Centers

The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and integrated model of medical, sexual and reproductive health, optical, dental and mental health services, plus prevention education and services for healthy lifestyles.

Upon opening its doors in 1968, the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center became the first health service in New York created specifically for adolescents. Today it is the largest, most comprehensive adolescent center in the country, providing high quality care to more than 12,000 disadvantaged young people ages 10 to 24 in New York City.  Most lack insurance or the ability to pay for services despite being of highest need.

Our physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, and other professionals address the pressing needs of disadvantaged teens and become valued partners in their lives. We respond immediately, confidentially and for free to young people haunted by issues such as pregnancy, depression, abuse and violence. Our effective intervention reduces the enormous long-term human, economic, and social costs of adolescent problems.

Visit the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center or contact Ken Peake for more information.

Last Update: March 2019

The Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) is a nationally renowned center funded by the National Institute on Aging under the leadership of Dr. Mary Sano. The mission of the center is to provide expertise in basic and clinical research for investigators both within and beyond Mount Sinai community. It is housed within the Mount Sinai Health Systems (MSHS) Icahn School of Medicine (ISMMS) under the Department of Psychiatry and utilizes clinical and research spaces in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Pathology at its central campus. It also has a home in the nearby affiliated James J Peters VA Medical Center.  The ADRC is made of five core services

Administrative Core

The Administrative Core is under the direction of Mary Sano, PhD, with the assistance of the Associate Directors of the ADRC: Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD; Alison Goate, DPhil; and Patrick R. Hof, MD. This core integrates scientific, administrative, and clerical activities, sets the research direction for the ADRC, and fosters development of new research and new researchers. We aid in the submission of pilot projects and facilitate support for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research that is not directly funded by the ADRC through sharing resources. We facilitate interactions among our cores and projects, as well among other Alzheimer’s disease Centers (ADC’s), the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Studies (ADCS), Alzheimer’s Therapeutics Research Institute studies (ATRI), and AD-based research and service groups. The core cohort is available for research studies and the core faculty can provide expertise in developing evaluations for other settings and studies. National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC), in cooperation with other Alzheimer ’s disease Centers. This core also oversees outreach to researchers throughout the institution to support and encourage them to work in the area of AD. Michael Kinsella the ADRC senior administrator provides research operations skills including database development, administrative and financial management as well as assessing operational needs and providing expertise in planning and conducting all aspects of research including multi-center site management 

Clinical Core

The Clinical Core, under the leadership of Hillel Grossman, MD, and Mary Sano, PhD, performs comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological patient evaluations, coordinates data transfer to the Data Management Core, and conducts longitudinal follow-up of AD and non-demented individuals. We coordinate recruitment of subjects for our ADRC, ADCS, and other studies and pilot studies, some of which are funded by the National Institutes of Health. We train a wide range of individuals in data collection and recruit for possible participation in the autopsy program. The core cohort is available for research studies and the core faculty can provide expertise in developing evaluations for other settings and studies. We also provide consultation and direction for other investigator in the area of diagnosis and phenotyping. 

Data Management Core

Headed by Carolyn Zhu, PhD, the Data Management Core receives, stores, catalogues, tracks, and integrates data generated by the cores and other ADRC projects. The core advises on statistical analysis and develops statistical tools and techniques to advance research. The core has developed a highly secure data management infrastructure in the form of a data warehouse system within the Department of Psychiatry. We provide seamless integration of data acquired by ADRC cores and projects with NACC data sets and can offer turnkey generation of data sets to accommodate NACC data calls. We integrate data resulting from the Clinical Core and Neuropathology Cores into a centralized resource that enhances cross-fertilization of projects and provides ready access to all investigators. Dr Zhu also provides expertise in health economic outcomes in aging and cognitive health.

Outreach, Recruitment, and Education Core

The Outreach, Recruitment, and Education Core, directed by Margaret Sewell, PhD, and Judith Neugroschl, MD, provides educational programming regarding AD diagnosis, treatment, management, and research advances and training, to lay and professional audiences. We offer a lecture series for physicians and other healthcare professionals as well as community lectures, workshops, the Memory Enhancement Program, and Continuing Medical Education programs. Our outreach efforts include the ADRC newsletter, joint publications with NYCARE (the collaboration of the Education Cores of New York City's Alzheimer's Disease Centers and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, New York City, Inc., formerly the NYC Alzheimer’s Association), brochures, lectures, workshops, conferences, and health fairs. All programs and resources are available in English and Spanish, and some are available in Chinese. Our ongoing collaboration with the Satellite Core and Mount Sinai's Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center further enables us to deliver educational programming and outreach to the Latino and Chinese community.

