Boston is a hub for top medical research and innovation. Few cities in the United States have more doctors than the city of Boston. 2016 marked the 22nd consecutive year that Boston received the most funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of any U.S. city. With the best U.S. medical school (Harvard), some of the best hospitals, and a large life sciences sector, Boston leads the way with the latest and most newsworthy medical and scientific advances in the world.
Two recent newsmakers of note:
2,000 Neurosurgeons Participate in Virtual Brain Surgery Procedure at the BCEC
This week, 2,057 neurosurgeons, at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons at the BCEC, peered through special lenses on their phones to see a simulation of a brain suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Simulated via mobile app, the demonstration highlighted ways in which neurosurgeons can map out plans to approach procedures.
Virtual and augmented reality is growing across the medical profession and is helping to make preparation and practice easier. Patients are also able to better understand the complex procedure they are about to undergo with such simulations. A demonstration such as the one at the BCEC this week was the first time these surgeons had ever shared such an experience with so many of their colleagues. In fact, the group has applied to the Guinness World Records for achieving the largest group virtual reality activity on record.
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Brandeis University Professors Win Noble Prize
Brandeis University, a college of nearly 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students located in the Boston suburb of Waltham, was in the news last week after two of their professors were awarded the 2017 Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Professors Michael Rosbash, the Peter Gruber Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and professor biology, and Jeffrey C. Hall, professor emeritus of biology, (as well as Michael W. Young of Rockefeller University in New York) were honored for their discovery that every living thing relies on circadian rhythms.
The Noble citation cited scientific papers published between 1984 and 1992 by Hall and Robash (and papers published by Young in 1994 and 1998). Focusing on the fruit fly, they discovered the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms in humans control the body’s critical functions such as sleep, behavior, hormone levels, body temperature, and metabolism. The findings may one day lead to treatments for mental illness, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes – all of which are linked to our circadian rhythms becoming out of sync.
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