Introducing NextStep Carrier Screening, the Most Comprehensive Panel Available

Introducing NextStep Carrier Screening, the Most Comprehensive Panel AvailableThe Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Lab, housed in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and led by Executive Director Lisa Edelmann, worked closely with clinical geneticists who see patients for rare diseases, as well as the bioinformatics team at the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology at Mount Sinai, to create a line of new tests that help inform couples of their risk of having a child with a genetic disorder. (more…)

National Recognition for Autism Researcher

National Recognition for Autism Researcher

Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD

Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the field of autism, recently was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in medicine. New members are elected annually by current active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to advance medical sciences, health care, and public health.

A world-renowned molecular geneticist and neurobiologist, Dr. Buxbaum is Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also Professor of Neuroscience, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences, and the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Research Professor of Geriatrics and Adult Development. (more…)

Exploring Diverse Microbes Among Remote Amerindians

A population of Amerindian hunter-gatherers, who until recently had lived in isolation in the remote Venezuelan Amazon, is yielding a trove of information for scientists at Mount Sinai who are studying their microbiome and finding the most diverse levels of bacteria and bacteria-encoded functions ever discovered in humans. The human microbiome—comprised of trillions of microorganisms that inhabit our bodies—is believed to play a critical role in the well-being of the host. (more…)

Uncovering a Stronger Link Between Obesity and Genes

Researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, participating in the largest genetic study yet on obesity, have helped uncover stronger links between genes and body weight and body fat distribution.

The trailblazing discoveries were published in two companion papers in the February issue of the journal Nature, and were the result of a four-year international research project conducted by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium. Other key participating institutions included the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, the University of Michigan Health System, and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. (more…)

Teaching Heart-Healthy Habits to High-Risk Children and Families

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $3.8 million grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to promote cardiovascular health through early education and intervention programs targeting high-risk children and their parents in Harlem and the Bronx.

Mount Sinai researchers will study the genes and lifestyles of 600 preschoolers and their parents or guardians who live in these communities, which are associated with high rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The investigators will track whether the interventions lead to healthier eating habits and additional exercise. They will also examine the participants’ DNA and RNA to understand how genetics plays a role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

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