Research news
Hypertension, obesity escalate memory loss in people at risk for Alzheimer’s
11/14/2018
A new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health shows people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease who have high blood pressure or are overweight experience declines in memory and thinking skills at double the rat...
Mutations in key blood cell protein disrupt development, predispose to leukemia
11/12/2018
When a key gene in blood cell development, GATA-2, is mutated, it causes a predisposition to the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and the changes in GATA-2 were believed to diminish its protein function.
New academic home for clinical and health informatics
11/12/2018
This summer, the University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health further expanded their commitment to medical informatics by launching the UW Clinical and Health Info...
Inherited brain pathway underlies the risk for anxiety and depression
11/05/2018
In studies of young rhesus monkeys, researchers from the University of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry have discovered brain pathways that underlie children’s vulnerability to develop anxiety and depression later in life.
Collaborative project seeks to develop 'patient safety passport'
11/01/2018
A fall sends an elderly woman to the emergency room. After a short hospital stay, she returns to her nursing home, where she avoids walking for fear of another slip. In the meantime, though, she develops a blood clot that prompts another trip to t...
Mutation in common protein triggers tangles, chaos inside brain cells
10/23/2018
A pioneer in the study of neural cells revealed how a single mutation affecting the most common protein in a supporting brain cell produces devastating, fibrous globs.
Financial incentives help Medicaid recipients quit smoking
10/23/2018
The use of modest financial incentives to engage with the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line is a cost-effective option for increasing smoking quit rates among Medicaid recipients, according to research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medic...
Social Media Adolescent Health Research Team seeks proposals to study mental wellness and technology
10/23/2018
The relationship between mental wellness and technology is a hot topic, yet it is underexplored, according to the head of the University of Wisconsin Social Media Adolescent Health Research Team (SMAHRT).
Wisconsin researchers well-represented at international radiation oncology conference
10/23/2018
The 60th annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the world’s premier radiation oncology society, got underway this week in San Antonio, Texas, with a strong Wisconsin presence.
UW-Madison researchers discover cause of rare genetic blood disorder
10/04/2018
An eight-year quest to find the cause of a disease has apparently ended now that scientists at UW-Madison have identified the mutations that produce a form of myelofibrosis, a rare genetic blood disorder.
Clinical prospects for stem cells begin to emerge
09/26/2018
Twenty years after the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s James Thomson derived the first human embryonic stem cell lines (ESC), his revolutionary discovery is just beginning to emerge on the clinical landscape.
Alzheimer's renewal grant to focus on biomarkers of the disease
09/25/2018
The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP) has been awarded a five-year, $19 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to enable in-depth study of molecular hallmarks of the disease in the brain and spinal fl...
Joshua Coon honored for outstanding achievements in proteomics
09/24/2018
Joshua Coon, PhD, professor of biomolecular chemistry and chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has earned a Discovery in Proteomic Sciences Award from the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO).
Deneen Wellik named chair of cell and regenerative biology
09/21/2018
Deneen Wellik, PhD, has been chosen as the next chair of the Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Ed Chapman Wins Pew Innovation Fund Award
09/14/2018
The Pew Charitable Trust announced today that Ed Chapman, PhD, professor of neuroscience in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is one of a dozen leading “Innovation Fund” researchers who will collaborate ...
UW-Madison study is first to link cadmium exposure to lower ability to see contrast
09/14/2018
Cadmium exposure may increase the risk for problems with a key component of good vision, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Mental health in pregnancy may affect development of newborns’ brains
09/05/2018
Many factors can influence the development of a baby during pregnancy and after birth, but until recently, researchers knew little about the relationship between an expectant mother’s mental health and the subsequent development of her baby ...
Blockages in nerve-cell protein “factory” implicated in neurodegenerative disease
09/05/2018
A molecular basis underlying the neurodegenerative condition hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) has been identified in a study by University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health researchers. The research, published in Cell Reports, s...
Robert Fettiplace's explorations of the inner ear earn him the Kavli Prize
09/04/2018
When Robert Fettiplace, PhD, talks about the joy of discovery, he captures the spirit that drove explorers over mountains and into the deepest caves.
Researchers discover mechanism controlling zinc
08/21/2018
Researchers have uncovered how a trace metal controls the generation of red blood cells, which are critical for life.
