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.

New Targets Needed for Vaccine that Blocks Maternal Herpesvirus Transmission

image of a pregnant woman getting a vaccine

A new Weill Cornell Medicine and Oregon Health & Science University co-authored study provides critical insight for the development of a vaccine that can more effectively block the spread of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, across the placenta to babies before they are born.

CMV is one of the most common viruses and most people don’t even know they’ve been infected. However, it carries significant risks to the developing fetus, including lifelong health complications such as hearing loss, developmental delays and neurological impairment. An effective vaccine would help protect babies from future health impacts.

The new study, published March 12 in Science Translational Medicine, finds that CMV lacking a certain viral protein complex – thought to be a critical vaccine target to prevent cross-placental spread – can still be transmitted and cause significant harm to the developing fetus. These results strongly suggest that additional vaccine targets providing superior protection need to be identified and explored.

Study Discovers Tuberculosis Genes Necessary for Airborne Transmission

image of a cough cloud

Tuberculosis bacteria rely on a family of genes that help them survive the challenging journey from one person’s lungs to another person’s during coughing, sneezing or talking, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The findings provide new targets for tuberculosis therapies that could simultaneously treat infection and prevent the spread of bacteria. 

Until now, very little was known about this transmission process—when bacteria-laden droplets are expelled into the air, where they must withstand changes in temperature, oxygen levels, humidity and chemical composition. The study, published March 7 in PNAS, revealed for the first time that tuberculosis bacteria don’t passively endure these transitions but actively engage hundreds of genes to adapt and survive.

A man posing for a photo

Dr. Carl Nathan. Credit: John Abbott

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.

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