A Student-Led Push to Rethink Heart Healing Some tissues, like liver and skeletal muscle, can regenerate after injury and can go back to functioning normally. Heart tissue, though, typically scars after injury.   Ashley Williams, a fifth-year M...

Ashley Williams, an MD‑PhD student at Duke University School of Medicine, is studying how the heart could regenerate instead of scar after injury. Her work earned an American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship.
Read more ⤵️
medschool.duke.edu/news/student-led-push-re...

Boy walking down red carpet with people on both sides of carpet clapping

Prom goers enjoying the photo booth with space-themed props

Prom goers dancing on the dance floor

Prom goers dancing on the dance floor, with one boy dancing in the middle of the floor

We had a blast on Saturday evening under the stars at Jodie's Prom, an annual event at Duke Children’s Hospital for Duke pediatric patients with a chronic health condition. Shout-out to Duke Psychiatry’s ATLAS team, Duke Children’s, sponsors, and volunteers for creating a cosmic experience!

Pioneering the Next Generation of Genetic Therapies In 2006, Duke University School of Medicine researchers, led by YT Chen, MD, PhD, professor emeritus of pediatrics, secured the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for a breakthrough enzyme replac...

Dwight Koeberl, MD, PhD, has helped lead decades of progress on Pompe disease through research and clinical trials at Duke University School of Medicine. #AcademicSky #MedSky

⤵️ Read more:
medschool.duke.edu/news/pioneering-next-gen...

Young Minds Tackling Old Questions The next generation of researchers is driving discoveries focused on ensuring longer lives are healthier, more active, and more vital.

What if the key to healthier aging lies in immune memory, exercise, and how neurons clean house? Young minds from Duke are advancing the science of aging from multiple angles.

#AcademicSky #MedSky

medschool.duke.edu/stories/young-minds-tack...

How to build a brain Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have uncovered a previously unknown role for astrocytes in shaping the developing brain. By sending different signals to immune cells, these star-shap...

How do brain circuits refine themselves after birth? New research from Duke University School of Medicine uncovers a key role for astrocytes and microglia.

#AcademicSky #MedSky

medschool.duke.edu/news/how-build-brain

Duke researchers discover cellular ‘release valve’ that could strengthen bones and cartilage Scientists have identified a long‑sought enzyme that controls a fundamental chemical process critical for healthy bones and cartilage, according to a study accepted to Nature Chemical Biology. The enzyme, MESH1, regulates levels of PAPS, the chemical “f...

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine identified MESH1 as the enzyme that controls PAPS levels and cellular sulfation, filling a long‑standing gap in the field.
medschool.duke.edu/news/duke-researchers-di...

A person in a laboratory is using a pipette to work with samples. The background includes lab equipment and a refrigerator with various notes and stickers.

A person is seated on a physical therapy machine, gripping the handles, while another person in a lab coat operates a computer. They are in a room with various exercise equipment.

A person in a lab coat is using a microscope to examine a petri dish. The scene is illuminated by a teal light, creating a focused and scientific atmosphere.

Duke trainees are asking big questions about aging — from the brain’s immune memory to how movement keeps cells resilient.

🔗: medschool.duke.edu/stories/young-minds-tack...

Photos: Eamon Queeney

Duke study offers new clues for designing better produce prescription programs A “produce prescription” is a promising Food ‑ is ‑ Medicine approach that provides direct resources to help families afford healthy foods.

New study from Duke examines a produce prescription program for patients with type 2 diabetes. While clinical outcomes didn’t change, findings offer key guidance for future programs.
medschool.duke.edu/news/duke-study-offers-n...

Dr. Benjamin Alman in a laboratory setting

Imagine activating the body’s natural process to heal damage from #osteoarthritis. Read about a Duke Health-led effort’s major milestone bringing the approach toward first-in-human clinical trials: duke.is/r/sfnz

@dukemedschool.bsky.social | @bostonchildrens.bsky.social | @harvardmed.bsky.social

An individual sits on a hospital bed in a well-lit room, gazing out of the window. The room features medical equipment, including a screen monitor and an IV stand. The individual is wearing a gray outfit, and the bed is slightly unmade.

