Latest news with #FeinsteinInstitutesforMedicalResearch
Business Wire
23-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Mitochondrial Transplantation Conference Showcases Positive Advances in Mitochondrial Medicine
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first annual Mitochondrial Transplantation and Next Generation Therapeutics Conference, hosted by Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, brought together leading scientists, clinicians and innovators in the fields of mitochondrial medicine, transplantation and bioengineering. The three-day conference, held April 27-29 at Hofstra University featured a diverse program of scientific presentations, panel discussions, networking opportunities as well as powerful conversations with advocates, families and patients suffering from mitochondrial diseases. The conference, led by Lance Becker, MD, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, focused on the translational potential of mitochondrial transplantation to address a range of health challenges, from aging and longevity to traumatic brain injury and genetic disorders. 'The growing field of mitochondrial transplantation holds promise for transforming how we treat patients living with some of the most complex diseases – many of whom have no current treatment options,' said Dr. Becker. 'This conference, the first of many more cross-industry conversations, serves as a vital platform for accelerating the translation of cutting-edge research into effective therapies for patients.' Mitochondrial transplantation is an emerging therapeutic approach aimed at addressing mitochondrial dysfunction by transferring healthy mitochondria into damaged or dysfunctional cells. This innovative technique holds promise for treating a variety of conditions, including genetic mitochondrial diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, ischemia-related injuries and other conditions associated with mitochondrial impairment. Several hundred attendees from academia, industry and research foundations across the United States, and internationally, convened to discuss topics such as clinical trials for mitochondrial transplantation, novel mitochondrial transfer technologies, therapeutic applications in various disease models (including cardiac arrest, retinal ischemia and cutaneous wounds), and the development of enhanced mitochondrial monitoring and therapeutic strategies. Key highlights of the summit included keynote presentations by Dr. Becker and James McCully, PhD, associate professor of surgery at Boston Children's Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School, along with focused sessions on translational studies, communicating scientific advancements, and the future of mitochondrial transplantation. Interactive panel discussions explored critical questions in the field and strategies to accelerate innovation and impact. Dedicated poster sessions and networking events fostered collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants. The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Here's how a bio implant stopped Long Island woman's ‘horrific' athritis in its tracks: ‘This is the future'
A Long Island speech pathologist said a pioneering bio implant stopped her 'horrific' rheumatoid arthritis in its tracks. Massapequa's Dawn Steiner, 58, said even a simple handshake would mean agony — and after 15 years she retreated into a reclusive lifestyle. 'My husband had to help me get dressed,' she told The Post. Advertisement 3 Massapequa speech pathologist Dawn Steiner, 58, said a bio implant stopped her 'horrific' rheumatoid arthritis. Northwell Health 'I could not wash my hair. I could barely take a shower by myself.' But her new state-of-the-art bio-implant has miraculously regulated the RA with minimal invasiveness — and just a minute of daily stimulation. It is linked to Steiner's vagus nerve, a crucial connector between the brain, major organs, and other bodily functions. Advertisement 'We discovered a reflex that slows down inflammation by sending signals to the immune system through the vagus nerve,' said Dr. Kevin Tracey, president and CEO of Northwell's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research on Long Island. 'The vagus nerve carries the signals that turn off inflammation … It's like pushing on the brakes of your car.' The company he co-founded, SetPoint Medical, designed the smaller-than-a-quarter bio-implant 'sitting' atop the vagus nerve in the front of Steiner's neck with hardly a scar to show. 'My pain was at a seven or an eight out of ten, now it's at a one,' Steiner said of the life-changing device that uses AI techn and has been functioning for about a year. Advertisement 'I really believe that this is the future.' 3 Steiner received a state-of-the-art bio-implant that has miraculously regulated the condition with minimal invasiveness — and just a minute of daily stimulation. Dennis A. Clark/NY Post Touching a nerve The still-to-be FDA-approved approach began in a 2023 medical trial of 242 Americans that Steiner was open to because she believed she was out of other options. 