“Indeed, basic scientists at Stanford have made extraordinary contributions to biomedicine,” Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, said in a letter published in the issue. “Their hard-earned discoveries often open up whole new fields of study. And with each advance, they forge new paths for future discoveries.
The problem includes:
An article describing how moving its medical school to the Stanford University campus inspired Stanford medical students, researchers, and physicians to join forces with high-tech powerhouses to accelerate molecular discoveries that could revolutionize the practice of medicine.
· A look at how cryogenic electron microscopy is expanding our understanding of diseases and how to treat them.
· A sampling of a dozen Stanford Medicine researchers on their favorite molecules that reveals what amazes them about their tiny objects of study.
The story of how two researchers discovered that circles of free-floating DNA, or extrachromosomal DNA, help cancerous tumors evade treatment in some patients, a revelation that led scientists to watch these culprits who hid in plain sight
· An exploration of new thinking about pain, starting with the concept that not everyone experiences pain in the same way. In this article, Stanford Medicine pain experts discuss the approaches they use to individualize pain remedies, from designing new drugs to developing online pain management courses to assessment of the usefulness of psychedelics.
· A story about how a mother’s decision to donate her daughter’s tumor for research after she died of a rare brain cancer opened the door to cancer immunotherapy.
· An article describing the link between neurotransmission and excessive mucus secretion – which can cause serious illness in some – and how leveraging these similarities could lead to a solution.
The problem also seems at neuroscientist Serge Pascathe pioneering development of a cell culture method that allows scientists to watch parts of a human brain grow and form connections in real time, ushering in a new era of brain science; an effort led by a group of black women to create a peer navigation program for black women with breast cancer; and the perspective of psychologist Keith Humphreys, president of the Stanford-Lancet Commission on the Opioid Crisis, calling on disparate groups to work together to put patients first in solving the crisis.
Stanford Medicine The magazine is available online at stanmed.stanford.edu as well as in print. Printed copies of the new issue are sent to subscribers. Others can request a copy by emailing medmag@stanford.edu.