Weill Co rnell Medical College Volume 21 • January 2015 The Newsletter of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center Contents Research Highlights Localization of Annexin A5 on the surface of placental trophoblasts 1 by David P. Hajjar, PhD Research Highlights 2 Focus (green: AnxA5; blue: nucleus) Figure 1 : Expression of AnxA5 (green fluorescence) on 3 cultured syncytialized human placental trophoblasts. Clinical Pathology Update Blue (DAPI) fluorescence marks the nuclei. [bars = 50 ␮m. Confocal microscopy 3-dimensional projections of Z-axis image stacks, voxel size ( ␮m): width 0.73, height 0.73, and 4-6 Drs. Jacob Rand and Xiao-Xuan Wu. depth 1.50] (for complete description, see Wu XX, Guller S, The Department is delighted to welcome Dr. Jacob Rand , Rand JH. Hydroxychloroquine reduces binding of antiphos - Keynotes pholipid antibodies to syncytiotrophoblasts and restores Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, as Vice annexin A5 expression. Am J Obstet Gynecol . 2011 Dec; Chairman for Laboratory Medicine and Director of the Clinical 205(6):576.e7-14.) 7 Laboratories. Pathology Faculty’s Dr. Rand comes to us from Montefiore Medical Center and Global Travels the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he served as Atomic force Microscopy: Structure of the Director of Hematology, Advanced Coagulation and Protein aPL Ig- ␤2GPI Complexes Separation Laboratories and as Professor of Pathology, 8 Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of the -HCQ Resident’s Corner Hematology Laboratories. Dr. Rand’s record of achievement spans across disciplines, with strong backgrounds as a clini cal physician, clinical laboratory director, teacher and 9-11 +HCQ basic scientist. Faculty Publications Dr. Rand received his Medical Degree from Albert Einstein 12 College of Medicine and did residencies in Autopsy Pathology at Montefiore Hospital/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Figure 2 : Atomic force microscopy images of the effect 2015-2016 CME with Drs. Harry Zimmerman and Leopold Koss, and in Internal of hydroxychloroquine on a gallery of antiphospholipid Conference Calendar Medicine with Dr. Richard Gorlin at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. immune complexes that were formed on a planar bilayer over an ultrasmooth mica chip. (for complete description see Rand then returned to Montefiore for Hematology fellowship Newly Awarded Rand JH, Wu XX, Quinn AS, Chen PP, Hathcock JJ, Taatjes training in both clinical and laboratory hematology with the DJ. Hydroxychloroquine directly reduces the binding of Grants in Pathology legendary “clotter” Dr. Theodore Spaet. He then joined the antiphospholipid antibody-beta2-glycoprotein I complexes to faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine where he rose phospholipid bilayers. Blood. 2008 Sep 1;112(5):1687-95.) to Professor of Medicine and Pathology, served as director of the Medical School blood course, was Chief of the Clinical Thrombosis & Hemostasis Service, directed the clinical hematology laboratories, and did basic and translational research. continued on page 3 Focus by Daniel M. Knowles, MD The Department is thrilled to announce the for mation of the new Division of Molecular and Genomic Pathology and the opening of its new, state-of-the-a rt Molecular Pathology Laboratory. The Division of Molecular and Genomic Pathology will be led by Dr. Mark A. Rubin , Vice Chairman for Molecular and Genomic Pathology and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The focus of the Molecular and Genomic (left to right) Faculty: Drs. Liu, Fernandes, Tam, Cesarman and Rennert. Pathology Division is to provide Weill Cornell Medical College physicians with molecular informa - sequencing test for identification of mutations in The Institute for Precision Medicine (IPM) at tion that will facilitate the diagnosis of diseases, cancer. The laboratory is directed by Hanna Rennert, Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork- monitor the prognosis of the patients and assist PhD, FACMG, and Helen Fernandes, PhD. Presbyterian Hospital is a translational research in the selection of appropriate therapeutic options. The Molecular Hematopathology Laboratory hub, under the direction of Dr. Mark Rubin. The Our state-of-the-a rt facility uses innovative genomic performs molecular-based tests to aid in the diag - IPM team of physician-scientists are directing their technologies to interrogate and identify disease nosis and management of hematologic cancers and collective expertise and wealth of knowledge to related entities in solid tumors, hematologic malig - offers expert consultation in specialized molecular pin point the molecular underpinnings of disease nancies, infectious diseases and inherited