Phase 2 trial in JAMA Network Open finds an experimental drug developed at Duke appears safe for older surgical patients and may reduce postoperative delirium, supporting larger studies.
medschool.duke.edu/news/experimental-drug-s...

#MedSky

New biomarker could guide future brain-targeted therapies for Pompe disease Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine are investigating a potential biomarker to better detect and monitor central nervous system (CNS) involvement in Pompe disease, a metabolic disorder t...

#DukeMed researchers, led by Priya Kishnani, MD, report that GFAP may help track central nervous system involvement in Pompe disease as patients live longer.

🔗: medschool.duke.edu/news/new-biomarker-could...

#MedSky #AcademicSky

Chuck Scales, M.D., works between two computer terminals in a laboratory setting.

A @dcrinews.bsky.social - coordinated study published in the Lancet March 19th suggests additional methods are needed to prevent painful, recurring kidney stones.

More: duke.is/m/j3af

@dukemedschool.bsky.social | @dukekidney.bsky.social | @thelancet.com | #kidneystones

This image shows a person wearing a white lab coat standing in a laboratory setting. The individual is leaning against a wall, with shelves and laboratory equipment visible in the background.

Duke University School of Medicine researchers are exploring a host‑based strategy to prevent respiratory viral infections by modifying how viruses bind to lung cells.

🔗 Read more: medschool.duke.edu/news/locking-viruses-out...

#AcademicSky #MedSky

Fueling Better Outcomes in Heart Failure What if heart disease isn’t just about weak muscles but the wrong fuel? New research exploring ketones asks whether changing how the heart burns energy could transform future treatment.

The heart loves ketones but doesn’t always get enough of them. New clinical trials explore whether ketone drinks could support heart function in people with heart failure.

🔗 Read more: medschool.duke.edu/stories/fueling-better-o...

#AcademicSky #MedSky

Meet the School of Medicine’s 2026 Distinguished Professors Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 22 faculty members in the School of Medicine. They will be honored at the university’s annual distinguished professorship event on May 18.  ...

Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 38 faculty across the university, including 22 faculty in the School of Medicine.

🔗 View the full list: medschool.duke.edu/news/meet-school-medicin...

A tiny DNA switch may explain why human brains grew so big A short piece of DNA that changed rapidly in humans compared with other mammals appears to act like a volume knob for brain growth.

Scientists at Duke University School of Medicine think they’ve found a genetic switch that helped build the human brain.

#AcademicSky #MedSky

medschool.duke.edu/news/tiny-dna-switch-may...

A young dad's colon cancer spread to his lungs with no warning. He says a clinical trial led to a miracle. Spencer Laird was diagnosed with colon cancer at 26. At 30, he was told it had returned and spread to his lungs, with one tumor the size of a golf ball.

A chance at recovery: See how a 30‑year‑old man’s decision to join a Duke clinical trial using immunotherapy first instead of chemotherapy to treat advanced colon cancer is delivering groundbreaking results for him and his family.

https://duke.is/8/8x68

@dukemedschool.bsky.social | #beatcancer

Hidden circuit helps the brain learn from mistakes Duke University School of Medicine scientists have discovered a hidden brain circuit that helps explain how we learn from experience.

Mistakes don’t automatically make us better. New research from Duke University School of Medicine shows the brain learns only when a specific circuit briefly releases the brakes for change.

medschool.duke.edu/news/hidden-circuit-help...

#AcademicSky #MedSky

Inside the mold that breaks the rules of cell biology Cell biologist Amy Gladfelter, PhD, has been intrigued by a fungus called Ashbya gossypii for 20 years. Made of branching strands, this mold consists of “giant” cells packed with multiple nuclei.