Neuropathology Core

Directed by Dushyant Purohit, MD, and Vahram Haroutunian, PhD, the Neuropathology Core obtains autopsy-derived brain specimens from individuals who have been evaluated and followed longitudinally by the Clinical Core. We strive to obtain the brain specimens with the shortest postmortem interval; our mean postmortem interval is less than six hours. We dissect and preserve the specimens to maximize their utility for proposed experiments within the center as well as other AD and aging-related research projects. We carry out a detailed neuropathologic work-up to establish a neuropathologic diagnosis as well as to document the extent and distribution of relevant neuropathologic lesions and enter all data into an extensive database that can be integrated into the clinical database for cliniconeuropathologic correlative investigations. The tissues collected have been used extensively in a wide range of studies. Researchers within the ADRC, in the greater Mount Sinai research community, and by other researchers nationally and internationally request them frequently.

Satellite Core

Under the direction of Judith Neugroschl, MD, and Mari Umpierre, PhD, LCSW, the Satellite Core’s overarching goal is to insure that the ADRC has an adequate representation of minorities, particularly Latinos, as they are the predominant underrepresented group in our local community, and are at greater risk for dementia. We work with the Outreach Recruitment and Education Core to disseminate information to health professionals, trainees, and the lay community. In addition, we are responsible for the recruitment and retention of  nderrepresented minorities, specifically Latino participants for the ADRC Clinical Core, to comprehensively characterize these subjects, and to facilitate participation in biomarker collection and other

clinical studies. We work closely with all of the other cores as well as with the New York State-funded Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center.

Genetics and Genomics Core

The Genetics and Genomics Core is directed by Alison Goate, D.Phil. The goal of the Genetics and Genomics Core is to generate genetic and genomic information on samples of cognitively normal and demented individuals who are being studied as part of funded longitudinal studies of aging and dementia and to provide easy access to genomic data on these subjects. We collect biospecimens from all consented ADRC and ISMMS/Bronx VA study participants and generate APOE data and GWAS data on all ADRC participants. All the genomics data are archived in a local database established with ISMMS RedCap platform. The Core also provide genomics data to the Data Management Core and contribute to the efforts of the Outreach, Recruitment and Education Core by providing laboratory training for ADRC summer interns. We also provide consultation on for system wide investigators on the genetic aspects of dementia research.

Visit the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center or contact ADRC for more information.

Last Update: March 2019

The Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai (BIRC-MS) is dedicated to conducting research that contributes to improving health and life quality for individuals with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. One goal of our work is to develop and validate neurobehavioral interventions to improve cognitive, emotional and behavioral functioning after brain injuries. We are also involved in several epidemiological and community-based studies aimed at identifying people with TBI through the use the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire (BISQ), a comprehensive self-report screening tool to measure lifetime history of TBI and head trauma exposure.

Our research, conducted since 1987, has made substantial contributions to advancing scientific knowledge about identifying, treating, and living well after injury. The work of the BIRC-MS is supported by federal grants from the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and that National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NINDS/NIA-NIH). BIRC-MS activities are also supported through the generosity of the Seton Brain Injury Fund and the Christina Porter Head Trauma Fund. The BIRC-MS is home to the New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System of Care (NY-TBIMS), one of 16 NIDILRR-funded centers of excellence in clinical care and TBI research. Our program of TBI clinical care spans the continuum from emergency medical services, through intensive and acute care, to inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and community reintegration.

The NY-TBIMS contributes research to the TBI Model Systems National Database, the largest prospective study of TBI outcomes in the world. The NY-TBIMS team also leads a multi-center study investigating cognitive outcome trajectories after TBI, and a local randomized controlled trial of an internet-delivered emotional self-regulation skills training program. The Mount Sinai Injury Control Research Center is funded by the CDC to conduct research investigating the primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes of TBI. Through involvement in a collaborative partnership between NIDILRR and the CDC, the BIRC-MS has contributed to the development of a fact sheet on TBI as a chronic disease (available at https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/Moderate_to_severe_tbi_lifelong-a.pdf. A final goal of our research is to characterize long-term clinicopathological outcomes of TBI, and specifically to identify risk and protective factors for post-TBI neurodegeneration.

The Late Effects of TBI (LETBI) Brain Donor Program is a multi-center project led by the BIRC-MS which represents the only prospective brain donor program in the United States focusing on the investigation of TBI neuropathology and its relationships with clinical symptomatology. Individuals with TBI who choose to partner with us in this effort undergo multi-modal clinical, neuroimaging and biomarker evaluations during life, and make known their wishes for brain donation. A state-of-the-art image-guided neuropathological evaluation of postmortem brain tissue allows us to characterize the pathology of TBI, and the rich clinical data collected during life allows us to identify clinical characteristics of post-TBI neurodegeneration. This unique project is designed to advance science of the detection of TBI-related neurodegeneration during life and identify targets for disease-modifying interventions.

