Friday, July 22, 2016
UMSOM Researchers Provide New Insight into Deadly Fungal Infections
A new study by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has provided new, crucial insights into how little-known but life threatening fungal infections cause damage in the body. The study was published today in the journal Nature Communication. The researchers delineated several key aspects of the fungus that might help researchers develop treatments.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
New Surgical Tool for Mitral Valve Repair Demonstrates Success in First Human Clinical Study
Researchers investigating a novel device to repair the mitral heart valve report 100 percent procedural success in a safety and performance study, the first such study done in humans. The image-guided device, based on technology developed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is deployed through a tiny opening in a beating heart, avoids open-heart surgery, automates a key part of the valve repair process, simplifies the procedure and reduces operating room time. The research is published in the journal Circulation.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Dr. Charles B. Simone, II Appointed Medical Director of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center
William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, the Isadore & Fannie Foxman Schneider Endowed Chairman and Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and the Executive Director of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC), along with UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that Charles B. Simone, II, MD, a nationally-recognized expert in proton therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the new Medical Director of the MPTC. Dr. Simone will also be appointed Associate Professor in the UM SOM Department of Radiation Oncology and will begin in his new position in November 2016.
Wednesday, July 06, 2016
UMSOM Begins Malaria Vaccine Trial in Burkina Faso
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases: it infects hundreds of millions of people every year, and kills about half a million, most of them under five years of age.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
UM SOM Researchers Awarded Grant to Use Innovative Alternative to Autopsies to Better Understand Child Mortality
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), and UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that CVD has been awarded a large grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research that will help determine why so many children under five are dying in the world’s poorest countries. The grant will fund use of an innovative alternative to traditional autopsy known as minimally invasive tissue sampling. The technique, which involves the collection of tissue samples with fine needles, allows researchers to quickly identify the cause of death, and help illuminate ways to save lives and improve the health of children in these vulnerable areas.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Investiture Celebrates the Courage and Passion of Two University Warriors
In a packed Westminster Hall, with one of the largest audiences to date for any investiture ceremony, Christopher Plowe, MD, MPH, was named the Frank M. Calia, MD Professor of Medicine.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Surgical First: Patient Avoids Dialysis Thanks to Simultaneous Polycystic Kidney Removal and Kidney Transplant During 28-Person Kidney Swap
In a first-of-its-kind procedure in the United States, a patient was able to avoid dialysis when surgeons simultaneously removed two diseased kidneys and also transplanted a kidney from a living donor – all as part of a 28-person paired kidney exchange (PKE). The procedure, performed in May on a patient with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), eliminated the need for the patient to ever undergo dialysis.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Muffins Made With Healthy Fats May Help Patients With Metabolic Syndrome
It's hard to think of the typical muffin, often loaded with saturated fat and a high calorie count, as a healthy food option. But muffins made with healthier fats yielded unexpected health benefits during a first-of-its-kind clinical study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Friday, June 10, 2016
FDA Approves Vaccine for Cholera Invented and Developed at University of Maryland School of Medicine
In a milestone that was years in the making, a vaccine to prevent cholera, invented and developed by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development, was approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Wednesday, June 01, 2016
Maryland Proton Treatment Center Celebrates Grand Opening
The Maryland Proton Treatment Center celebrated the grand opening of its new $200 million, 110,000-square-foot facility in West Baltimore on June 1. More than 600 people – faculty members and staff, elected officials, community doctors and cancer survivors – attended the event. June 1 is National Cancer Survivors Day, and the event, which had a 'Survivor' theme, based on the reality TV show, also honored cancer survivors. The new facility is the first proton treatment center in the Baltimore-Washington area.