It was another amazing year for research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and as usual, there were plenty of interesting and inspiring stories for our research communication team to write about on our blog.
As we get ready to ring in 2025, here's a look back at our five most popular blog posts from 2024.
1. Regular Exercise Could Be the Key to Reducing Risk of Alcoholic Liver Disease
Americans were already drinking at high levels prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the large-scale lockdowns and closures led to a spike in alcohol sales and consumption.
Health officials are concerned about the long-term impact of all this drinking, particularly when it comes to increasing rates of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).
Could exercise help to protect against ALD in this vulnerable and growing population?
That’s the question being investigated by researchers from the Alcohol Liver Center, who recently published their findings in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism. Read more.
2. How a Personal Story Fueled a Researcher’s Passion to Pursue Breast Cancer Research
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime and early detection is key to better treatment outcomes.
Due to concerns about radiation exposure, discomfort during the procedure and the anxiety about unclear findings in dense breast tissue, some women avoid mammograms even when recommended by their doctor.
Meet Matt Rosen, PhD, a scientist paving the way to improve breast cancer screening options for women. Read more.
3. The Astonishing Team Effort that Led to the First Trial of CAR T Cells for Glioblastoma at Mass General Brigham
It’s fitting that the investigators who developed a new CAR T-based treatment for glioblastoma called their treatment platform “CAR-TEAM” cells, as it took a true team effort to bring their concept from the lab to the clinic.
The team, led by Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, and Bryan Choi, MD, PhD, recently published a study detailing the promising preliminary results of a first-in-human trial for the new therapy, which was designed to target two different sites on glioblastoma tumors.
All three patients in the initial trial showed dramatic but transient reductions in tumor size in imaging scans taken after their treatments.
The team is now exploring ways to improve the longevity of the treatment, either by delivering multiple doses over time or by pairing the treatment with chemotherapy. Read more.
4. How a Chance Encounter Led One Mass General Researcher on a Decade-Long Journey of Discovery
Not all research projects start in the lab. As it turns out, some can start on a walk to Whole Foods.
For Alexander Marneros, MD, PhD, a dermatologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, a decade-long journey of discovery began with a chance encounter on his way to lunch.
As he walked by a father who was pushing his young son in a stroller, Marneros noticed a scar on the back of the boy’s head. He recognized it as aplasia cutis, a curious congenital scalp skin wound which results in scarring on the back of the head, but nowhere else on the body.
Though he had never studied the disease before, Marneros knew that the gene underlying the condition had not been found.
On impulse, he turned around, introduced himself, and asked the father if anyone else in the family had the same scar.
Read more.
5. The Experience of Being Diagnosed with Autism as an Adult
For patients who receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as an adult, the experience can vary widely based on how the diagnosis is presented and the availability of support services to help patients and their families move forward.
The diagnosis can also produce a complex set of emotions, from relief and acceptance to confusion, disappointment and grief.
We asked Mass General Brigham Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, Ingrid Kiehl, MD, about her recent review looking at adult experiences of being diagnosed with autism. Read more.
About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. The goal of our research is to better understand human health and disease and to identify new strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Your support will help us pursue new and unproven areas of research that could lead to the next game-changing breakthroughs.
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