The BIRC-MS leads the nationwide Department of Defense (DoD) - funded project, LEveraging Nationwide Research Infrastructure to EnriCHBrain Health after TBI: The ENRICH Brain Health Study. This DoD Focused Program Award involves five interconnected projects that endeavor to elucidate underlying pathogenesis of cognitive and psychological health deterioration following TBI to facilitate early diagnosis and disease subtyping for targeted interventions. Project 1 establishes a framework of community-based participatory research across the program of research. Project 2 leverages the civilian and Veteran TBI Model Systems of Care (TBIMS) to identify risk and resilience factors for cognitive decline and suicide after TBI. Project 3 leverages existing infrastructure of the Late Effects of TBI (LETBI) study to identify the clinical and biological signatures of post-traumatic neurodegeneration in a diverse group of Veterans. Project 4 will leverage and expand our TBI brain tissue repository to understand the structural and neuroinflammatory signatures of post-TBI cognitive and psychological health decline. Project 5 will apply state-of-the-art postmortem MRI protocols to define the neuroanatomic basis of post-TBI neurobehavioral decline and develop in vivoMRI detection tools. The knowledge gained through the ENRICH Brain Health Study, amplified by stakeholder partnerships, will directly improve health and life quality for individuals with TBI and their families and fuel advocacy efforts to ensure civilians, Service Members, and Veterans with TBI receive the care they so richly deserve.

The BIRC-MS is home to the NIDILRR-funded Mount Sinai Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) in Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Research. This postdoctoral training program is designed to build research capacity by training TBI researchers in advanced quantitative methods, providing cross-disciplinary training from a diverse team of mentors, including stakeholders as partners in the research and training program, and is dedicated to diversifying the rehabilitation workforce. A major component of BIRC-MS clinical, research, and training activities is sharing research results with broad communities of stakeholders. This includes sharing information with people with disabilities and their families, sharing data and field-leading discoveries with the scientific community, and partnering with advocacy groups to affect policy.

Visit the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai or contact Kristen Dams-O'Connor, PhD for more information.

Last Update: March 2023

The roots of CACTES begin with Dr. Jerome D. Waye, who began his career here at Mount Sinai as an early teacher of colonoscopy. He has decades of experience in colonoscopy and advanced techniques in colon polyp removal. Dr. Waye’s vision is to develop a Center where patients could seek advice and where doctors could refer patients for specialized consultation concerning endoscopic therapy for diverse conditions, many of which were previously treated with surgery. Since joining the full time Faculty at Mount Sinai in 2014, Dr. Waye has enjoyed the support of other gastroenterologists, surgeons, pathologists and oncologists who have helped in this goal.  The current vision for the Center expands from advanced colonoscopy to include many other types of advanced therapeutic procedures in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Our CACTES team has team has expertise in performing a full spectrum of advanced endoscopic procedures and the ability to offer procedures that only are available at a select few institutions. Such procedures allow for the identification and treatment of precancerous conditions, provide precise endoscopic diagnosis and staging for cancer, and use minimally invasive endoscopic techniques as an alternative to surgery.

Mission: The mission of CACTES is to provide patient-centered comprehensive diagnostic and treatment options for patients with complex gastrointestinal diseases and to contribute to advancing the field of endoscopy through meaningful clinical research and innovation.

Vision: The vision of Center for Advanced Colonoscopy and Therapeutic Endoscopy at Sinai (CACTES) is to be a destination for patients seeking care of the most complex gastrointestinal conditions. The members of CACTES will provide definitive care for patients, utilizing a patient-centered approach and by incorporating cutting edge advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic tools and techniques.  A key advantage in the execution of patient care will be multidisciplinary collaboration with experts in surgery, oncology, pathology, and radiology. We strive to improve diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes through innovation, developing and using new techniques and devices supported by evidence-based clinical research in order to provide the most comprehensive care to our patients.  

Visit the Center for Advanced Colonoscopy and Therapeutic Endoscopy or contact Rebekah Dixon for more information.

Last Update: March 2019

The Mount Sinai Center for Biostatistics promotes translational and clinical research at the Mount Sinai Medical Center by offering state-of-the-art statistical expertise in a wide variety of areas including clinical trials, biomarker discovery and validation, risk assessment, Bayesian methods, genetics and others; and by developing novel methodological approaches. The Center’s internationally recognized faculty are committed to developing novel methodological approaches, and enhancing education through formal medical school and graduate school curricula, and mentoring of post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty. The Center is physically located within the Department of Health Evidence and Policy and collaborates closely with clinical colleagues to foster the growth of all investigators’ research agendas. In addition to these thematic long-term collaborations, the Center’s faculty provides statistical consultations through the Biostatistics and Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) program, which is supported by Mount Sinai’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The Center for Biostatistics also partners with the Institute for Transformative Clinical Trials to offer statistical expertise in design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of all phases of clinical trials.

Visit the Center for Biostatics or contact Yvette Hutson for more information.

Last Update: March 2023

Division of ADHD and Learning Disorders

The Division of ADHD and Learning Disorders at Mount Sinai is dedicated to transforming world-class scientific research into the finest quality care for children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD, learning disorders and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The Division brings together an internationally recognized interdisciplinary clinical/research team to study key questions related to the developmental neurobiology, psychopathology, pathophysiology and treatment of ADHD, Learning Disabilities and related conditions - linking evidence-based pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments with state-of-the-art research approaches using neuroimaging and genetics. The guiding principle of the Division is to ensure that advances in the scientific basis of ADHD, learning disorders and their treatment inform clinical care delivery.