diseases. testing for hematopathologists and clinical hema - and spur the discovery of novel therapies. The Working closely with our clinicians, our mission is to tologists. The primary goal of the laboratory is to Division of Molecular and Genomic Pathology works provide molecular testing of the highest quality with provide accurate molecular diagnostic information in close collaboration with the IPM. a direct impact on patient care. using modern technology to facilitate the delivery Division Faculty: The Division of Molecular and Genomic of excellent personalized health care to patients Mark A. Rubin, MD Yen-Chun Liu, MD,PhD Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell inflicted with hematologic malignancies. The Ethel Cesarman, MD, PhD Hanna Rennert, PhD Medical College is comprised of two main entities: labo ratory is directed by Wayne Tam, MD, PhD. Helen Fernandes, PhD Wayne Tam, MD, PhD The Molecular Pathology and Molecular Hemato- pathol ogy Laboratories, both of which are CLIA- cer tified and accredited by New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory offers molecular pathology services in infectious disease, transplant, genetics and solid tumors, including a NYSDOH-approved 50-gene panel next-generation r e t n e C l a c i d e M l l e n r o C l l i e W / l Dr. Hanna Rennert (right) working with molecular a t i pathology technical staff. p s o H n a i Next generation sequencing data in Integrative Genomic u r e t Viewer (IGV) showing deletion of exon 19 sequence in y b s EGFR (EGFR del19) and the corresponding Sanger e r P sequencing below. The solid line in IGV corresponds to the - k r deleted exon 19 sequence relative to the reference gene. o Y The black arrow in the Sanger sequencing electrophero- w e N gram represents the first nucleotide of the deletion. 2 www.cornellpathology.org Clinical Pathology Research Highlights Update continued from page 1 Two new Transfusion board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Dr. Rand has made significant contributions to Clinical Pathology, Transfusion and Blood Banking, our understanding of the role of von Willebrand Medicine faculty join and Hematology. factor in mediating platelet adhesion to sub- the Department Dr. Vasovic can be reached at: en dothelial components. He also co-founded the [email protected] or at: 212-746-6106. first international web-based registry for the Dr. Yen-Michael S. Hsu acquired form of the bleeding disorder known as received his PhD from the We are also delighted von Willebrand disease. University of Texas Graduate In addition, Dr. Rand and his research group School of Biomedical Sciences to welcome two have made major contributions to unraveling the MD Anderson Cancer Center clinic al chemists: pathogenesis of an enigmatic autoimmune in Houston, Texas in 2008 thrombophilic condition, the antiphospholipid Yen-Michael S. Hsu, and his MD from the Dr. John V. Mitsios received syndrome (APS), that results in vascular throm - MD, PhD University of Texas Medical his Masters of Science in bosis and pregnancy complications. School at Houston in 2010. He subsequently Biochemistry in 2002 and The antiphospholipid-annexin A5 research team completed resi dency training in Clinical Pathology his PhD in Chemistry in members include Dr. Rand’s longtime lab oratory at Washington University School of Medicine 2006 from the University of manager and research partner, Dr. Xiao-Xuan in 2013. He recently completed a Blood Ioannina, Greece. In 2010, he Wu , who joined the Department of Pathology and Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship at the John V. Mitsios, completed a post-doctoral Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Blood Centers of the Pacific/UCSF Medical Center, PhD fellowship at the University College, along with Dr. Rand. and is joining the department as an Assistant of California-San Diego, followed by a two-year Dr. Rand’s work has led to the discovery of the Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Clinical Chemistry fellowship at the Washington “Disruption of the Annexin A5 Anticoagulant and Assistant Director of Transfusion Medicine University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Crystal Shield” concept as a thrombogenic and Cellular Therapy. He joins the department as an Assistant Professor mechanism in this disorder (see Figure 1). The Dr. Hsu can be reached at: of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and as finding, which has been validated in clinical trials, [email protected] or at: 212-746-2212. Assistant Director, Central Laboratory and Assistant was translated into a novel clinical assay for this Director, Point of Care Services. disease process. On the therapeutic end, Rand’s Dr. Ljiljana Vasovic received Dr. Mitsios can be reached at: team