Aravind Asokan and David Fiflis in the Asokan lab

Invented at Duke: Delivering genetic cargo

Synthetic virology — using protein engineering and RNA biology to create platforms for gene therapy and gene editing — is an incredibly complex topic. 
Geri Dawson sits behind a desk

Invented at Duke: Identifying autism earlier

Parents wondering if their child may be autistic face many barriers, from availability of practitioners to the challenging and complicated process of screening.
Yarui Diao, PhD, and Hamayl Afzal, PhD

A new mission for a cancer therapy: Repairing muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy  

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine adapted a type of cancer immunotherapy to remove harmful inflammatory cells in muscles affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, helping the muscles repair themselves more effectively. In mice, the treatment reduced scarring and inflammation, improved muscle strength and breathing function, and could potentially be used alongside future gene therapies to improve outcomes for patients.
Dr. Patel on a stage delivering a speech

American Heart Association President Manesh Patel calls on cardiovascular community to solve science’s “last-mile problem”

Manesh Patel, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine and the new president of the American Heart Association (AHA), used his presidential address at the AHA’s Scientific Sessions on November 8 to argue that medicine’s next great challenge is not only making discoveries, but getting them to the people who need them.
Susan Spratt, MD, and Eugenia McPeek Hinz, MD

Home-delivered meals linked to fewer hospital readmissions

In a recent study, Duke University School of Medicine researchers found that providing two weeks of home-delivered meals to food-insecure older adults after hospital discharge was associated with significantly lower short-term hospital readmission rates.