Einstein Breakthroughs

Demonstrated the association between reduced levels of high-density lipoproteins, or “good” cholesterol, and heart disease

Helped develop the HbA1c test for measuring average, long-term blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, transforming the way the disease is diagnosed and treated

Identified the protein tau in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, a key finding that influenced subsequent Alzheimer’s disease research

Identified pediatric AIDS as a distinct disease and established the first daycare center in the world for children with AIDS

Founded the field of neuroendocrinology, which gave rise to a new understanding of how the body’s cells communicate with one another

Identified the mechanism of action of Taxol, a chemotherapy medication that is in widespread use worldwide to treat cancer patients

Founded the first institute in the nation devoted to the study of liver disease and injury

Developed landmark techniques to grow human tissue cells under laboratory conditions, an advance that helped make possible all subsequent cellular biology research

Found that leisure activities, including dancing, lower the risk for dementia

Demonstrated that “heading” in soccer can lead to brain injury

Pioneered research leading to improved methods of avoiding organ transplant rejection

Developed a novel test to detect whether breast cancer tumors are likely to metastasize

Discovered the first and several other “longevity genes,” genetic variants associated with exceptional longevity in humans

Discovered how Ebola infects cells

Identified the link between a child’s abnormal breathing during sleep and behavioral, emotional, and relationship troubles

Showed that women with the most common form of breast cancer and low scores on a cancer-recurrence gene test may safely skip chemotherapy

Pioneered an effective treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Helped establish the biological underpinnings of autism and the idea that autism involves a broad spectrum of disorders

Performed the first U.S. research to show that early use of steroids is an effective treatment for patients with severe COVID-19

Discovered that a form of blood cancer resulted from cancer stem cells and developed new ways to treat myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia

Became home to one of the first urban, practice-based research networks

Led research to establish new type of diabetes known as type 5 or malnutrition-related diabetes