Global Health Nexus, Spring 2000

NYU Dentistry Joins Biomedical Research Alliance of New York

The prestigious Biomedical Research Alliance of New York (BRANY) recently welcomed NYU Dentistry as its newest member. A consortium of leading biomedical institutions, BRANY includes New York University Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, St. Vincent's Medical Center, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

"It is a tremendous point of pride for NYU Dentistry to gain membership in BRANY," said Dean Michael C. Alfano. "By collaborating with such prominent medical centers, NYU Dentistry has an extraordinary opportunity to expand its clinical research capabilities and impact. Moreover, as the sole dental-school partner and the home of the largest, single site-based population of dental patients in the country, NYU Dentistry offers peerless resources for clinical research in areas where dentistry and medicine can come together to provide better patient care."

Examples of potential collaboration include the use of third-molar extractions as a model for the study of pain and the effects of drugs on pain; studies to ameliorate the terrible side effects of cancer therapy, in which the integrity of the oral mucosa is frequently a factor in determining how much chemotherapy can be given; development and evaluation of drugs for dry mouth; and studies of the many dermatological conditions that have manifestations in the oral cavity. "The collaborative possibilities," said Dean Alfano, "are boundless."