Lerner Research Institute News

NIH Grant to Study Iron Dysregulation and Neuropsychiatric Disorders in People with HIV
04/13/2021

Dr. Kallianpur’s team will investigate the role of iron in depression and cognitive impairment in people with HIV.

Colorectal Cancer Relapse Predicted by Immune Cell Infiltration
04/06/2021

Dr. Schmit and colleagues found that immune cell infiltration of colorectal tumors can predict disease relapse in patients who undergo surgery with curative intent.

Dr. Sharifi Honored with Achievement Award for Discoveries in Cancer Research
03/31/2021

Dr. Sharifi has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the AACR Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research for his research into the genetic underpinnings of treatment-resistant prostate cancer.

NIH Awards $4.6M to Study Human Cytomegalovirus Latency and Reactivation
03/30/2021

Dr. O’Connor’s team will investigate the underlying mechanisms by which human cytomegalovirus manipulates host cells to regulate viral latency and reactivation.

Cleveland Clinic and IBM Unveil Landmark 10-Year Partnership to Accelerate Discovery in Healthcare and Life Sciences
03/30/2021

IBM Hybrid Cloud, High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Computing technologies will serve as the foundation for Cleveland Clinic’s newly launched Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health.

Researchers Engineer Much-Needed Mouse Model of a Rare Vascular Sarcoma
03/26/2021

Dr. Rubin used a novel approach to target the gene fusion that causes epithelioid hemgioendothelioma, engineering a novel, first-of-its-kind mouse model of the disease, which will help advance studies to identify new treatments.

New Smartphone App Could Transform Concussion Management of Military Personnel
03/18/2021

Using an application that is readily available on a mobile device, Dr. Alberts and his lab have created a convenient and effective method to determine the effects of concussion on performance.

New Study From Cleveland Clinic Pathogens Researchers Points to Novel Drug Target for Treating COVID-19
03/16/2021

Dr. Gack and other FRIC researchers discovered that a coronavirus enzyme blocks the activity of a previously undefined host immune response, suggesting therapeutics that inhibit the enzyme may help treat COVID-19.

New Evidence of Microbial Infection That Impairs Healing in Crohn’s Disease
03/11/2021

Dr. Stappenbeck and his team found that the yeast D. hansenii, a type of fungus, is elevated in models of Crohn’s disease, particularly concentrated within intestinal wounds, suggesting that targeting this infection may be a viable approach to treat or prevent the disease.

Uncovering the Link between the Gut and Autoimmunity in Patients with PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome
03/03/2021

A pilot study led by Dr. Eng suggests that the gut microbiome may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases and immune dysregulation in patients with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome.

Characterizing Patient Immune Responses to Emerging Tick-borne Virus
03/02/2021

Using patient samples, Dr. Jung and his team uncovered inflammatory biomarkers associated with severe disease and death caused by SFTSV infection, and identified the critical role B cells play in infection.

Nanoparticle-delivered COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Shows Promise in Preclinical Studies
03/02/2021

Dr. Jung and his team have developed a vaccine candidate that targets the primary binding site between SARS-Cov-2 and human cells, which universally produced neutralizing antibodies and prevented infection in preclinical models.

Aerobic Exercise Can Help Parkinson’s Patients Improve Heart Health
03/01/2021

Dr. Alberts and his team have found that even short sessions of aerobic exercise can bring gains in cardiopulmonary function for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

New NIH Grant Awarded to Study Macrophage Signaling in Lung Injury
02/24/2021

Dr. Scheraga will use the support to investigate novel signaling mechanisms that control macrophage function and protect the lung during trauma.

Microbiome Reveals Clues to Male Infertility
02/24/2021

In collaboration with Dr. Eng, Dr. Lundy and colleagues compared the microbiomes of infertile and fertile men and identified several bacterial and metabolic pathway differences that may help diagnose and treat male infertility.

LRI Postdoc Selected for Esteemed Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship
02/18/2021

Dr. Card, a postdoctoral fellow in the Scott lab, has been named a 2020 Hanna Gray Fellow, a fellowship that helps provide support for underrepresented and early-career biomedical researchers.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Tackle Cognitive Impairment in Former NFL Players
02/16/2021

Dr. Alberts is teaming up with the National Football Players Association to help identify, treat and prevent brain disorders.

New Method of Counting Tumor Cells Offers Possibility of a “Liquid Biopsy”
02/16/2021

A new device created by Drs. Fleischman and Zborowski may make it easier to track cancer’s course with a simple blood test.

Medication to Strengthen, Grow Muscles Shows Promise for Treating Stress Urinary Incontinence
02/15/2021

Dr. Damaser and colleagues are testing the theory that strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can improve the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, a condition that can interfere with quality of life and is especially common in women.

New Risk Factors Related to Long-Term Lung Transplant Complications Identified
02/12/2021

Dr. McCurry and his team found that blood transfusion and lung weight play important roles in lung transplantation outcomes.

Researchers Develop Interactive Platform to Identify Druggable Cancer Mutations
02/08/2021

Dr. Cheng and team developed a personalized genomic medicine platform to identify clinically actionable mutations and accelerate the development of cancer precision medicine protocols.

Knee Ligament Surgery Study Findings May Help Explain ACL Injury Risk
02/08/2021

Dr. Beveridge found that, years after knee ligament surgery, patients had nearly identical muscle coordination measures as control subjects, although the activation of a muscle group that normally protects ligaments from injury was delayed in both legs.

W.M. Keck Foundation Grant to Study Potential Link Between Bacteria and Cancer
02/04/2021

Dr. Ting and collaborators from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will investigate if bacterial enzymes directly modify the human genome to promote cancer.

Study Reveals Cause of Common Zika Virus Birth Defect
01/28/2021

Dr. Jung and his team defined the molecular mechanisms that underlie fetal brain calcification caused by Zika virus infection, most notably identifying the role of the protease NS3 in driving the virus-induced abnormal brain development.

Cleveland Clinic Announces New Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health
01/25/2021

Through a $500 million partnership with the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and Ohio Development Services Agency, Cleveland Clinic will strengthen and grow its commitment to infectious disease research as the new Center will support research, education and grow new jobs in Ohio.

CYCLE-AD Trial: Testing High-Intensity Exercise to Stave Off Alzheimer’s Disease
01/19/2021

With a new $6.7 million grant from NIH, Drs. Alberts and Rao will test if home-based, high-intensity cycling may help prevent sedentary adults who carry the highest risk Alzheimer’s-related gene variant from developing the disease.

Researchers Identify Protector of Intestinal Barrier
01/18/2021

Dr. Ivanov and his team have clarified the essential protective role of Β-actin in regulating the epithelial barrier and intestinal inflammation.

Researchers Engineer Novel Disease Model to Develop New Ulcerative Colitis Drugs
01/11/2021

Dr. Huang developed an innovative patient-derived model of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease that mirrors the disease’s complexity better than others currently available and identified the protein CXCL8 as an actionable drug target.

Study Shows Machine Learning’s Potential to Predict Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Risk
01/06/2021

An interdisciplinary team led by Drs. Cheng and Collier developed machine learning models that predict with promising accuracy the risk of cardiac dysfunction in cancer survivors and may be generalizable to clinical practice.