New Research Refutes Long-Held Antiviral Theory

A long-standing belief that mammals use the same potent antiviral molecules deployed by plants and invertebrates is being challenged by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Their findings, published in the July 10, 2014, issue of Cell Reports, surprised many scientists who assumed that antiviral RNA Interference (RNAi) exists in humans as a natural result of evolution.

Scientists know that human cells, like cells in every living organism with a nucleus, encode and generate small RNAs, which influence our genetics. It is also known that mammals combat viruses with interferons—proteins manufactured by immune cells in response to pathogens.

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Understanding the Roots of Autism

Specific cellular pathways, along which genetic mutations occur, appear to play a key role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), according to new research from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The findings, published online in the April 24, 2014, issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, provide scientists with a better understanding of the complex genetic architecture involved in ASD, which has its roots in early brain development.

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Mount Sinai Presents Groundbreaking Findings on Heart Procedure

In a groundbreaking, multi-centered randomized trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers, co-led by Mount Sinai’s David H. Adams, MD, determined that a catheter-based heart procedure to replace an aortic valve was superior to surgery for patients who have symptomatic severe aortic stenosis with increased risks. The findings, based on a clinical trial involving 795 patients treated at 45 institutions across the nation, were simultaneously presented by Dr. Adams at the 63rd Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology on Saturday, March 29, and represent a major advance for heart patients who are at high risk for surgery.

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