Every day, researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine are advancing medical science - discovering ways artificial intelligence can improve diagnosis; developing safer, more effective medications; and learning how cancer recurs - among many other achievements.
Now that 2024 is closing out, the science writers at Stanford Medicine's Office of Communications had the unenviable task of choosing the year's most significant advancements. They selected 13 developments that they felt had the greatest potential to change lives, but they noted there are many honorable mentions. Below are some of the highlights from 2024:
Psychoactive drug ibogaine effectively treats traumatic brain injury in special ops military vets: Researchers led by Nolan Williams, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, found that ibogaine, a compound found in the roots of the African shrub iboga, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, improved symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety among veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
Stanford Medicine-led study shows why women are at greater risk of autoimmune disease: A molecule made by one X chromosome in every female cell can generate antibodies to a woman's own tissues, a team led by Howard Chang, MD, PhD, a professor of dermatology and of genetics, has found. In every cell in a woman's body, one X chromosome is disabled to ensure that the right levels of proteins are produced from the chromosome pair. But doing so generates unfamiliar molecular structures that can trigger the antibodies. The finding could enable physicians to predict autoimmune disorders before they develop.
Drug limits dangerous reactions to allergy-triggering foods, Stanford Medicine-led study of kids finds: A drug that binds to allergy-causing antibodies can protect children who accidentally eat foods they are allergic to, Sharon Chinthrajah, MD, associate professor of medicine and of pediatrics has found. Children in a study who received regular injections of omalizumab, an FDA-approved medication, were able to safely ingest small amounts of their allergens.
Pilot study shows ketogenic diet improves severe mental illness: Research led by Shebani Sethi, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has found that dietary interventions can help treat severe mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. She and her colleagues learned that a ketogenic diet not only addresses common metabolic side effects from antipsychotic medications, but it also improves patients' psychiatric conditions.
Stanford Medicine study flags unexpected cells in lung as suspected source of severe COVID: It turns out that the lung-cell type that's most susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not what everyone thought it was. Catherine Blish, MD, PhD, a professor of infectious diseases and of microbiology and immunology and the George E. and Lucy Becker Professor in Medicine, and Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, the Paul and Mildred Berg Professor and a professor of biochemistry, learned that a type of immune cell known as an interstitial macrophage is implicated in COVID-19's transition to a potentially deadly disease. The findings point to new approaches in preventing a SARS-CoV-2 infection from becoming a life-threatening disease.
Small pump for kids awaiting heart transplant shows promise in Stanford Medicine-led trial: Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues, led by Christopher Almond, MD, professor of pediatrics, have found that an implantable ventricular assist device could allow children with heart failure to live relatively normal lives while they await a transplant. The current standard of care requires children to be hooked up to large devices while they stay in a hospital.
Gene variants foretell the biology of future breast cancers in Stanford Medicine study: Researchers led by Christina Curtis, PhD, the RZ Cao Professor of Medicine and a professor of genetics and of biomedical data science, found that inherited gene sequences can predict what type of breast cancer a patient is likely to develop, along with how aggressive that cancer may be. The study upends the idea that most cancers arise as the result of random mutations that accumulate during our lifetimes, and it could guide treatment decisions and improve prognoses and monitoring for recurrence.
Six distinct types of depression identified in Stanford Medicine-led study: Brain imaging combined with machine learning can categorize an individual's depression or anxiety, according to a new study led by Leanne Williams, PhD, the Vincent V.C. Woo Professor and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The researchers have found six biological subtypes, or "biotypes," and identified treatments that are more likely or less likely to work for several of these subtypes, with the hope of bringing faster relief to patients.
Trial of cell-based therapy for high-risk lymphoma leads to FDA breakthrough designation: A trial led by Matthew Frank, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of blood and marrow transplantation, has found that a new CAR-T cell therapy that targets a different protein on the surface of the cancer cells significantly improved outcomes in lymphoma patients. The cancers of more than half the patients became undetectable after the treatment.
Cracking the code of DNA circles in cancer, Stanford Medicine-led team uncovers potential therapy: Tiny circles called ecDNA are critical in cancer development and drug resistance, researchers led by professor of pathology Paul Mischel, MD, and Howard Chang, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology and genetics and the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research, have found. Their finding that blocking the activity of an important checkpoint protein called CHK1 causes the death of ecDNA-containing tumor cells may point the way to future treatments.
Cell therapy fights lethal childhood brain cancer in Stanford Medicine trial: A CAR-T cell therapy offers hope for children with deadly brain and spinal cord tumors. In a trial led by Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, the Milan Gambhir Professor in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and professor of neurology, and Crystal Mackall, MD, the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and professor of pediatrics and of medicine, 9 of 11 young trial participants who received CAR-T cells showed benefits. One participant had a complete response, meaning his tumor disappeared from brain scans, and he is healthy four years later.
Key influenza-severity risk factor found hiding in plain sight on our antibodies: A team led by Taia Wang, MD, PhD, associate professor of infectious diseases and of microbiology and immunology, has found that the relative abundance of a certain kind of sugar molecule on our antibodies plays an outsized role in whether we become mildly ill rather than severely ill from a flu infection. The finding could lead to a therapeutic or even prophylactic treatment for not only known influenza types but protection against as-yet-unknown flu strains with pandemic potential.
Stanford scientists transform ubiquitous skin bacterium into a topical vaccine: Scientists led by Michael Fischbach, PhD, the Liu (Liao) Family Professor and a professor of bioengineering, have found a way to successfully vaccinate mice via a cream rubbed into the skin. Working with a bacterium that lives on human skin, they created a topical vaccine that protected mice against tetanus. The findings could mean the end of needles and of side effects such as fever and a sore arm.