'We're huge Mets fans and there were seasons I couldn't go to a single game,' she said. Advertisement 'I would come home from work and get right into bed. The whole weekend was spent in bed, or on the couch sleeping.' Before the implant, doctors started Steiner on methotrexate, 'which is a like a low-dose chemo,' she said. That led to trying eight different biologic medications that would take hours to infuse — plus 'the side effects can be cancer and death,' said Steiner. She experienced her entire face and other parts of her body go numb to the point that medical professionals tested her for multiple sclerosis. 'They would tell me it takes up to six months for it to kick in,' she said. 'All that time you're in horrific pain, and switching off took another few months.' Last year, after being involved in the trial, Steiner reached a breaking point and opted to have the surgery that took only an hour by Northwell's Dr. Ashesh Mehta. Advertisement 3 Northwell Health 'The unknowns weren't anything more unsettling than the medications I was already on.' 'Pioneering advance' Tracey explained that the high-tech device works with an antenna connecting to a doctor's tablet for two-way readings and modifications every six weeks. The implant itself needs to be swapped out every ten years. 'This will be a highly significant advance, a pioneering advance, as a new way to give therapy to people who seriously need it,' said Tracey, who just published a book on the vagus nerve titled 'The Great Nerve.' Advertisement Steiner said she only feels an occasional buzz like a cell phone from the device during its daily minute of activity — she has it timed for 5 a.m. as a biological alarm clock — and hardly knows it is there otherwise. It's charged through a band that is lighter than a bar of soap, which Steiner wears for only 30 minutes weekly. 'I have it around my neck on Sunday mornings while I'm doing the dishes and other housework,' she said. Advertisement Now, Steiner is back at Citi Field rooting on her Mets, going to see her favorite band, The Foo Fighters, and going for walks on the beaches of the island. Seeing its early success, Tracey is optimistic that the FDA will move quickly to green light the implant for broader use. 'This could be as soon as the summer,' he said.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Beware this common medical device scam: ‘There is no way to know'
They've got some nerve! Vagus nerve stimulators are making waves as a potential way to relax, sleep better and improve gut health. But an expert on the vagus nerve warns that noninvasive VNS devices may not deliver as promised. Advertisement 'There is no evidence that using these devices to deliver electricity into the ear or skin of the neck is actually stimulating the vagus nerve,' Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, told The Post. 6 Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, wrote a new book about the vagus nerve, 'The Great Nerve.' Lee S. Weissman /Northwell Health Tracey — who wrote the new book, 'The Great Nerve,' and is often called the 'founding father' of bioelectronic medicine — cuts through the noise of vagus nerve therapy to distinguish the beneficial from the buzz. What is the vagus nerve? Advertisement The vagus nerve is a complex network of over 200,000 fibers that acts as an information superhighway between the brain and major organs. It's a paired structure — think two thumbs or two kidneys — with one on each side of your brainstem at about the level of your ears, descending through the neck and chest to reach the heart, lungs and gastrointestinal tract. 6 This diagram shows the branches of the vagus nerve in the neck. vonuk – Advertisement It regulates essential bodily functions like heart rate, breathing and digestion. 'The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and the longest nerve in your body,' Tracey said. 'It is also the only nerve that would cause death if cut on both sides.' How can you stimulate the vagus nerve? Deep breathing, gargling, humming, singing and cold water immersion are commonly suggested ways to stimulate the nerve, but Tracey cautions that 'the scientific understanding and proof for most of these suggestions are lacking.' 'Humming might stimulate a few hundred fibers connected to your voice box, but these aren't the same fibers that go to your heart or regulate inflammation,' he added. Advertisement 6 Humming is a harmless activity that may or may not stimulate your vagus nerve. MARIIA – Tracey does support implantable VNS devices that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for the treatment of epilepsy, depression and stroke rehabilitation. A pulse generator, similar to a pacemaker, is implanted in the chest, and a wire connects it to the vagus nerve in the neck. A doctor programs the equipment to deliver electrical stimulation at set intervals. The noninvasive stimulators, meanwhile, are designed to be placed on the ear or neck to send the impulses. 