Mildred Unti, a PhD student in the Jaffrey lab, received an F31 fellowship!
Apr 06, 2022
Mildred Unti, a PhD student in the Jaffrey lab, received an F31 fellowship for her project titled, "Development of a chemogenetically controlled RNA aggregation system and its application in elucidating the role of RNA foci in repeat expansion disease."
Dr. Lorraine Gudas named the first recipient of the Arleen B Rifkind MD Professorship, Click here for more
Mar 22, 2022
The Rifkind family generously donated funds for the Arleen B Rifkind MD Professorship in Pharmacology. On March 22, 2022, the Pharmacology Dept. held a research seminar in honor of Dr. Arleen Rifkind, a professor in the Pharmacology Dept. who passed away last year. Dr. Rifkind was an accomplished and beloved faculty member. Dean Augustine Choi; Dr. Gudas; Amy,one of Arleen and Bob Rifkind's two daughters, Amy and Nina Rifkind; and Dr. Silvia Moore, a faculty member who worked with Dr....
Dr. David Scheinberg, Chair of the Molecular Pharmacology Program in SKI, and Dr. Derek Tan, SKI Chemical Biology Program Chair and their teams have designed an entirely new type of CAR T cell that acts as a “micropharmacy”.
Dr. Ryan Serio (former Pharm student), a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Dawid Nowak's lab, received a fellowship from the DOD for his project titled: Determining Metastatic Drivers of Pten/p53 Loss Driven Prostate Cancer using Evolving DNA Barcodes. Congrats!
Pharmacology PhD student Chiara Evans received an F31 fellowship from NCI for her project in Dr. Kharas' lab titled: "Function of Musashi-2 Methylation in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis." Very nice news!!
Dr. Samie Jaffrey was just awarded a $12.2 million grant from the National Human Genome Institute to start a multi-institutional center called the Center for Genomic Information Encoded by RNA Nucleotide Modifications. Congratulations! Click here.
Sep 21, 2021
The Center for Genomic Information Encoded by RNA Nucleotide Modifications is one of 12 NIH Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS), which supports multi-investigator and interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative approaches and technologies to expand our understanding of the information encoded in the human genome. The Center for Genomic Information Encoded by RNA Nucleotide Modifications is based at Weill Cornell Medicine and led by Dr. Samie Jaffrey, and includes...
We are proud to announce that Dr. Jacob Geri is a new assistant professor in the Pharmacology Dept. at Weill Cornell. Click here for more information on Dr. Geri's research and background.
Sep 13, 2021
Dr. Geri received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, and he did his postdoctoral research with Dr. MacMillan at Princeton University. We are very excited that he is joining the faculty in our department. Here is a brief summary of his research interests. Mapping the sequences of protein interactions which drive disease phenotypes is a critical step towards drug discovery efforts. However, the transient and environmentally responsive nature of crucial disease-...
Lia Zallar was recently awarded an F31 NIH predoctoral fellowship for her proposal titled: A reciprocal relationship between alcohol and the p450 enzyme aromatase. Lia works with Dr. Kristen Pleil in the Pharmacology Dept. Congratulations, Lia!
Drs. Buck, Levin, Meinke, and their colleagues, including two Pharmacology PhD students, Tom Rossetti and Jacob Ferreira, have a new publication just out in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Very nice work!
Jul 20, 2021
Drs. Buck, Levin, Meinke, and their colleagues, including two Pharmacology PhD students, Tom Rossetti and Jacob Ferreira, have a new publication just out in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters titled: Discovery of TDI-10229: A Potent and Orally Bioavailable Inhibitor of Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase (sAC, ADCY10). Very nice work! Click here for more.
New Journal of Biological Chemistry Publication. Congratulations to Dr. Silvia Moore and Dr. Pengbo Zhou for their collaborative work and their new publication.
We congratulate Brodie Corless, who was awarded an F31 fellowship from NCI. The title of his project is: EpoxySEAKER and onSEAKER: CAR T-cell models for Targeted Local Biosynthesis of Therapeutic Warheads.
On Thursday, April 8th, 2021, the Weill Cornell Graduate School is holding the school-wide du Vigneaud Scientific Symposium. This year, the student co-Chairs of this Symposium are both Pharmacology PhD students, Tom Rossetti and Krysta Dikun
An exciting new publication from Drs. Jaffrey, Blenis and their talented colleagues. mTORC1 promotes cell growth via m6A-dependent mRNA degradation, published in Molecular Cell this month.
Congratulations to Jacob Ferreira, who was just awarded a F31 grant from the NIH for his project titled: Discovery and Characterization of an Endogenous Inhibitor of Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase. Jacob is doing his thesis in the lab of Drs. Buck & Levin
Cheers go to Pharmacology PhD students Svena Verma and Albert Agustinus, who were just awarded Drug Discovery Predoctoral Fellowships from the PhRMA Foundation!
On May 27 2020, Dr. Daniel Heller was recognized with the 2020 Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Weill Cornell Graduate School.
