease is estimating its heritability, that is, what percentage of disease variation in individuals is due to inherited genetic variants versus environmental causes like exposure to pollution, infections or trauma. Traditionally, to calculate the heritability of a given disease, researchers needed expensive data sets containing all kinds of medical … Read More

Everett E. Vokes,MD Elected ASCO President


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The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has elected Everett Vokes, MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine, to serve as its president for the 2021-22 term. Dr. Vokes, the John E. Ultmann Professor and Physician-in-Chief at UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, will take office as president-elect during the ASCO annual meeting in Chicago in June 2020 and serve a one-year term as president beginning in June 2021. An internationally renowned expert in the treatment of head and neck and lung cancer, Dr. Vokes has maintained an active clinical practice for more than 30 years. He has a long history … Read More

Thomas Gajewski,MD,PhD receives immuno-oncology award from ESMO


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The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has named Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD, Abbvie Foundation Professor of Cancer Immunotherapy in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research and Professor of Pathology and Medicine a, as the recipient of the 2019 ESMO Immuno-Oncology Award for his groundbreaking work uncovering why some patients are resistant to immunotherapy and how to restore the anti-cancer immune response. Dr. Gajewski investigates and develops new treatments for patients with melanoma, with a focus on immunotherapy. Dr. Gajewski also leads development of immune-based therapies for other cancers, using new laboratory data on how the immune system is regulated … Read More

Hospitals given latitude to select heart transplant candidates don’t always prioritize sickest patients


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Analysis of more than 29,000 adults listed on the national heart transplant registry from 2006 to 2015 shows how rules that give hospitals discretion in determining who gets a transplant result in large discrepancies in how sick patients are when they receive heart transplants at hospitals across the United States. The study, published on November 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), focuses on a metric called survival benefit, which is the difference between a patient’s expected chance of survival after five years with a heart transplant versus without a transplant. Survival benefit is scored as the percentage increase … Read More

Study calculates links between prescription medications and risk for suicide


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A review of 922 prescription medications taken by almost 150 million people over an 11-year period shows that just 10 of these drugs were associated with an increased rate of suicide attempts. Forty-four drugs were linked to a decrease in suicide attempts, including many that carry a “black box” label from the Food and Drug Administration warning of their association with suicidal behavior. The study, published in the Harvard Data Science Review, identifies several drugs with the potential to prevent suicide attempts that are not currently used for that purpose, including folic acid, a simple vitamin often prescribed to pregnant women. … Read More

UChicago Medicine earns 16th straight “A” for safety from industry group


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The University of Chicago Medicine has earned its 16th consecutive “A” in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, further validating the academic medical center’s patient-safety track record as being among the best in the nation. UChicago Medicine now is among only 36 hospitals nationwide — and remains the only one in Chicago — to have earned continuous top marks from the Leapfrog Group since the independent watchdog began compiling its report card in June 2012. “Delivering this level of exceptional patient care requires a relentless commitment to excellence and a hospital culture that’s deeply rooted in safety,” said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Dean … Read More

2019 Department of Medicine Annual Report:Discovery and Innovation


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The 2019 Department of Medicine Annual Report: Discovery and Innovation is now available. This past academic year the Department of Medicine achieved remarkable success in every aspect of our tripartite mission.  We described innovative pathways to diagnose and treat disease,we made major discoveries to advance science and medicine, and we used this vast knowledge to train the next generation of physician scientists. Over the past year, Medicine investigators successfully competed for a record  high of $169M in total cost research funding, and continued to translate basic research into clinical practice with multiple seminal discoveries, publishing thousands of impactful papers with … Read More

Raghu Mirmira,MD,PhD- Appointed as Director of the Department of Medicine Translational Research Center


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The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Raghavendra Mirmira, MD, PhD, as Professor of Medicine in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, and Director of the newly established Translational Research Center effective November 1, 2019.  Dr. Mirmira is an international leader in Type 1 diabetes research—specifically the biology of islet cells. Dr. Mirmira recently served as the Eli Lilly Professor in Pediatric Diabetes, Director of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Director of the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases and Co-Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Indiana University School … Read More

Past low social status leaves long-lasting scars in the immune system, new study finds


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New research suggests that the chronic stress that comes with low social status in adult monkeys continues to influence their immune system up to a year later, even after their social status has improved. The study by researchers at the University of Chicago and Duke University found that the adult monkeys’ previous status in their community’s social hierarchy had a lingering effect on how their genes behaved. The findings extend established ideas around biological embedding, which suggest that it is experiences in the first few years of our lives – such as being raised in a safe, caring environment, versus … Read More

UChicago Medicine surges ahead with revolutionary CAR T-cell cancer treatment


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Since commercial approval two years ago to treat some blood cancers, CAR T-cell therapy continues to show so much promise that University of Chicago Medicine researchers have expanded their studies to see how else the breakthrough treatment can be used to fight other forms of the disease. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of CAR T-cell therapy for adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and for children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. UChicago Medicine became the first site in Chicago and Illinois to be certified to offer both treatments, which involves a revolutionary process that uses … Read More