6 There are two types of vagus nerve stimulators — an implantable device (shown here) and a non-invasive device that the user places on the neck or ear. Pepermpron – Tracey compared these devices to TENS units, which have been used for decades to deliver electricity through the skin to stimulate nerves and relieve pain. He noted that small clinical trials suggest at-home VNS may ease headaches, back pain and anxiety, but there's a lack of large, well-controlled, randomized clinical trials to support these claims. 'There is no way to know whether the TENS unit is stimulating a branch of the vagus nerve or stimulating many other nerves as well,' Tracey said. Advertisement 'Stimulating a small number of fibers in the neck or ear is quite different from stimulating the vagus nerve itself as occurs by implanting an FDA-approved device.' 6 Non-invasive VNS devices are similar to TENS units (pictured here), which have been used for decades to deliver electricity through the skin to stimulate nerves and relieve pain. praisaeng – What conditions does VNS target? 'It is likely that the first conditions to be treated by vagus nerve stimulation will be rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis, but rheumatoid arthritis is likely to be the first indication in the US,' Tracey said. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain. VNS can help by signaling the brain to tamp down inflammation. Advertisement 6 VNS may improve rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain. Khunatorn – VNS is also being explored for longevity. World-famous biohacker Bryan Johnson, 47, said he applies electrical impulses to his ear 'at the first potential signs of sickness,' such as a sudden drop in heart rate variability. Vagus nerve dysfunction can cause heart rate and blood pressure changes, digestive issues like nausea and bloating, fainting episodes, difficulty swallowing and chronic inflammation. 'If increased vagus nerve activity decreases chronic inflammation, it's reasonable to suggest it might improve health span and quality of life as people age,' Tracey mused. 'These ideas are being studied in laboratories and clinical trials worldwide.' Advertisement Before purchasing a VNS device Tracey recommends consulting with a physician before using a TENS unit or similar gadget to make sure you don't have cardiac, neurological or other risks. And buyers should beware. 'Calling a TENS unit a 'vagus nerve stimulator' does not mean the unit is actually stimulating the vagus nerve. It may or may not be,' Tracey said. 'It is not a requirement for marketing such devices that the name of the device has been proved to correspond to what is actually happening.'
Business Wire
12-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Feinstein Institutes Researchers Explore Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Obesity and Related Diseases
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Obesity affects over a third of the global population and is a major risk factor for numerous chronic diseases. To find better therapies to fight obesity and its related health problems, researchers at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research are investigating a promising new approach in which vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) interacts with growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, a driver and suppressor of metabolic function. Published today in Bioelectronic Medicine – an open-access journal published by the Feinstein Institutes and BMC, part of Springer Nature – and led by Lopa Mishra, MD, co-director and professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, the review shows growing evidence that stimulating the vagus nerve could offer a much-needed non-drug treatment for obesity. The review provides valuable insights into the complex processes in obesity and related illnesses, specifically looking at TGF-β signaling, which acts as a contributer to metabolic problems and other times helps to regulate them. The vagus nerve connects the brain to the stomach and other organs. Researchers are now investigating how VNS might interact with TGF-β signaling, potentially fine-tuning its effects to improve metabolic health, while also focusing on the SPTBN1 protein, which acts as a switch for the TGF-β system and may be a promising drug target. 'This research is our response to the urgent need for innovative strategies that combat the global obesity epidemic and its devastating consequences,' said Dr. Mishra. 'By elucidating the intricate interplay between TGF-β signaling, vagus nerve stimulation and metabolic dysfunction, there's potential to identify more precise and effective therapeutic targets.' Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing several serious diseases, including fatty liver disease, liver damage and liver cancer. Current drug treatments often face limitations, including lack of effectiveness for some individuals, high discontinuation rates due to side effects, and the potential for weight regain after stopping the medication. VNS offers a potential alternative or complementary approach, especially given recent advancements in non-invasive ultrasound stimulation techniques by delivering small, safe electrical pulses to the vagus nerve. Researchers believe they can help people feel fuller faster, leading to reduced food intake and weight loss as the vagus nerve plays a critical role in the signaling the feeling of fullness. 