Scientists report they have identified a key pair of molecules, called ILT3 and ILT4, that could help clinicians precisely modulate the immune response to help treat a variety of diseases. The molecules are the first to be characterized on antigen presenting immune cells, called dendritic cells, to function as a brake for the immune response. Antigens are molecules, such as proteins from viruses or even from the body's own tissue, that can elicit an immune response.

More than 1,000 patients have received lifesaving liver transplants at the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation (CLDT) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The Hospital's first liver transplant patient, now 11 years old, was transplanted with an organ donated by her father on the day of her first birthday, Jan. 20, 1998.

A world-renowned specialist in multiple-organ transplantation, pediatric and adult liver transplantation, Dr. Tomoaki Kato has been appointed surgical director of liver and intestinal transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

An eight-month-old boy from Northern New York successfully received five transplanted organs as part of a single procedure at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian -- the first procedure of its kind performed at the Hospital. A liver, small bowel, pancreas, colon and stomach were transplanted in the seven-hour operation, called multi-visceral transplantation -- a complex procedure that is rarely performed and requires superb medical and surgical co-ordination. The boy's recovery has been successful, and he is expected to return home soon.

For the approximately 3,000 patients who are diagnosed with advanced cancer of the bile ducts, the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder, options are usually limited to chemotherapy and palliative care. Now, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center is one of the first hospitals anywhere to offer liver transplantation for these patients, giving them new hope for keeping their cancer at bay. The first two cases, one with the organ donated from a living donor and one by deceased donor, have been successful, with the patient healthy with no evidence of cancer.

An authority in quality improvement and medical error reduction, Dr. Meridith Sonnett has been appointed director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, a position she has held in an acting capacity for over a year. Additionally, Dr. Peter Dayan, a leader in the principles of evidence-based medicine, has been named the Division's associate director.

Millions of New Yorkers witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center of Sept. 11, 2001, whether from inside the buildings or from afar. A large number of these people -- as many as 65 percent by one account -- report experiencing resulting emotional problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As part of two new clinical research studies, these patients can receive virtual-reality therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The only medical center to offer virtual-reality therapy for Sept. 11–related PTSD, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell has proven the therapy effective and successfully treated patients since first offering it in 2002. The two new studies, which build on the established therapy, are the first to (1) employ a virtual-reality simulation of the interior of the World Trade Center buildings and (2) to offer virtual-reality therapy in conjunction with D-cycloserine, a drug that has been shown to enhance learning.

By fine-tuning "fine-needle aspiration" biopsies with a super-fast genetic microarray technology, a team of surgeons from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City says they can greatly enhance the accuracy of these tests.