Archive Posts

Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky, director of Upstate’s Prostate Cancer Program, reveals a new kidney cancer vaccine trial as a possible treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma.  The study hopes to train the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer by making a vaccine from their own cancer cells. The study is open to patients with advanced kidney cancer.  For more information, call 315-464-1500.

Read the study, from ClinicalTrials.gov

ADAPT Kidney Cancer Study

Dr. Burk Jubelt, professor of Neurology, Microbiology/Immunology and Neuroscience, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program at Upstate, will discuss multiple sclerosis (MS) — the chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.  Dr. Jubelt is the principal investigator in a collaborative research study to develop a new medical treatment for the disease.  

Upstate is part of research collaborative recommended for $12M for study on stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis stem cell treatment study for Multiple Sclerosis

 Multiple Sclerosis Clinic

Upstate Medical University professor William Kerr PhD discusses Crohn’s disease, a major type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Kerr is involved in a research study that shows promise as a possible link to the cause of this disease. If correct, the finding could lead to novel ways to treat the disease, including cell transplantation. 

Read the story: Upstate researchers look for new treatments for Crohn’s disease

Dr. Richard O’Neill shares the bottom line from an interesting research study that looked at 15,000 cases of acute heart problems — people with more friends, and better relationships, had about 60% fewer acute, life-threatening cardiac events than people who lived alone.

Read the study: Prognosis of acute coronary events is worse in patients living alone: the FINAMI myocardial infarction register

Watch Dr. O’Neill on YouTube!

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Dr. Karol Kerr, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Upstate Cancer Center, is receiving a grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for the second year in a row.  Dr. Kerr talks about the types of patients she sees, and how this grant money will be used to support the multidisciplinary center’s services.  The St Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven and donor-centered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research. 

For more information, or to donate: St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in Syracuse

Upstate surgeons David Halleran and Jiri Bem are joined by Linda Veit, special projects manager at the Upstate Cancer Center, to talk about colorectal cancer and the importance of the colonoscopy as a screening tool. The also discuss a study they are involved in to determine what biomarkers might be used to predict/detect colon cancer — perhaps in lieu of a colonoscopy in the future.  For more information, or to participate in the study, call 315-464-1852.

Onondaga County Cancer Services Program on Facebook

Read the study: Study of Biomarkers for Early Detection of Colorectal Adenocarcinoma in Adults Undergoing Colonoscopy

Fourth year Upstate psychiatry resident Seetha Ramanathan is the co-author of a research study that analyzed data on U.S. teens born during the early 1980s.  Her research found slightly higher rates of adolescent delinquent behaviors in this group, such as smoking, drinking, arrests and thefts, that might possibly be tied to macroeconomic conditions during the first year of life.  

Read the stories:
Babies born during recessions grow up more likely to have drug problems and become involved in crime according to new study
Are recession babies prone to be delinquent teens?

In honor of National Wear Red Day (February 1), Upstate researcher Dr. Richard Veenstra will talk about the unique aspects of women and heart disease, debunk some myths and offer preventive measures to help avoid the situation. Dr. Veenstra’s research focuses on the electrical activity of the heart, and he also sits on the board of the Syracuse chapter of the American Heart Association. 

Read more about:
The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women initiative to increase public awareness about heart disease in women.
The 2013 Syracuse Heart Walk - April 6

Dr. Usha Satish talks about a recent study that Upstate is involved in, looking at how carbon dioxide levels impact thinking and decision making.  Dr. Satish directs the Strategic Management Simulation laboratories at Upstate Medical University,  where her work is centered on the application of simulation technology to assess “how” people make decisions and in enhancing the quality of critical thinking.

Read more about The Institute for Decision Excellence & Leadership at Upstate.

Mark Polhemus, director of the Center for Global Health and Translational Science at Upstate Medical University, talks about the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics in developing countries for diseases such as malaria, dengue and tuberculosis, and the education of researchers in those areas.  Dr. Polhemus also introduces a new dengue fever clinical trial at Upstate that is currently seeking participants.

For more information about clinical trials at Upstate, call 315-464-9689
Upstate Active Clinical Trials Seeking Participants – Dengue Fever vaccine

Dr. Jeffrey Bogart discusses a new study at Upstate for the treatment of prostate cancer, a high energy radiation therapy called the SpaceOAR™ System.  If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, contact Dena Martin at 315-464-5262 or martind@upstate.edu to see if this study may be right for you.

New Clinical Trial at Upstate: Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Program at Upstate University Hospital.

Psychiatrist Brian Johnson talks about failed back surgery syndrome, a very generalized term that is often used to describe the condition of patients who have not had a successful result with back surgery or spine surgery and have experienced continued pain after surgery.  Dr. Johnson is currently recruiting patients for a new research study for patients who meet this criteria. For more information or to participate in the study, call 315-464-3130 or email johnsopa@upstate.edu.