Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science

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The Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine & Science (RITMS) is an interdisciplinary program that combines expertise in cellular, molecular, genetic and clinical science under the direction of Dr. Reynold Panettieri.

Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health Receive $2.8 Million to Develop New Devices to Treat Epilepsy. Researchers from Rutgers H...
10/21/2025

Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health Receive $2.8 Million to Develop New Devices to Treat Epilepsy. Researchers from Rutgers Health and other institutions were awarded a grant for $2.8 million over the course of three years from the National Institutes of Health to improve implantable devices for epileptic patients. The grant will fund a program to develop the next generation of responsive neurostimulation devices that can be implanted in the brains of people affected with severe epileptic seizures to reduce or eliminate their occurrence. The researchers said an existing device is effective in reducing seizure frequency among patients, however, it eliminates seizures in 15% to 20% percent of them.

“We are excited to initiate a promising project focused on developing a new treatment option for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy,” said Hai Sun, vice chair of clinical affairs and associate professor of neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief of neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. “Our goal is to design and implement a new generation of devices that are equipped with a better seizure prediction algorithm and can stimulate larger areas of the brain where seizures initiate. We plan to bring this device to market, in the next five years.” https://ritms.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-and-rwjbarnabas-health-receive-2-8-million-to-develop-new-devices-to-treat-epilepsy/

Researchers Map Where Solar Energy Delivers the Biggest Climate Payoff. Increasing solar power generation in the United ...
10/21/2025

Researchers Map Where Solar Energy Delivers the Biggest Climate Payoff. Increasing solar power generation in the United States by 15% could lead to an annual reduction of 8.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers at Rutgers, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Stony Brook University. The study, published in Science Advances, found that the climate benefits of solar power differ markedly throughout U.S. regions, pinpointing where clean energy investments return the greatest climate dividends.

In 2023, 60% of U.S. electricity generation relied on fossil fuels, while 3.9% came from solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Because fossil fuel-generated electricity is a leading source of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and harmful air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, expanding solar could not only mitigate CO2 but help reduce illness, hospitalizations and premature deaths linked to air pollution exposure.
Increasing solar power generation in the United States by 15% could lead to an annual reduction of 8.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers at Rutgers, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Stony Brook University.

The study, published in Science Advances, found that the climate benefits of solar power differ markedly throughout U.S. regions, pinpointing where clean energy investments return the greatest climate dividends.

In 2023, 60% of U.S. electricity generation relied on fossil fuels, while 3.9% came from solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Because fossil fuel-generated electricity is a leading source of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and harmful air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, expanding solar could not only mitigate CO2 but help reduce illness, hospitalizations and premature deaths linked to air pollution exposure. https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/.../researchers-map.../

Researchers Map Where Solar Energy Delivers the Biggest Climate Payoff. Increasing solar power generation in the United ...
10/14/2025

Researchers Map Where Solar Energy Delivers the Biggest Climate Payoff. Increasing solar power generation in the United States by 15% could lead to an annual reduction of 8.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers at Rutgers, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Stony Brook University. The study, published in Science Advances, found that the climate benefits of solar power differ markedly throughout U.S. regions, pinpointing where clean energy investments return the greatest climate dividends.

In 2023, 60% of U.S. electricity generation relied on fossil fuels, while 3.9% came from solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Because fossil fuel-generated electricity is a leading source of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and harmful air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, expanding solar could not only mitigate CO2 but help reduce illness, hospitalizations and premature deaths linked to air pollution exposure.

Increasing solar power generation in the United States by 15% could lead to an annual reduction of 8.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to researchers at Rutgers, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Stony Brook University.

The study, published in Science Advances, found that the climate benefits of solar power differ markedly throughout U.S. regions, pinpointing where clean energy investments return the greatest climate dividends.

In 2023, 60% of U.S. electricity generation relied on fossil fuels, while 3.9% came from solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Because fossil fuel-generated electricity is a leading source of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and harmful air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, expanding solar could not only mitigate CO2 but help reduce illness, hospitalizations and premature deaths linked to air pollution exposure. https://ritms.rutgers.edu/news/researchers-map-where-solar-energy-delivers-the-biggest-climate-payoff/

Internalizing Stress May Lead to Cognitive Decline in Older Chinese Americans. Stress internalization is a significant r...
10/14/2025

Internalizing Stress May Lead to Cognitive Decline in Older Chinese Americans. Stress internalization is a significant risk factor for age-related cognitive decline in older Chinese Americans, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Their study, published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease by researchers from the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, examined multiple risk and resilience factors associated with cognitive decline in Chinese adults older than 60.

Researchers chose to study this population because older Chinese Americans are historically underrepresented in brain aging research. “With the number of older Asian Americans growing significantly, it’s vital to better understand the risk factors of memory decline in this understudied population,” said Michelle Chen, a core member of the Center for Healthy Aging Research in the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and lead author of the study.

Researchers said the model minority stereotype – which portrays Asian Americans as consistently successful, educated and healthy – is a unique factor facing this population and their mental health. In this context, Chen and colleagues said older Asian Americans may endure stress from experiencing language and cultural barriers. Other immigrant groups in the U.S. also may experience stress associated with language and cultural barriers, according to the researchers. https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/.../internalizing-stress.../

6 Subtle Signs of a Staph Infection You Need to Know, According to Doctors. There are plenty of infections that you get ...
10/14/2025

6 Subtle Signs of a Staph Infection You Need to Know, According to Doctors. There are plenty of infections that you get on a regular basis, such as a cold or a stomach bug, and don’t even think twice. You do what you need to do to treat it and recover and you move on. But then there are other common infections, like staph infections, that just feel more serious (even though there are millions of staph infections in the U.S. every year, according to the Cleveland Clinic). While most staph infections are mild or easy to treat, some can become dangerous. That’s why it’s critical to know the signs of a staph infection that warrant putting in a call to your doctor. Here, dermatologists and infectious disease experts share what to look for. https://ritms.rutgers.edu/news/6-subtle-signs-of-a-staph-infection-you-need-to-know-according-to-doctors/

Study Shows a Need for Vigilance When Observing Long COVID Symptoms in Younger Children. Infants, toddlers and preschool...
10/14/2025

Study Shows a Need for Vigilance When Observing Long COVID Symptoms in Younger Children. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers exhibit symptoms of long COVID, but the symptoms can be different and more difficult to identify in these children, according to Rutgers Health research. The new study is part of the National Institutes of Health–funded Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.