Duke researcher Amy Gladfelter, PhD, found that the fungus Ashbya gossypii uses tiny, droplet‑like structures that form inside the cell to coordinate growth and division.

medschool.duke.edu/news/inside-mold-breaks-...

#AcademicSky #MedSky

New strategy creates CAR-T cells inside the body Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, working in collaboration with scientists at University of California, San Francisco, and University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new app...

Duke School of Medicine researchers, with UCSF and UC Berkeley collaborators, report a new strategy to generate CAR‑T cells directly inside the body, potentially expanding access to CAR‑T therapies.

#AcademicSky #MedSky

medschool.duke.edu/news/new-strategy-create...

We celebrate Duke research saving lives - making stories like Spencer's possible. Dr. Nicholas DeVito leads a clinical trial of a new immunotherapy w/out chemotherapy. Minimal side effects keep Spencer on his feet.

@duke-university.bsky.social | @dukemedschool.bsky.social | @dukecancer.bsky.social

The DNA-repair duo powering aggressive cancers Duke University School of Medicine researchers have discovered the keys to survival for a circular form of DNA that drives many aggressive cancers.   Found outside main chromosomes, ecDNA is known to ...

Duke researchers, led by Zhao Zhang, PhD, discovered how two DNA‑repair systems work together to create extra‑chromosomal DNA, a key driver of aggressive cancers and treatment resistance.

🔗 Read more: medschool.duke.edu/news/dna-repair-duo-powe...

#AcademicSky #MedSky

2026 STAT Madness 2026 bracket Welcome to STAT Madness, a bracket-style contest to find the best innovation in science and medicine. Explore groundbreaking innovations from

March Madness meets #STATMadness! Duke AI predicts youth mental health risk before symptoms escalate and you can help it advance!

🏀 Remember to vote throughout the weekend: www.statnews.com/feature/stat-madness/bra...

The Brain’s Blueprint Maker Debra Silver, PhD, is pursuing one of neuroscience’s biggest questions: What makes a human brain human? She researches it with the same mix of precision and adventure she brings to her passion for scu...

What makes a human brain human?

Debra Silver, PhD, a scientist at Duke University School of Medicine, studies fundamental questions in brain development, with a focus on how variation emerges early and why those differences matter.

medschool.duke.edu/stories/brains-blueprint...

📣 Investing in future medical discovery at Duke. OPSD thanks the Nanaline H. Duke Fund for a $11.45M award expanding Strong Start—catalyzing innovative research by early‑career #physicianscientists. Story, Funding, Events, and More: mailchi.mp/duke/opsd-ma...
@dukemedschool.bsky.social #MadeForThis

Dr. Kevin Hill framed by a Duke logo, with the quote, "We can now counsel them more clearly." on families with single-ventricle children.

Parents of children w/ single-ventricle heart defect now have a clearer picture of burdens ahead after a 16-year study lead by Duke's Kevin Hill, M.D., & colleagues at the Pediatric Heart Network.

corporate.dukehealth.org/news/16-year...

@dukechildrens.bsky.social | @dukemedschool.bsky.social

2026 STAT Madness 2026 bracket Welcome to STAT Madness, a bracket-style contest to find the best innovation in science and medicine. Explore groundbreaking innovations from

AI research that predicts teen mental health crisis with 84% accuracy is heading to the #STATMadness semifinals! Let’s keep the run going.
Vote for Duke: www.statnews.com/feature/stat-madness/bra...

Dr. Katy Liu looks through a microscope while in an office setting.

Promising research on the root cause of #glaucoma -> Katy Liu, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues @dukeeyecenter.bsky.social discovered how specialized immune cells play a key role in regulating eye pressure. Read more about the study: corporate.dukehealth.org/news/immune-...

@dukemedschool.bsky.social

🏀 Duke University School of Medicine advances in 2026 #STATMadness!

This round spotlights AI that predicts teen mental health crises up to one year in advance, developed by Duke researchers.

🔗 Vote daily:
www.statnews.com/feature/stat-madness/bra...