Obstetrics & Gynecology

News and Events

Programs and providers of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine are often the focus of news stories and features appearing in major national media. We invite you to review some stories that typify the breakthrough accomplishments of our remarkable team and highlight the impact our care has had on patient’s lives.

FLIpping the Switch: Boosting Stem Cell Numbers for Therapies

colorized greyscale image of blood cells expanding on top of vascular endothelial cells

A single molecular switch is essential for blood stem cells to enter an activated, regenerative state in which they produce new blood cells, according to a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The discovery could lead to more effective bone marrow transplants and gene therapies.

Stem cells are immature cells that have a basic regenerative role in virtually all tissues. They normally exist in a quiescent, slowly dividing state, but after an injury can replace tissue by switching to an activated state in which they multiply rapidly and turn into mature, functional cells.

The researchers, in a study published Feb. 25 in Nature Immunology, found that a DNA transcription-regulating protein called FLI-1 has a critical role in this regenerative process for blood stem cells, which are mostly resident in the bone marrow until they are stimulated or “mobilized” to move into the bloodstream. They showed that transiently producing FLI-1 in quiescent adult mobilized bone marrow stem cells activates them so that they swiftly expand their numbers and have a better chance of being transplanted successfully into a new host.

Possible Biomarker Identified for Crohn’s Disease with Arthritis Type

illustration of the different joints affected in spondyloarthritis

People with Crohn’s disease and related joint inflammation linked to immune system dysfunction have distinct gut bacteria or microbiota, with the bacterium Mediterraneibacter gnavus being a potential biomarker, according to new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

The study, published Feb. 13 in Gut Microbes, also demonstrated that the gut microbiota of people with Crohn’s and axial spondyloarthritis, which is joint inflammation of the spine and lower back, differs from individuals with Crohn’s and peripheral spondyloarthritis affecting other parts of the body like the knees, hips and shoulders.

“While joint inflammation is one of the most common extraintestinal manifestations of Crohn's disease, clinicians don't have a good handle on why this happens and how to treat it,” said the study’s senior author Dr. Randy Longman, director of the Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Study Establishes “Ball and Chain” Mechanism Inactivates Key Mammalian Ion Channel

potassium ion channel

A new study unveils a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a “ball-and-chain” channel-plugging mechanism, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine. The findings boost the understanding of ion channel biology and could lead to new drugs that target these channels to treat disorders such as epilepsy and hypertension.

Ion channels are protein structures embedded in cell membranes that allow charged molecules to flow into or out of the cell. They support essential biological functions, including signaling or communication between brain cells. The study, published Feb. 19 in Nature Communications, focused on the mammalian BK (“big potassium”) channel, which facilitates the flow of potassium ions out of cells.

Using advanced structural imaging and computer modeling techniques, the researchers confirmed that BK channels can stop their ion flow via a long-theorized ball-and-chain structure that plugs the channel.

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