Published on New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center (https://wadsworth.org)

Landmark Achievements

  • 1926 - Development of the first system of standardized laboratory analysis for the diagnosis of human disease
     
  • 1941 - Identification and isolation of cardiolipin, the first chemically defined antigen used in the standard test for syphilis
     
  • 1948 - Isolation and characterization of Coxsackie virus
     
  • 1950 - Discovery of Nystatin, the first safe and effective antifungal antibiotic | Learn more[1]
     
  • 1965 - A model newborn screening program established and new assays developed, allowing detection of more treatable conditions
     
  • 1978 - Studies on arboviruses begin and expand to include Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Dengue, West Nile and Chikungunya viruses to define more effective and targeted control measures
     
  • 1978 - Sophisticated analytical methods developed to assess the toxicity of complex environmental mixtures
     
  • 1981 - Electron microscopy and computer processing used to analyze 3D structures of large biomolecules, discovering new targets for antibiotics and a potential new treatment strategy for Fragile X syndrome
     
  • 1983 - Vaccinia virus used as a vector to express selected genes from pathogens to make safer vaccines
     
  • 1984 - Mobile genetic elements known as introns discovered in bacteria
     
  • 1991 - Development of a brain-computer interface system that uses electrical signals from the brain to communicate with and control devices for people with severe motor disabilities
     
  • 2001 - Sensitive biomonitoring analytics used to detect low levels of environmental toxins in human samples
     
  • 2006 - Whole genome studies define genes associated with Parkinson’s disease, allowing genetic testing for disease susceptibility
     
  • 2008 - HIV studies lead to development of an HIV tropism assay to predict disease progression
     
  • 2012 - Applied Genomic Technologies Core breaks record for bases sequenced on Ion Torrent™ PGM™ Sequencer with 316 chip: 785 million bases of Salmonella DNA sequenced in a single run
     
  • 2013 - New prototype brain mapping technique licensed. Improves safety and reduces duration of neurosurgical procedures
     
  • 2013 - First state in the country to screen newborns for adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)
     
  • 2015 - The National Center for Adaptive Neuro technologies opened. Research conducted to improve diagnosis and treatment of stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and other devastating neurological conditions
     
  • 2015 - First state public health laboratory to use whole genome sequencing for outbreak investigation, applied to Legionella outbreak
     
  • 2016 - First state public health laboratory to perform whole genome sequencing on clinical TB samples
     
  • 2017 - Dr. Joachim Frank awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering work in cryo-electron microscopy