Clinical Program

The team of expert clinicians is dedicated to improving clinical care for children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD, and children and adolescents with Learning Disabilities and related problems – consistent with the recognition that for many people, the symptoms and/or sequelae of ADHD and learning disorders persist across the lifespan. The Division's clinical program offers psychiatric, neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluation, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, school consultation, and medication treatment. Psychosocial interventions include organizational skills training for school age children, parent behavior management training, ADHD skills training programs for teens and adults, as well as individual psychotherapy for children and adults. Patients come from both the tristate metropolitan New York area and other locations across the United States and around the world.

Research Program

The ADHD Clinical-Translational Research Program aims to better understand the neurobiological basis of ADHD pathophysiology and treatment, and more specifically, how different treatments for ADHD bring-about clinical improvement. The program offers clinical trials of existing and novel treatments, and conducts studies which utilize brain imaging and/or genetic techniques in conjunction with treatment. State-of-the-art expertise in functional neuroimaging, pharmacogenomics and neuropsychological assessment converge to produce multi-faceted approaches to the study of ADHD and related disorders which transcend the boundaries between basic science and clinical treatment. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide the scientific basis for an individualized approach to diagnosis and treatment selection, in keeping with Mount Sinai’s emphasis on personalized medicine. In addition, the program examines the neurobiological underpinnings of substance abuse risk in youth with ADHD, and the potential mediating impact of medications.

Visit the Center of Excellence in ADHD and Related Disorders for more information.

Updated: March 2023

Center for Health Equity and Community Engaged Research

The mission of the Center for Health Equity and Community Engaged Research at Icahn School of Medicine is to improve the health and health care of underserved populations. The Center is dedicated to identifying causes of disparities in health and healthcare among underserved populations, creating and tailoring interventions and community-inspired sustainable programs to target those underlying causes, and devising innovative strategies to disseminate health messages to improve the health of minority communities. The Center is a nidus for researchers across Mount Sinai interested in health equity and community-engaged research and provides infrastructure to support their work and foster collaborations.

The Center includes a wide research portfolio ranging from programs in cancer, metabolic disease, genomics, maternal and child health, cardiovascular disease, emergency medicine and pediatrics. Our multi-disciplinary faculty members also have expertise in clinical trial development, multi-site and community-based interventions, subject recruitment and retention, quality of care interventions, quality improvement, multi-method (qualitative-quantitative), and health policy research. Investigators have conducted this work through robust inter-departmental, inter-institutional and community-academic collaborations, disseminated the work through publications and high profile presentations, served on important national committees and study sections, and used the findings to inform and influence health policy. Researchers have been funded through an expanding number of federal grants, awarded health disparities center grants, through the NIH and the CDC, and Mount Sinai’s efforts to further build our community engagement and research capacity.

Visit the Center for Health Equity and Community Engaged Research for more information.

Last updated: November 2023

Center for Multiple Sclerosis

The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at The Mount Sinai Health System is one of the most comprehensive programs in the United States focusing on treatment for and research into multiple sclerosis. Close collaboration among researchers and clinicians results in the rapid translation of new discoveries into more effective treatments, giving patients the widest possible range of options.

The Center was established to provide the most comprehensive MS-related patient care and research in New York City. The hallmark of this innovative Center is its multidisciplinary approach to MS, integrating a broad base of talented physicians and scientists, all of whom have a vested interest in understanding the cause and overcoming the consequences of this devastating condition. The first of its kind in New York City, the Dickinson Center provides a holistic approach to disease management, including state-of-the-art programs in diagnostics, management, experimental therapeutics and basic research.  

Patient Care: The Dickinson Center is devoted to enhancing quality of life for MS sufferers. We offer our patients 1) comprehensive, centralized care, including diagnosis, disease management, rehabilitation, and support services, 2) access to the latest and most promising research advances and 3) the opportunity to participate in trials of new therapeutic agents. Since the Dickinson Center was established in 2000, the number of patient visits we see per year has increased to over 7,000. The Center is well equipped with state-of-the art medical technology and allows us to meet our goal of offering MS patients a broad range of services in a single location.

Clinical Research: The MS Center participates in many clinical research protocols of new and novel therapeutics, developed in house and in partnership with colleagues, including NIH and the National MS Society. The Center staff includes clinical trial coordinators and monitors.

Basic Science: The development of newer and more effective therapies can be accomplished only through research that provides new levels of insight into the nature of MS. The Center seeks to bolster basic research efforts that may lead to new treatments and ultimately a cure for MS, such as neurodegeneration, glial cell biology, transplantation, stem cells and neuroimmunology. Under the direction of internationally recognized multiple sclerosis specialists Fred Lublin, MD and Aaron Miller, MD, the Center is committed giving our patients the very best MS therapies, while pursuing our ultimate goal of finding a cure for this potentially debilitating autoimmune condition. The CGD Center has also been fortunate to include the skills of Dr. Sam Horng, who is both an outstanding clinician and a remarkable researcher addressing the blood brain barrier and glial T Cells. Dr. Stephanie Tankou, from Harvard, addresses diet and the microbiome within the MS population. Every year we expand our knowledge base and research interests.

