Einstein Breakthroughs
As a medical school that was founded only 70 years ago, Albert Einstein College of Medicine has established itself as a leader in medical research. We are proud to include the following accomplishments among our many research 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