Miriam Merad, MD, PhD

Last night’s Commencement @IcahnMountSinai was a powerful celebration of our MD, PhD, and dual degree students' accomplishments and future promise. Our honorary degree recipients, student speeches, and more are testimony to perseverance, purpose, possibility, & a bright future.

The immune system in centenarians is remarkably youthful, far less prone to inflammaging @NatRevImmunol nature.com/articles/s4157…

Congratulations @Poulikos - and much deserved award

Hepatocyte Detargeting Improves mRNA Vaccine Immunity in Lymphoma Model genengnews.com/topics/drug-di… via @GENbio @Brown_lab1 @JoshuaBrodyMD @IcahnMountSinai

Published in Nature Biotechnology, new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai challenges long-held assumptions about how mRNA vaccines work—revealing that non-immune cells play a critical role in shaping vaccine effectiveness. Led by Brian D. Brown, PhD, the study shows that cells such as muscle and liver cells help regulate immune responses, rather than relying solely on traditional immune cells. Using a novel technology to control where mRNA is expressed in the body, researchers were able to enhance vaccine performance—significantly improving anti-tumor responses in preclinical lymphoma models. The findings introduce a powerful new framework for designing mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, with implications for cancer immunotherapy, infectious disease, and gene-based treatments. By fine-tuning where and how mRNA is activated, scientists may be able to create more effective—and more precise—next-generation therapies. Read more here: mshs.co/3OveSsI

@AttardiLaura @theNASciences congratulation Laura and well deserved

So honored to have been elected to the @theNASciences this year!

& Thank you @Brown_lab1, @yizhoudonglab, @JoshuaBrodyMD, @alessiabaccari4, Adam Marks, Sophia Siu @SinaiImmunol for all the fun throughout (3/3)

Big takeaway: cellular expression patterns matter. mRNA expression in hepatocytes and myocytes shapes the immune response. Surprisingly, direct expression in DCs is not required—antigen can be transferred to them. Important implications for mRNA vaccine and drug design. (2/3)

Thrilled to see a new paper led by the outstanding @Brown_lab1, now out in Nature Biotechnology. We provide mechanistic insights into how mRNA vaccines work. challenging key assumptions and offering new ways to control vaccine activity. (1/3) Read here: nature.com/articles/s4158…

A year after NIH funding cuts, 27% of researchers report their funding hasn’t been restored. This is not just budgets; it is the future of science, and the impact is already being felt, as @cassiemcgrath_ reports in @HealthcareBrew. As PICI CEO @DrKarenKnudsen shared with Healthcare Brew, these funding cuts have a large impact on researchers and patients, and stall bold innovative science. PICI is working to keep progress moving by backing high-risk, high-reward science and accelerating collaboration to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Read Cassie’s full piece here: healthcare-brew.com/stories/2026/0…

Thrilled to have hosted our first @SinaiImmunol faculty therapeutic retreat at our west campus with the incredible @ArtKrieg and Neil Stahl! Inspiring discussions on new targets & next-gen therapeutics in cancer & inflammatory diseases. so much energy and momentum! #Immunotherapy

@EricJNestler @SinaiBrain @IcahnMountSinai Congratulations Eric for a much deserved Honor- and to many more celebrations ahead-

I had the honor of a lifetime this evening by being inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. I want to thank the many PhD students and postdocs in my lab over the past almost 40 years whose hard, creative, and impactful work made this possible. @SinaiBrain @IcahnMountSinai

@FionnualaCrowle @ASCO @TischCancer Thank you for your advocacy Finn -

Great to be back on Capitol hill representing @ASCO, New York State, @TischCancer at the #ASCOAdvocacySummit. This year we were advocating for 1. Increased Research funding 2. Fix prior auths 3. #SaveTelehealth #AscoAdvocacy

The proposed FY2027 budget includes a $5.8B (−12.3%) cut to the NIH. United for Medical Research calculated this could cost ~50,000 jobs and $11.6B in economic activity, with 26 states losing >$100M each. A tragedy for science, patients, and the economy. #NIH

Trump's attacks on academia and budget cuts for research have provided an opening for other countries to poach leading scientists -- a costly brain drain.  trib.al/yEVMGEH

This is an important read - and a key response to this challenge is to concentrate resources on early trials for the deep molecular profiling of responses to novel therapies- and advance programs only if biology aligns with pathological/clinical responses

@florian_krammer Thank you and lets celebrate together !

Congrats Miriam! @MiriamMerad

Just wrapped an incredible ImmunoSchool on immune aging. With 2,000+ participants worldwide, exceptional speakers & @SinaiImmunology students leading the way. Many thanks to all speakers/presenters & to @neoviral & @JMT_immuno for fantastic organization. Talks coming on YouTube

@j_eyquem @Jalal_Ahmed @Nature Congrats justin - beautiful paper with transformative potential

I am so excited to share our new paper in @Nature: the first programmable, site-specific integration of a large DNA payload into T cells in vivo. A single IV injection results in therapeutic levels of TRAC-targeted CAR T cells in multiple models. #Ack1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nature.com/articles/s4158… a 🧵

Immunoschool opens next week to explore why how well we age is shaped in large part by our immune system and is 🌍, online, FREE & open to all. Don’t miss hearing from the scientists who built the immune aging field & those pushing it forward: REGISTER: eventbrite.com/e/internationa…