Wisconsin researchers receive $60 million from NIH for All of Us research program
08/15/2018
Four Wisconsin medical and scientific organizations – Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin and BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versit...
Scientists discover cause of aging-related disease in mice, then reverse its symptoms
07/30/2018
In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison show that mice making too much of a human protein called AT-1 show signs of early aging and premature death, which are also symptoms of the human disorder proge...
Researchers trace Parkinson’s damage in the heart
07/30/2018
A new way to examine stress and inflammation in the heart will help Parkinson’s researchers test new therapies and explore an unappreciated way the disease puts people at risk of falls and hospitalization.
Evie Carchman awarded grant to study anal cancer
07/25/2018
While people infected with HIV are living longer due to better therapies, their weakened immune systems are linked to what is now a leading cause of death in the HIV population: cancer.
UW research on display at Alzheimer's conference
07/25/2018
More than 50 UW-Madison researchers presented work at the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Chicago, Illinois, this week. The event is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to the scientific study of dem...
Early hormone therapy not associated with cognitive harm
07/23/2018
Hormone therapy is not associated with cognitive harm for women if therapy begins around the age of menopause in healthy women, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison research presented this week at the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association Int...
Cai group recognized for research achievements at annual imaging meeting
07/10/2018
The Molecular Imaging and Nanotechnology Laboratory had another successful year at June's Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Forgotten molecules find new purpose at Carbone Cancer Center
07/10/2018
On a rainy day last fall, chemist Scott Wildman left his office on the UW–Madison campus and drove to a retirement community on the city’s west side to bring 40 years of scientific work out of the dark.
Cell therapy is the future, and Wisconsin is the place
07/03/2018
Medicine is rapidly approaching a great advance that will augment or replace drugs with human cells for treating a range of intractable conditions, an expert in cell therapy told the Wisconsin Technology Council on June 26.
Exercise and meditation appear to reduce common colds and flu
07/03/2018
Training in mindfulness meditation or exercise may protect against the common cold and influenza, according to research results from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Combination therapy for asthma in adults is safe, study confirms
06/29/2018
Results from the largest asthma safety trial in the United States suggest that combination therapies containing both inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) do not significantly increase the risk of serious asthma-related eve...
UW-Madison debuts first-of-its kind neighborhood map to guide medical decision-making
06/28/2018
Socio-economic factors can affect health in surprising ways.
JD Sauer earns $500,000 award to study how cells guard against pathogens
06/27/2018
Thanks to a prestigious national award, a researcher at UW-Madison will have a chance to learn exactly how cells protect themselves from pathogens that invade the cytosol, the watery fluid in which organelles live inside the cell.
UW Carbone study to look for ways to personalize therapy in colorectal cancer
06/15/2018
A five-year, $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute will support UW Carbone Cancer Center physician-researcher Dusty Deming, MD, and colleagues in their pursuit of more effective treatments for colorectal-cancer patients.
Health Equity Leadership Institute aims to advance health disparities research
06/07/2018
Dozens of researchers from around the country will soon come to UW-Madison for a “boot camp” to help increase the number of minority researchers investigating health disparities and health equity.
Wisconsin’s obesity map: The ZIP codes weigh in
06/05/2018
Health researchers have compiled a searchable map of obesity in America’s Dairyland by ZIP code, and the picture is alarming.
Analysis: Promising cell type represents new frontier for treating disease
06/01/2018
A type of cell drawn from certain body tissues shows enormous potential to treat a range of diseases in the United States and Europe, but it must first receive federal approval as a regulated pharmaceutical.
Robert Fettiplace wins 2018 Kavli Prize for hearing research
05/31/2018
Robert Fettiplace, PhD, who pioneered techniques to better understand the physiology of hearing, was announced as one of the winners of the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, one of the world’s preeminent scientific honors, for work that helped un...
Jing Zhang named Centennial Professor of Oncology
05/30/2018
Jing Zhang, PhD, of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, has been named the new Centennial Professor of Oncology.
Neuroscientists discover part of the brain's 'wake up' system
05/29/2018
Scientists have long known that the thalamus, a structure in the middle of the brain, was involved in arousal, but new research from the Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness (WISC) identifies the sub-region that helps us wake up from sl...