School of medicine

School Notes: School of Medicine
November/December 2021

Nancy J. Brown | http://medicine.yale.edu

Scientists seek to uncover genetic drivers of recurrent pregnancy loss

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Human Genome Research Institute have awarded a group of Yale researchers a grant for studying recurrent pregnancy loss. The nearly $8 million grant will pave the way for the team to identify the genes and types of genetic variation that may be responsible in individuals who experience multiple miscarriages, and also put Yale on the map as one of the largest centers in the country for understanding the genetics of pregnancy loss. About 5 percent of women will experience two miscarriages, and around 1 percent of these women will have three. Through enrolling individuals who have had multiple pregnancy losses and studying the genomes related to the most recent loss, the researchers hope to characterize the intolerome, or the collection of genes that are essential for human development and life.

Yale scientists involved in comprehensive COVID-19 study

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine are participating in an unprecedented and comprehensive study of the effects of COVID-19 on patients. The study, “IMmunoPhenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort” (IMPACC), is a collaboration among the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and 15 biomedical research centers across the country. Its goal is to evaluate why the SARS-CoV-2 virus has made some people sicker than others, what influences the length of illness, and other factors important to understanding the ongoing pandemic and preparing for possible future pandemics. Scientists examined over 1,000 volunteer patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-related illness and were followed for up to a year after being discharged. While other, smaller studies have uncovered invaluable data about important aspects of the virus and the pandemic, this research and the resources that have gone into it promise to produce the most enlightening insights yet.  

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