Columbia neuroscientists found that the mouse brain can direct the body's immune system to an unexpected degree, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for many immune disorders.
A study co-led by Columbia scientists suggests a nutrient transporter located at the blood-brain barrier could be commandeered to sneak therapeutic drugs into the brain.
Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with rat neurons, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into another.
An analysis of more than 40,000 primary sensory neurons in the skin has found multiple different types, each sensing a more complex range of stimuli than previously assumed.
Using stem cells from patients, P&S researchers have created a model of age-related macular degeneration in a dish, which may lead personalized treatments to prevent vision loss.
In most cases of ALS, a toxin released by cells that normally nurture neurons in the brain and spinal cord can trigger loss of the nerve cells affected in the disease, report Columbia researchers.
Tom Jessell will receive the 2014 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science for opening up one of the most unknown—and important—fields of biomedical research.
Wei Min, PhD, has found a way to monitor how living cells make proteins, which may open doors to answering enduring questions in neuroscience about the molecular nature of memory.