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Why We're MADE FOR THIS

Learn what we're doing to transform health care, prepare the next generation of leaders, and solve the world's greatest medical challenges.

Stories

A Revolution for Pediatric Organ Transplant
In 2021, a baby boy named Easton Sinnamon was the first person in the world to receive a combination heart transplant and allogeneic processed thymus tissue implantation. Six months later, a video showed Easton smiling and playing in a high chair, and tests indicated that the processed thymus tissue was working: building the T cells needed for a well-functioning immune system.
$2 Million Bay Area Lyme Foundation Grant to Benefit Lyme Disease Research in Honor of Neil L. Spector, MD
For many years, the late Neil L. Spector, MD, who was a leading cancer researcher at Duke Cancer Institute, struggled with Lyme disease. Initially, he was misdiagnosed and when finally treated with antibiotics, some of his symptoms improved but his heart was irreparably damaged due to Lyme carditis, a condition that occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter the tissues of the heart.
Leading by Example
Carol Deane advances her long history of support for Duke by establishing a Presidential Distinguished Chair
Harnessing the Body’s Ability to Heal Itself
What if we could disable the defense mechanisms that enable cancer cells to evade treatment, or even control their genes to prevent them from developing into tumors in the first place? Can we enhance our brain’s ability to forestall damage from Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions? Is it possible to develop a vaccine for everything?