Researchers engineered stem cell-derived heart tissues to study how tachycardia affects the heart and to uncover the inner workings of our body’s engine.

Circulating tumor DNA predicts recurrence and splits disease into two subgroups in Stanford Medicine-led study of Hodgkin lymphoma. New drug targets or changes in treatments may reduce toxicity.

Testing drugs “in a dish” using heart and blood vessel cells can speed drug development and reduce health care disparities, cardiologist says.

Children’s noses pack a punch that could help explain COVID-19’s typically mild course in young kids. Researchers hope to parlay that ‘nasal magic’ into increased protections for adults.

Data from wearables show that deviations from normal sleep and activity in pregnancy are connected to a risk for premature delivery, a Stanford Medicine-led study found.

Stanford researcher Maria Grazia Roncarolo has been awarded $12 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a trial aimed at improving the outcomes of stem cell transplants in children and young adults with blood cancers.

EcoTyper is an algorithm that can sort out cell “ecotypes” — distinct multicellular communities — that exist in many different kinds of cancer. A paper describing the tool was published Sept. 30 in the journal Cell. Aaron Newman, along with assistant professor of biomedical data science Andrew Gentles, PhD, are co-senior authors of the article, which showcases EcoTyper’s capabilities with an analysis of the tissue architecture in different types of solid cancer tumors. The lead authors are postdoctoral scholars Bogdan Luca, PhD, and Chloé Steen, PhD. A companion article, published Sept. 30 in the journal Cancer Cell, describes how EcoTyper was used to identify subtypes of lymphoma cells. Newman and Ash Alizadeh, MD, PhD, professor of oncology, are the senior authors of that paper. The lead authors are Chloé Steen, PhD, and Bogdan Luca, PhD.

Numerous academic medical centers around the world have demonstrated the ability to develop and produce safe and effective chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies. Point-of-care manufacturing is critical for centers seeking to advance the science of adoptive cell therapies such as CAR-T. Beyond process control and speed, point-of-care cell therapy manufacturing could provide new treatment options for rare diseases that pharmaceutical companies often do not prioritize, according to Crystal L. Mackall, MD, Ernest and Amelia Gallo family professor of pediatrics and medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and founding director of Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy.

This new issue of Stanford Medicine magazine explores scientific advances that are helping unlock the mysteries of the brain. Read "The case of the vanishing brain tumor": A disappearing brain tumor in a patient who was undergoing immunotherapy cancer treatments inspired neurosurgery chair Michael Lim, MD, to expand research into new immunotherapy options to specifically attack difficult-to-treat brain tumors. In "A scientist's quest to save his son from a mystifying illness," excerpts from The Puzzle Solver, by Stanford Medicine science writer Tracie White with professor of genetics and of biochemistry Ron Davis, PhD, explore Davis' search for a cure for the severe chronic fatigue syndrome -- also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis -- that has left his son suffering for years from debilitating symptoms.

Three of Stanford Medicine's Nobel laureates, including Andrew Fire, George D. Smith Professor of Molecular and Genetic Medicine and Professor of Pathology and of Genetics, offer advice to future winners about hearing the news and what to expect next in their careers.

If the immune system makes mistake--reacting late or getting the target wrong--it can amplify the damage wrought by SARS-CoV-2.

People with ulcerative colitis who are also taking statins have about a 50% decreased risk of colectomies and hospitalization, according to a Stanford Medicine study. Purvesh Khatri, PhD, associate professor of medicine and of biomedical data science, and his team tracked down a connection between a handful of drugs and decreased symptoms of ulcerative colitis.

Stanford is exploring consumer wearable devices, including Apple Watches and Fitbits, to monitor heart rates and predict COVID-19 symptoms. Michael Snyder, professor of genetics, leads many of the health systems' wearable projects and says it's up to health systems to quickly figure out whether the data's useful to doctors and how to efficiently extract it from the devices.

Stanford Medicine Scientists have devised a blood test to predict some cancer relapses after patients have already been treated.To understand whether ctDNA tracking might hint at relapse, Miklos, who heads Stanford Medicine's Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy division, Matthew Frank MD, PhD assistant professor of medicine, and their labs enrolled 72 patients with large B-cell lymphoma, who had received CAR-T cell therapy, which involves genetically engineering certain immune cells to find and eliminate specific cancer cells.

Scientists and companies are trying to harness the mRNA technology to develop vaccines against cancer and other diseases. Bali Pulendran, Violetta L. Horton Professor And Professor Of Microbiology And Immunology and of Pathology, comments on the future on vaccines.

A detailed molecular analysis of tissue from the brains of individuals who died of COVID-19 reveals extensive signs of inflammation and neurodegeneration, but no sign of the virus that causes the disease. Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford, shares senior authorship with Andreas Keller, PhD, chair of clinical bioinformatics at Saarland University.

Air levels of pollen and mold spores in the San Francisco Bay Area are elevated for about two more months per year than in past decades, and higher temperatures are to blame, a Stanford Medicine study has found, led by senior author, Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and of pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine.

The 2021 Faculty Women’s Forum Awards honor individuals for their outstanding work supporting women at Stanford through role modeling, allyship, leadership and sponsorship. Stanford Immunology faculty Dr. Joy Wu, an associate professor of medicine (endocrinology, gerontology and metabolism) in the School of Medicine is honored in the Allyship Award category.

Stanford researchers found that data from smartwatches can flag early signs of some health conditions and predict the results of simple blood tests. Scientists from the lab of Michael Snyder, PhD, professor and chair of genetics, tracked data from smartwatches, blood tests and other tests conducted in a doctor’s office in a small group of study participants.

Protein levels in people’s blood can predict their age, a Stanford study has found. The study also found that aging isn’t a smoothly continuous process.

CAR-T cells are remarkably effective against blood cancers, but their effect can be transient as the cells become exhausted. Stanford researchers found a way to keep the cells effective in mice with human tumors.

Hongjie Dai, Julie Parsonnet and Joseph Wu are among the 90 regular members and 10 international members elected this year to the academy, which aims to provide independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues.

“Never could I have imagined the work I am doing now – not even ten years ago.” - Devavani Chatterjea, PhD, MPH

Researchers at Stanford and UCSF slowed the spread of a type of nonsmall cell lung cancer in mice by neutralizing a single protein that would otherwise set off a chain reaction, causing runaway tumor growth.

David Schneider, whose research focuses on resilience to infection and developing mathematical models to predict recovery and well-being, succeeds Peter Sarnow in post.

In the trial, a new drug proved safe and effective for hard-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis patients. A national organization of senior researchers named the trial one of the top 10 for 2016.

A common signaling pathway unites diverse fibrotic diseases in humans, Stanford researchers have found. An antibody called anti-CD47, which is being tested as an anti-cancer agent, reverses fibrosis in mice.

To develop a potential antiviral treatment, Stanford researchers adopted an unusual approach: Rather than trying to disable viral enzymes, they targeted proteins the infected individual makes — and the virus needs.

The researchers will be given funding by the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub to develop tools and technologies that support the organization’s goal of curing, preventing or managing every disease.