Visit the Center for Multiple Sclerosis or contact Fred Lublin, MD for more information.

Last update: February 2023

The Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis and Transmission (CRIPT) is one of seven Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). CRIPT represents the continuation of a consortium initiated 14 years ago as a part of the NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS). Influenza viruses are important human pathogens, infecting up to 500 million people annually worldwide, with the most severe pandemic leading to an estimated 40 million fatalities.

CRIPT comprises a unique multidisciplinary international basic and clinic influenza research program to study the evolution, pathogenesis and transmission of influenza viruses in humans as well as at distinct zoonotic interfaces. CRIPT also develops tools and provides expertise that complement ongoing public health programs to rapidly respond to emerging human respiratory pathogens of pandemic potential, including influenza virus. This is achieved through a combination of inter-related human studies to understand the factors contributing not only to zoonotic emergence but also to disease severity, transmission, and immune protection by previous infection and/or vaccination. These studies are complemented by basic research projects on virus and host determinants of virulence, host responses, antigenicity, tropism, and pathogenesis. The research expertise, tools, facilities, and knowledge generated by CRIPT put into service to rapidly respond to pre-pandemic and pandemic events in order to mitigate the public health impact of such events, including COVID-19 pandemic.

The CRIPT network and research structures span all continents, allowing worldwide sampling and isolation of human and animal influenza viruses. The CRIPT network is ready to implement a pre-pandemic and pandemic emergency response in the case of the start of a new influenza virus outbreak, by providing the expertise and the tools required for the collection, analysis and genotypic and phenotypic characterization of viruses in primary human cells/tissues and multiple animal models of pathogenesis and transmission (including those requiring high levels of biocontainment); collection of samples from infected individuals to understand host responses, pathogenesis, transmission and immunogenicity in humans; generation and distribution of reagents; and testing of antivirals and vaccines against the emerging viruses.

The Center also serves as a resource to the scientific community. We provide a repository for viral isolates, serum samples, antibodies, purified proteins, and reagents through Biodefense and Emerging Infections Resources (BEI) as well as access to viral sequence analysis and phylogenetics through the Influenza Research Database (IRD).

Updated: Feb 2023

Children's Environmental Health Center (CEHC)

The Children’s Environmental Health Center is the vehicle within the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research that communicates groundbreaking research on exposomics and children’s environmental health to the general public, both locally and nationally. It connects our science to a growing national movement of supporters and communities committed to ensuring a healthier future for all.

For more information, visit the Children's Environmental Health Center or contact Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health.

Last Updated: March 2023

The Selikoff Center for Occupational Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to workers suffering from occupational diseases. The Center's staff of industrial hygienists, ergonomists, and other occupational health professionals offers health and safety education and preventive services to patients, unions, employers, and other groups. The Center's physicians are board-certified in occupational and environmental medicine or are specifically trained in the diagnosis and treatment of occupational illnesses and injuries.

The Selikoff Center is a founding member of the Occupational Health Clinic Network, a long-standing state-funded network that offers services to injured and ill workers throughout New York State. The Center provides these services within the New York City and Mid-Hudson Valley regions at four clinical centers located in Manhattan, Staten Island, Suffern, and Yonkers.

As the site of Mount Sinai's World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE), the Selikoff Center continues to provide medical monitoring and treatment services to workers and volunteers who were involved in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts after the attacks on September 11, 2001. These workers were exposed to many toxins at the World Trade Center site and have developed medical and mental health conditions related to their exposure. Mount Sinai's CCE is the largest of the WTCHP Clinical Centers of Excellence with a responder population exceeding 22,000 patients.

The Selikoff Center is located in the Division of Occupational and Environment Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, and is named after Irving J. Selikoff, MD, a physician known for his seminal research on asbestos-related disease and his tireless advocacy on behalf of workers.

Visit the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health or contact Michael Crane, MD for more information.

Last Update: February 2023

Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development

Mission

The mission of CTAD is to collaborate with researchers in the design and development of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for research and commercialization. Because of their sensitivity and specificity, mAb are critical basic science research tools and are the core technology for many diagnostic tests such as those used to verify pregnancy or influenza infection. In the past decade they have become the most successful new drug classification with yearly sales exceeding fifty billion dollars. If monoclonal antibodies are needed for basic science studies/grant submission, therapeutic or diagnostics use CTAD is available for a consultation to determine the best approach to producing the antibody of interest. If the antibody target has therapeutic value it is possible that it can be made in a humanized mouse system through collaborations with industrial partners.

