News

Protein Secreted by Immune Cells May Help Drive Brain Aging

cells stained green and blue

Brain-resident immune cells that have reached an old-age state called “senescence” secrete a protein that causes dysfunction in other brain cells, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery sheds light on how aging impairs memory and cognition and makes the brain vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders.

The researchers, whose...

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Inflammation May Drive Dravet Syndrome, Offering a Potential New Treatment Target

Dravet Syndrome

An overactive immune response in the brain may play a role in Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe genetic epilepsy that typically begins in infancy, according to Weill Cornell Medicine researchers. Children with the condition experience frequent seizures that are often difficult to control with medication and may also face developmental, cognitive and behavioral challenges. Until now, most research has focused on how a...

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Awards & Honors: June 2026

Three white trophies against a red background.

Dr. Eleni Andreopoulou, professor of clinical medicine, was awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Ioannina Medical School in Greece, her alma mater. Dr. Andreopoulou was recognized for her medical contributions.

Dr. Joseph Fins, chief of the Division of Medical Ethics, the E. William Davis, Jr., M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics and a professor of medicine, was elected to...

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Brain Region Linked to TMS’s Antidepressant Effects

drawing of brain with insular cortex in orange

A circuit that runs from the prefrontal cortex near the front of the brain to a deeper brain structure called the insular cortex appears to mediate the antidepressant effects of a newer form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The discovery could lead to more effective TMS treatment of depression.

In...

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Reverse Engineering Ketamine’s Effects May Lead to New Antidepressants

silhouette of a woman with her head in her hand

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have “reverse engineered” ketamine’s antidepressant effects to identify potential new strategies for treating depression.

Dr. Conor Liston. Credit: Julia Xanthos Liddy

...

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Cornell-Developed Particles Supercharge Cancer Immunotherapy

nanoparticles

By Syl Kacapyr 

A class of ultrasmall fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles developed at Cornell is showing an unexpected ability to rally the immune system against melanoma and dramatically improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Engineering researchers.

The particles, known as Cornell prime dots, or C’dots, have already been...

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Improving Lives Through Academic Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship

Harrington and Kappel fireside chat

Why are innovation and entrepreneurship important in academic research? Since the Bayh-Dole Act was passed in 1980, permitting institutions to retain ownership of their inventions arising from federal funding, more than 200 drug treatments and vaccines have been brought to market through academic-commercial partnerships.

Weill Cornell Medicine’s Ninth Annual Dean’s Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship...

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Early Brain Differences May Explain Sex-Specific Risks for Addiction

male and female silouettes with brains

The roots of addiction risk may lie in how young brains function long before substance use begins, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine. The investigators found that children with a family history of substance use disorder (SUD) already showed distinctive patterns of brain activity that differ between boys and girls, which may reflect separate predispositions for addiction. The...

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Hypertension Affects the Brain Much Earlier than Expected

senescent neurons

Hypertension impairs blood vessels, neurons and white matter in the brain well before the condition causes a measurable rise in blood pressure, according to a new preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The changes help explain why hypertension is a major risk factor for developing cognitive disorders, such as vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

The preclinical...

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Study Pinpoints Source of Free Radicals in the Brain that May Fuel Dementia

astrocytes

Researchers have discovered that free radicals generated at a specific site in non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes, may promote dementia, according to a Weill Cornell Medicine study. Their findings, published Nov. 4 in Nature Metabolism, demonstrated that blocking this site lowered brain inflammation and protected neurons, suggesting a novel therapeutic...

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