Lawrence Kleinman, a professor and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a professor of global public health at Rutgers School of Public Health, is the lead investigator for the Collaborative Long-term study of Outcomes of COVID-19 in Kids (CLOCK), a national consortium led by Rutgers.

“The COVID pandemic began with a myth – that children are spared its ill effects. In contrast, many children were sick with COVID, and we now have a new chronic illness emerging,” Kleinman said. “We are working hard to characterize long COVID in children, and it will be critical for policymakers to assure that we have adequate resources to support and manage these children now and in the future.”

Of the total 1,011 children included in the study, 472 were infants and toddlers (children 2 years old or younger) and 539 were preschoolers (children 3 to 5 years old). Overall, 101 (15%) of the 677 children with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified as likely having long COVID. The symptoms of long COVID in these age groups differ from those reported among school age children and teens. Infants and toddlers with long COVID were more likely to experience difficulty sleeping, fussiness, poor appetite, stuffy nose and coughing while preschoolers were more likely to experience coughing and daytime tiredness and low energy. https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/.../study-shows-a-need.../

How the Indirect Effects of Nurture NJ Bolster Maternal Health Initiatives. Rutgers Health researchers have assessed not...
10/02/2025

How the Indirect Effects of Nurture NJ Bolster Maternal Health Initiatives. Rutgers Health researchers have assessed not only the direct effects of Nurture NJ – the statewide initiative launched in 2019 by First Lady Tammy Murphy to improve maternal and infant health and reduce racial disparities in health outcomes – but the indirect effects as well.

According to the researchers, direct effects stem from policies and programs, indirect effects emerge from shifts in awareness, collaboration and engagement across sectors. These changes can influence how organizations work together, whose voices are heard, and how quickly progress is made. As part of the evaluation of Nurture NJ, members of the Rutgers School of Public Health conducted an analysis to explore these broader, indirect effects and detail findings in their new report, “Ripple Effects: Exploring the Indirect Influence of Nurture NJ.”

The researchers found that Nurture NJ significantly has shaped the maternal and infant health landscape in New Jersey, extending its impact beyond direct policy and programmatic efforts. Insights gathered from researchers through interviews with leaders from community organizations, health systems, advocacy groups, and funders highlight how Nurture NJ has generated momentum for change while validating and amplifying existing efforts to improve maternal and infant health. https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/.../how-the-indirect.../

In Once-Redlined City Neighborhoods, Ambulances Still Lag Behind. In parts of cities once marked “hazardous” on federal ...
10/02/2025

In Once-Redlined City Neighborhoods, Ambulances Still Lag Behind. In parts of cities once marked “hazardous” on federal housing maps, an ambulance is still more likely to show up late than in neighborhoods that bankers favored nearly a century ago, according to a national analysis of 236 urban areas.Rutgers researchers found that 7.06 % of residents in historically redlined Grade D tracts (considered “hazardous”) lacked rapid access to emergency medical services compared with 4.36 % in Grade A tracts, a gap that held across every U.S. region.

The study in JAMA Network Open used modern traffic data, 2020 Census block groups and historic Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps to trace drive times from 42,472 emergency medical service (EMS) stations. The researchers found that 2.2 million of the 41 million people (5.34%) living inside the mapped zones cannot count on an ambulance arriving within five minutes, the National Fire Protection Association’s benchmark for critical calls.

The odds of EMS response times exceeding 5 minutes were 67% higher in the “redlined” neighborhoods that fell in the lowest of HOLC’s four color-coded rankings nearly a century ago. Lead author Cherisse Berry, a professor of surgery and vice chair of academic surgery at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, said the pattern shows how a New Deal lending program still shapes who survives a stroke or car crash. https://ritms.rutgers.edu/news/in-once-redlined-city-neighborhoods-ambulances-still-lag-behind/

How a Doctor’s Blood Transfusion Research Is Changing Standards and Saving Lives. Jeffrey Carson spent more than a decad...
10/02/2025

How a Doctor’s Blood Transfusion Research Is Changing Standards and Saving Lives. Jeffrey Carson spent more than a decade persuading hospitals that fewer, resource-saving blood transfusions work just as well as more frequent transfusions for most patients. More recently, the Rutgers internist finished a massive study that indicates a major exception to the rule: anemic heart attack patients. That work, published in late 2023 in the New England Journal of Medicine and reinforced by a combined analysis of patients from several studies this past winter, underpins a just-published recommendation from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) to give more-frequent transfusions to patients suffering myocardial infarction.

The AABB joins the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association in making this update. Their acute-coronary-syndrome guidelines now state clinicians should consider giving enough transfusions to keep blood hemoglobin, which brings oxygen to cells, near 10 grams per deciliter in anemic patients who have suffered heart attacks – significantly more than the current standard of 7-8 g/dl.

“I’m very proud of this trial,” said Carson, a distinguished professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and provost at Rutgers Health. “To have results that actually will change practice and that are in guidelines in such a short period of time after trial publication (1.5 years) is very rewarding.” https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/.../how-a-doctors-blood.../

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