Last year, Apple unveiled a new platform that offers a streamlined way to create mobile applications linked to medical research. The technology, called ResearchKit, lets investigators more easily connect with the people whose diseases they're studying, allowing them to gather feedback on symptoms, as well as data on everything from a patient's weight to the air quality where they live.

An innovative method that uses human embryonic stem cells to model type 2 diabetes caused by genetic mutations may enable researchers to identify drugs that could treat the disease. The research by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators was published Aug. 11 in Cell Stem Cell, and may extend the use of precision medicine to metabolic diseases.

Computational biologist Dr. Olivier Elemento was just 6 years old when he received his first microscope and computer. Now he is harnessing the power of both to spot patterns and trends in cancer that could help doctors treat the disease — and perhaps even find a cure.

AN AMBITIOUS STUDY AIMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW CROHN'S DISEASE STUNTS KIDS' GROWTH

Eventually, Alex's parents brought him to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he saw Dr. Thomas Ciecierega, an assistant professor of pediatrics. Dr. Ciecierega made the correct diagnosis — Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is characterized by intestinal inflammation — and put the boy on the proper course of medication.

Researchers can now predict the odds of experimental drugs succeeding in clinical trials, thanks to a new data-driven approach developed by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists. The method detects toxic side effects that may disqualify drugs from human use, giving drug developers an early warning before initiating clinical trials, according to a new study published Sept. 15 in Cell Chemical Biology.

As an undercover investigator in the New York Police Department's organized crime unit, Christian Saffran had a knack for identifying underlying causes of criminal activity. In a job where being nimble could mean the difference between life and death, he thrived on seeing beyond the obvious to secure arrest warrants and make communities safer.

By Blaine Friedlander

One of the most common cancers in sub-Saharan Africa, Kaposi's sarcoma has significant morbidity and mortality rates.