Overview

The Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development (CTAD) has been in existence since 1996 under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Moran. The facility assists in all aspects of the generation of mAb from expressing the target protein to screening and purifying the selected clones. Hundreds of antibodies have been successfully generated for scientists at Mount Sinai as well as for other institutions. To date, over 30 monoclonal antibodies generated in the facility have been commercialized for basic science use.

Areas of Expertise

CTAD can assist in or perform any or all of the steps needed to generate high quality monoclonal antibodies for research or therapeutic use including:

• Production of protein using various expression systems
• Purification of protein
• Immunization of appropriate host
• Fusion and immortalization of B cell clones
• Screening and selection of clones
• Production of human monoclonal antibodies using  antibody-humanized mice from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Harbour BioMed
• Purification of antibodies
• Sequencing, chimerization, and recombinant production of antibodies
• Mycoplasma testing

Protein expression and purification

CTAD has expert assistance available to prepare, purify and express proteins using methods that maximize native protein folding and stability. In most instances proteins can be produced when given only the genetic sequence of the protein.

Immunization and fusion

The CTAD has IACUC approval for the generation of hybridomas in mice, hamster and rat. Immunization protocols are selected according to the target immunogen and intended use of the antibody by the investigator. After fusion of B cells to an appropriate immortalized cell line, clones are selected and grown in semi-solid media.  Clones are picked and transferred to 96 well plates for screening and expansion of cells.

Screening

The selection of the screening method will be done through consultation with the investigator. Generally, the screening method is selected according to the assay of interest. If the priority for a successful antibody is use in flow cytometry, then flow is the most appropriate screening method. Other screens could include ELISA and functional screens. Screening can be done using a proxy antigen, which is a recombinant protein typically similar to the immunogen, or using the naturally expressed protein. All clones generated will be cryopreserved for storage for possible future applications.

Purification

Antibodies that pass the screening criteria are isotyped and may or may not go through a second type of screening. When the desired antibodies are identified, CTAD will expand the clone and purify the antibody preparations.

Sequencing and recombinant production

Antibody variable genes from the heavy and light chains are sequenced from the corresponding hybridoma cells using in house methodologies. Sequencing allows further insight into the structure of the antibodies and also provides another selection step to identify unique antibody clones. Heavy and light variable sequences are then DNA-synthesized and cloned into DNA expression vectors containing heavy and light constant regions, respectively. Antibodies at this stage can further be chimerized onto a variety of different constant regions by cloning, thus allowing study of different Fc effector functions or allowing for other benefits assigned to a particular Fc (such as improved purification or other benefits). Vectors containing full heavy and light chains are then transfected into a mammalian expression system such as the Expi293 system and purified from supernatant.  

CTAD and Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies generated more than 50 billion dollars in sales last year. Six of the top 15 selling drugs in this country are monoclonal antibodies and Humera, a mAb specific for the cytokine TNF is now the largest seller at 9.5 billion.

There are more than 250 candidates currently in various stages of development/testing. CTAD is committed to developing monoclonal antibodies with potential use as therapeutics. Currently a number of collaborations between CTAD/Mount Sinai investigators and pharmaceutical or biotech companies are in progress. Calls for targets that address unmet medical needs are released annually to encourage Mount Sinai investigators to work with CTAD to produce human antibodies with therapeutic potential using Regeneron or Harbour human mice. Many of these projects are funded and the monoclonal antibodies produced are in various stages of licensing.

For more information visit The Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development.

Last update: March 2021

The Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS), formerly named the Transdisciplinary Center on Early Environmental Exposures, is a NIEHS P30 Environmental Health Sciences Core Center. Our Center (1) uses a team-science, life-stage approach to identify how early life environmental exposures contribute to disease and health inequities later in life, (2) translates scientific discoveries into novel, evidence-based strategies for disease prevention and treatment, and (3) builds the careers of young physicians and scientists dedicated to environmental health research.

For more information, visit HEALS, or contact Rozalyn Paupaw, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health.

Last Updated: February 2023

The Human Immune Monitoring Center at the Mount Sinai Health System is one of the most comprehensive programs in the United States focusing on immune profiling and biomarker discovery for the treatment and research for various diseases including cancer, IBD, neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease and CVD. The mission of HIMC is to leverage cutting-edge technology platforms and deep immunological expertise to provide comprehensive immune monitoring for clinical and translational studies.  

HIMC is a state-of-the-art facility with2, 200 sq. ft. of laboratory space in the Hess Center for Science and Medicine, and a team of 25+ highly skilled and trained laboratory scientists. HIMC provides complete and streamlined project management from patient specimen (peripheral blood, bone marrow, CSF, urine, saliva, biopsies) processing, bio-banking using Laboratory Information Management System (LIMs), to a wide spectrum of innovative and standardized immune assay, with a strong focus on optimizing and standardizing protocols and operating procedures to ensure data quality and reproducibility.

The immune monitoring assays in HIMC include mass cytometry or spectral flow cytometry, antigen specific T cell assays, antibody profiling, seromics, Luminex multiplex assay and cytokine detection by Olink, ELLA automated system, or ELSA, and scRNAseq and Spatial Transcriptomics.