Oct 27, 2020
An avid educator, Dan co-directs two innovative courses in drug discovery and development,“Drug Development from Molecule to Prescription”and the“Accelerating Bioventure Innovation”entrepreneurship course and training program. Prof. Heller and his laboratory are also active in outreach efforts, including at the Math, Engineering, and Science Academy, a public charter high school in Brooklyn...
Dr. Monica L. Guzman, Associate Professor of Pharmacology in Medicine, has been honored and named one of the 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists in America in Cell Mentor (Cell Press and Cell Signaling Technology).
Sep 29, 2020
The list of the 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists working in the United States was presented in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Selection for this honor was based on scholarly achievements, mentoring excellence, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
August 26, 2020: Today, we celebrate 100 years since the ratification of the 19th amendment!
Aug 27, 2020
A new statue was unveiled today in NYC's Central Park, a statue honoring real women-Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, three New York women of different races, educational and economic backgrounds, and religions coming together in the fight for equality.
Dr. John Blenis and colleagues show that methylmalonic acid, which accumulates with aging, promotes tumor progression. For more information about these exciting findings, click here
Dr. Yue (Cindy) Yang, who works with Dr. Anthony Sauve, has many reasons to celebrate recently. Click to read more
Aug 18, 2020
In February, 2020, she was named a J. of Biol. Chemistry/Tabor Award winner and was invited to speak at the ASBMB annual meeting. To read more, click here:
Tom Rossetti (Drs. Buck and Levin lab) was awarded an F31 fellowship from NIH (NIA). The title of his proposal is "Activation of Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for the Treatment of Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders.”
Pharmacology PhD student Leona Nease in Dr. Elena Piskounova's lab was awarded an F31 fellowship for her research proposal titled: “Regulation of the Selenocysteine Stress Response in Cancer Metastasis". Great Job Leona!!!
Congratulations to Joanna Luo for her F31 fellowship award for her project titled: Mechanism of Gamma-secretase Modulators from NIA! Joanna is doing her PhD research in Dr. Li’s lab.
The Pharmacology PhD Program is pleased to announce that Heather Jones just received an NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellowship. The title of her research proposal in the Scheinberg lab is: A High Throughput Method to Determine the Target of T Cell Receptors.
Pharmacology PhD student Kyle Planck was awarded an F31 fellowship for his research proposal titled: “Metabolic impact of tryptophan synthase inhibition in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and implications for rational combination therapy.” Very nice, Kyle!!
Drs. Jaffrey and Zaccara Find that Depletion of All 3 YTHDF Proteins Promotes Leukemia Differentiation. Congratulations to you both on your article in Cell.
Drs. Lonny Levin and Jochen Buck have a new publication in Cell Metabolism focused on the mechanisms involved in the development of non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis. Congratulations!
Dr. Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science at Harvard, gave a fascinating lecture as part of the Science and Society series at Rockefeller University. The lecture was titled: Why Trust Science? and was based on her new book.
Faculty Position in the area of Chemical Biology Available
Feb 20, 2020
Applications are invited for a tenure track appointment as Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology (https://pharmacology.weill.cornell.edu/) at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. The department faculty members have diverse research interests that include chemical biology, cell signaling and regulation, cancer pharmacology, neuropharmacology, metabolism, and cardiovascular pharmacology.
Dr. Charles E. Inturrisi has been selected to be the "Gavril Pasternak Memorial Keynote" speaker at the International Conference on Opioids (ICOO2020), May 30 - June 1, 2020.
Feb 12, 2020
Dr. Inturrisi was a friend and collaborator of the late Dr. Gavril Pasternak (MSKCC). This will be the ninth year of this world-renowned conference in Boston. The goal of the International Conference on Opioids is to provide the information and education needed to alleviate the risk of misuse or abuse and move the standard of care so that when necessary, opioids can be properly used to help those in pain.
In the Graduate School’s Science and Society Lecture Series, Dr. Robbert Dijkgraff, a physicist and the Director of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, gave a very entertaining, well-attended lecture on “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge.”
Nov 21, 2019
The search for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and wihout concern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discoveries but also to the most revolutionary technical breakthroughs….” Many of our Pharmacology PhD students also went out to dinner with Dr. Dijkgraff after his talk.
ASPET's quarterly news magazine, The Pharmacologist, features Dr. Gudas’ ASPET-JPS March 2019 lecture in Osaka, Japan.
Jun 22, 2019
The Pharmacologist, ASPET's quarterly news magazine featured Dr. Gudas' ASPET-JPS Lecture at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society.lorraine_gudas_aspet.pdf
Drs. Faten Taki and Aashiq Mirza, postdoctoral fellows in the Pharmacology Dept. in Dr. Toth and Dr. Jaffrey’s labs, respectively, participated in a Life Sciences Fair on Capitol Hill.
Jun 20, 2019
This fair, sponsored by FASEB, showcased federally funded research. About 200 people, including many Congressional staff members, attended. Drs. Taki and Mirza ran a WCM booth and held a workshop titled:Make your own DNA Necklace.(They brought suitcases with lots of detergents to Capitol Hill for this!) What a wonderful way for scientists to interact with interested government officials!! Here is a picture of them with one of Rep....