'Dr. Mishra and her team's research on TGF-β and vagus nerve stimulation provides an interesting new insight into the mechanisms of obesity,' said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. 'These are novel pathways and targets that may one day lead to new therapies.' The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine, which combines molecular medicine, neuroscience and biomedical engineering. At the Feinstein Institutes, medical researchers use modern technology to develop new device-based therapies to treat disease and injury. Building on years of research in molecular disease mechanisms and the link between the nervous and immune systems, Feinstein Institutes' researchers discovered neural targets that can be activated or inhibited with neuromodulation devices, like vagus nerve implants, to control the body's immune response and inflammation. If inflammation is successfully controlled, diseases – such as arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases – can be treated more effectively. Beyond inflammation, using novel brain-computer interfaces, Feinstein Institutes' researchers developed techniques to bypass injuries of the nervous system so that people living with paralysis can regain sensation and use their limbs. By producing bioelectronic medicine knowledge, disease and injury could one day be treated with our own nerves without costly and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
Business Wire
29-04-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Artificial Intelligence Identifies Brain Network Predictive of Psychosis in Alzheimer's Disease
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Researchers at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool that identifies a brain metabolic network capable of predicting psychosis in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This discovery, published this week in Brain Communications, offers a potential breakthrough for earlier diagnosis, treatment development and personalized medicine for individuals with AD. The study, led by Jeremy L. Koppel, MD, associate professor at the Feinstein Institutes' Institute of Molecular Medicine, and associate professor An Vo, PhD, used an AI-derived metabolic brain map that looks at FDG-PET scans of people with AD, including some who experienced psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) and some who did not. The AI identified a unique pattern of brain activity, like a fingerprint, in the brains of those with psychosis. They called this pattern the ADPN (Alzheimer's Disease Psychosis Network). 'This discovery of the ADPN provides a critical tool for advancing our understanding and management of psychosis in Alzheimer's disease,' said Dr. Koppel. 'This biomarker can potentially identify individuals at risk of developing psychosis, allowing for earlier and more targeted interventions.' Psychosis, characterized by delusions and hallucinations, affects a significant portion of individuals with AD and is associated with accelerated cognitive decline, increased caregiver burden and premature mortality. Current treatments are limited and often carry significant risks. The ADPN, however, was helpful in distinguishing the difference in brain patterns between people with AD and psychosis, especially between the areas responsible for movement and the areas responsible for language and social understanding. It was also able to predict who would develop psychosis in the future. The stronger the ADPN 'fingerprint,' the worse the person's cognitive decline. 'The discovery of the ADPN exemplifies the power of AI and interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing our understanding of complex neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease,' said Kevin J. Tracey MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. 'This innovative approach, integrating neuroimaging with cutting-edge computational tools, offers a new path towards earlier diagnosis, personalized treatment strategies, and ultimately, improved outcomes for individuals affected by this devastating disease.' Dr. Koppel is an internationally recognized clinical scientist who continues to identify AD's potential causes and treatments. He recently received a National Institutes of Health grant for nearly $500,000 to look at ptau181 and other biomarkers in psychosis before AD begins as well as a $1 million grant from the Alzheimer's Foundation of America to expand research into developing new treatments to address the hallucinations, delusions and aggression that come with dementia. Last year, he and his lab published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry papers that showed an increase in specific tau proteins that indicated blood biomarkers could be used to detect psychotic symptoms in AD patients. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