There are three major technology platforms in HIMC

• Proteomics: HIMC is equipped with Olink Signature Q100 instruments, Fluidigm Biomark HD and Juno universal integrated fluidic circuit controller, capable of high throughput and accurate quantification of up to 1611 clinically relevant protein biomarkers using only 1 µL of biological sample per panel via Olink Target 96, Target 48 or customizable Olink Flex. HIMC Proteomics platforms also include ELLA automated immunoassay system, Luminex 200, and the high-throughput FlexMap 3D, for multiplex microbeads based soluble protein analysis.
• Immune Cell Profiling: HIMC houses three third-generation Helios mass cytometers (Fluidigm Inc.) and Aurora Spectral Flow, capable of high throughput single cell analysis of up to 40 parameters in a single sample. There is a range of optimized immune profiling panels, customized antibody conjugation services and an efficient data processing pipeline HIMC to facilitate analysis and integration of complex cytometry datasets.
• Single-cell transcriptomic analysis and spatial transcriptomics platforms.

1. 1. Single Cell Transcriptomic: HIMC has 10x Genomics Chromium System allowing automated cell encapsulation for high throughput single cell gene expression profiling from hundreds to millions of cells. The Cell Ranger Pipeline for downstream data processing has been fully integrated with Mt. Sinai’s Minerva HPC to facilitate streamlined sample de-multiplexing and data analysis.
   2. Spatial transcriptomic analysis via 10x Genomics Visium and CytAssist hardware. HIMC has developed and validated experimental and bioinformatics pipelines for efficient profiling of spatially resolved gene expression using Visium fresh frozen and FFPE. HIMC is currently evaluating the CosMx platform for the single cell resolution spatial genomic platform.

For more information, please visit the Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC) or contact Seunghee Kim-Schulze, PhD

Last Update: February 2023

The Integrated Fibrosis Research Program

The mission of the Mount Sinai Fibrosis Program is to create a unique, multidisciplinary program that will uncover therapeutic targets and establish novel, effective antifibrotic therapies to improve the health of patients with chronic fibrotic disorders. The overall strategy of the Program is to recruit or exploit existing expertise across the spectrum of diseases affected by fibrosis, working together to identify therapeutic targets, screen for novel drugs, and test promising agents in pre-clinical models and clinical trials.

Fibrosis, or scarring, refers to the accumulation of extracellular matrix (e.g., collagen, proteoglycans and glycoproteins) in response to chronic tissue injury. Fibrosis can involve virtually all tissues, affects hundreds of millions worldwide, and is estimated to account for ~ 45% of all deaths in the industrialized world. Those organs most commonly affected include liver (cirrhosis), lung (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), kidney (nephrosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis), heart (myocardial fibrosis), arteries (atherosclerosis), bone marrow (myelofibrosis), ovaries/uterus (endometriosis and fibroids) and skin (scleroderma). The past three decades have witnessed explosive growth in our understanding of the mechanisms of fibrosis, which has generated a comprehensive framework for understanding fibrotic diseases. These advances have also unearthed dozens of potential antifibrotic drug targets and spawned broad interest in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors to develop antifibrotic drugs. While these advances are substantial, there are only two drugs approved yet as an antifibrotic therapy; however, www.clinicaltrials.gov currently lists over 1600 ongoing or planned trials in fibrosis. Mount Sinai is committing to becoming the world’s leader in this rapidly expanding discipline of fibrosis pathogenesis and treatment.

The unique activities of the Program include:

• A dynamic, interactive and translational-oriented culture of scientific innovation and collaboration.
• Capacity for analysis of antifibrotic drugs in culture and animal models of tissue injury
• Access to small molecule and siRNA libraries and monoclonal antibody development to identify novel therapeutics and diagnostics
• World-class strength in genomics, bio-banking, drug discovery and translational medicine that will complement the Program’s goals of drug discovery and personalized therapies.
• Unique patient cohorts unparalleled in size or associated scientific and clinical expertise, including those with pulmonary fibrosis, cirrhosis, myelofibrosis, cardiac fibrosis and end-stage renal disease.
• Dynamic, internationally recognized leadership in fibrotic diseases.
• Unparalleled visibility of fibrosis research within Mount Sinai among pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Visit the Fibrosis Research Center or contact Scott Friedman, MD for more information.

 Last Updated: February 2023

The International Center for Health Outcomes and Innovation Research (InCHOIR) is a clinical and translational research center that provides multidisciplinary expertise and infrastructure to design, conduct and analyze clinical and translational trials. InCHOIR has served as the Clinical and Data Coordinating Center for multiple NIH-supported trials as well as large research networks, such as the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN). As the CTSN DCC, InCHOIR is responsible for project plan tracking and it integrates activities and information across 75 clinical sites in the United States, Canada and Europe, public and private sponsors, various oversight bodies, regulatory agencies and numerous working groups and clinical trial committees. The Center has a strong focus on advancing the use of clinical trials for new surgical and interventional procedures. The core faculty and staff of 62 have expertise in clinical trial operations, biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, health economics, decision analysis, quality of life, and health policy analysis.