Dr. Gina Lee is awarded a 2019 Tri-Institutional Breakout Award for Junior Investigators.
Jun 12, 2019
In a study published in Cell, Dr. Lee and Dr. Blenis and their colleagues showed that mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) promotes RNA splicing of fat-producing enzymes required to synthesize lipids for tumor growth. For more information about Dr. Lee’s award, click here….
Dr. Shino Murakami postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jaffrey's lab awarded a 3 year fellowship from the DOD Breast Cancer Program
Jun 06, 2019
On April 1, 2019, Dr. Shino Murakami, a postdoctoral fellow in the Jaffrey lab, was awarded a 3 year fellowship from the DOD Breast Cancer Program. The title of her fellowship project is: The Role of RNA Methylation in Breast Cancer. Congratulations are in order!
Dr. John Blenis is honored at the WCM Graduation Ceremony in Carnegie Hall.
May 30, 2019
Dr. Blenis received the Siegel Family Award for Outstanding Medical Research, which honors a faculty member whose research is extraordinary. It is wonderful that a Pharmacology Dept. faculty member was selected for this great honor.
Dr. Samie Jaffrey is Awarded an Outstanding Investigator R35 Grant from NIH.
May 29, 2019
This is a very competitive and prestigious 8 year award which provides long-term support to accomplished researchers with superb records of research productivity who propose to conduct extraordinary research. The title of the award is: New mechanisms and technologies for understanding post-transcriptional gene regulation in neurons. Congratulations to you, Samie, and your research colleagues!!
Dr. Miklos Toth Receives the 2019 Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award for the Pharmacology PhD Program.
May 29, 2019
He received the award at the Weill Cornell Graduate School Convocation ceremony. Well deserved, Miklos!! Dr. Toth is the 5th person pictured from left to right.
TPCB student Jacob Litke and Prof. Samie Jaffrey at Weill Cornell have developed a system that allows highly efficient expression of circular RNA aptamers that are resistant to exonucleases. Publishing in Nature Biotechnology, they showed that their “Tornado” expression system is some 200 times more efficient than previously reported systems, opening the door to broad applications of circular RNA aptamers to probe cellular processes.
Lisa Standke, a PhD student in Derek Tan’s lab, wrote an article for Science Journal for Kids
Mar 28, 2019
Lisa Standke, a PhD student in Derek Tan’s lab, wrote an article forScience Journal for Kids-the goal is to adapt current research articles into age-appropriate language for K-12 readers.
Drs. Steve Gross, Qiuying Chen, and Changyuan Lu are authors of a study with Dr. Lew Cantley.
Mar 22, 2019
The article is published in SCIENCE magazine, showing that high fructose corn syrup causes larger colon tumors in mice. Congratulations! Click here to see the article.
Stealth Biotherapeutics, the company founded by Dr. Hazel Szeto
Mar 18, 2019
On February 15, 2019, Stealth Biotherapeutics, the company founded by Dr. Hazel Szeto, a WCM Pharmacology professor, ~ 12 years ago, priced its IPO today of 6.5M ADSs, each representing 12 ordinary shares of Stealth, at a price of $12.00/ADS, for expected gross proceeds of $78M.
Dr. Samie Jaffrey and Dr. Steve Gross published a key paper in the field of small nuclear RNA regulations in Nature Chemical Biology this week. Congratulations!
Dr. Yueming Li was chosen as the recipient of the Weill Cornell Graduate School Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award for the value of his teaching and mentoring of WCGS students. Dr. Li was nominated by, Drs. Derek Tan, David Scheinberg, Lisa Placanica and Natalya Gertsik and will be presented this award at the Weill Cornell Graduate School Convocation Ceremony on Wednesday, May 30, at 10 a.m. in Uris Auditorium. Congratulations Dr. Li!
Pathway to Stop Diabetes Visionary Award Recipient
Weill Cornell Faculty member, Dr. Samie R. Jaffrey has received the Pathway Visionary Award for his basic research project titled, "Rewiring Cellular Metabolic Networks in Diabetes." Dr. Jaffrey is developing a new type of gene therapy that will allow liver cells to "sense" metabolic abnormalities that occur in diabetes and then stimulate the production of proteins that would correct liver function.
Scientists from the Giovanni Lorenzino Medical Foundation met with Weill Cornell faculty.
Pictured at lunch are: Lorraine Gudas, Emanuela Folco, David Hajjar, & Randi Silver. In the second picture are Roberto Levi, Guido Rasi, & Sergio Pecorelli. Dr. Rasi is the Executive Director of the European Medical Agency and he also gave a lecture titled: Role of Regulatory Agencies in the Development of Innovative Drugs.
Chuck Pratt, a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Grimm, has a new publication, titled: Nanoparticles as multimodal photon transducers of ionizing radiation, out in Nature Nanotechnology.