The Center is experienced in coordinating national and international multi-center clinical trials, and is committed to sustaining a high level of communication among investigators, innovative approaches to trial design and data management, achieving enrollment targets, ensuring high quality data, and participating in the analysis and dissemination of results.  They have collaborated for over a decade on the design, management, and analysis of multi-center clinical studies, and have the capacity to handle the development and conduct of multiple protocols simultaneously. InCHOIR has particular expertise in the evaluation of surgical and device trials. In the area of mechanical circulatory support, for example, InCHOIR designed, conducted and analyzed the NHLBI-supported REMATCH trial, which demonstrated significant survival and quality of life benefit in LVAD recipients, who were ineligible for cardiac transplantation, compared to medically managed patients. This trial involved 22 US clinical centers, the device manufacturer, and regulatory oversight by the FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  The trial was completed on time and the investigators were able to submit its results to the New England Journal of Medicine within a month of the trial meeting its primary endpoint. InCHOIR designed and provided coordinating center infrastructure for several FDA-approved trials with newer generations of LVADs for both the bridge-to-transplant and destination therapy indications, including the MicroMed BTT trial, the VentrAssist BTT and DT trials, the Terumo BTT and DT trials.

InCHOIR became the DCC for an $18 million NHLBI Specialized Clinical Center of Research (SCCOR) grant to elucidate and modulate the biology of the interface between implanted mechanical circulatory support devices and patients with heart failure. As part of the SCCOR program, we developed and conducted a study (n=150) delineating the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Staphylococcus LVAD infections.  We also conducted an observational study characterizing clotting cascade in the consumptive coagulopathy associated with cardiopulmonary bypass and LVAD therapy.  We conducted a pilot RCT of intramyocardial injection of mesenchymal precursor cells in LVAD patients.  InCHOIR is the DCC for an NINDS-supported international trial comparing interventional management with medical management for unruptured brain AVMs (ARUBA Trial).  The trial has randomized close to 200 patients and has 66 active sites across Europe, the U.S, Canada, South America, and Asia.

Visit InChoir or contact Karen O'Sullivan for more information.

Last Update: March 2019

Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology Core

The Mount Sinai Center for Bioinformatics assists Mount Sinai investigators with analyzing their transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, and proteomics datasets such as those collected by bulk and single cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq, MS proteomics and metabolomics, CyTOF, Nanostring, and SILAC phosphoproteomics. The Core has the capabilities of visualizing samples using dimensionality reduction techniques, identifying differentially expressed genes, proteins, phospho-proteins and metabolites, performing enrichment analyses, and constructing cellular networks. The Mount Sinai Center for Bioinformatics processed data from over 100 publicly available resources including TCGA, ENCODE, the Epigenomics Roadmap, KEGG, BioCarta, WikiPathways, Reactome, The Gene Ontology, MGI Mammalian Phenotype Browser, LINCS Connectivity Map, OMIM, BioGPS, CCLE, PFAM and InterPro, GWAS Catalog, DepMap and many more. Such resources are integrated within the in-house developed popular tools Enrichr and Harmonizome. In addition, the Center has the capabilities of building customized tools, workflows, and web-based portals dedicated to specific projects for interactive data exploration and data analysis on the web.

Visit the Mount Sinai Center for Bioinformatics or contact Avi Ma’ayan, PhD for more information.

Last Update: February 2023

Mount Sinai Tics, OCD and Related Disorders Program

The long-term scientific mission of the Mount Sinai Tics, OCD and Related Disorders Program is to discover the underlying causes of these disorders so that new therapies can be developed that will improve the quality of life those affected by these disorders and also to improve early identification approaches and more timely treatments. The Program pursues research, educational and clinical missions. Our research focuses on developing a more precise risk architecture for these disorders and an improved understanding of the biological pathways that increase risk for OCD, Tourette disorder and related disorders. To this end, our work focuses on epidemiological and molecular genetic approaches and large-scale data bases and cohort studies. Our group also provides educational opportunities for psychiatry trainees at Mount Sinai in order to expand the availability of clinicians who provide specialized care to those affected by OCD, Tourette disorder and related disorders. Our clinicians offer expert consultations, comprehensive evaluations and cutting-edge treatment options for our patients and their families. Visit or email (ticsOCD@mssm.edu) the Tics, OCD and Related Disorders Program for more information.

Last Update: March 2023

The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment

The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai conducts progressive research studies aimed at understanding the causes of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. The multidisciplinary team is comprised of experts in the fields of genetics, clinical genetics, molecular biology, model systems, neuroimaging, and experimental therapeutics. The Center strives to ultimately develop targeted treatments to improve the lives of people with autism and related disorders. If you are working with the Seaver Autism Center on a grant application, please email Ellen Paley for specific information related to your application.

Visit The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment or email Ellen Paley for more information.

 Last Update: February 2023