Research news
Deleting a gene prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice by disguising insulin-producing cells
03/27/2020
Removing a gene from the cells that produce insulin prevents mice from developing Type 1 diabetes by sparing the cells an attack from their own immune system, a new UW–Madison study shows.
Newly identified cellular 'trash removal program' helps create new neurons
02/27/2020
New research by University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists reveals how a cellular filament helps neural stem cells clear damaged and clumped proteins, an important step in eventually producing new neurons.
Marmoset stem cells carrying Parkinson’s mutation could lead to new model for studying disease
02/27/2020
Parkinson’s disease researchers have used gene-editing tools to introduce the disorder’s most common genetic mutation into marmoset monkey stem cells and to successfully tamp down cellular chemistry that often goes awry in Parkinson...
Funding available for women’s health research by UW–Madison early-career faculty
02/26/2020
A funding opportunity is available for early-career faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research focuses on women’s health or sex and gender differences.
Researchers wake monkeys by stimulating ‘engine’ of consciousness in brain
02/25/2020
A small amount of electricity delivered at a specific frequency to a particular point in the brain will snap a monkey out of even deep anesthesia, pointing to a circuit of brain activity key to consciousness and suggesting potential treatments for...
UW study designs novel approach for better understanding teens and technology
02/12/2020
What teens find important on social media is a better measure of how they interact with technology than how many minutes they spend using social media, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Exercise, brain function tied to Alzheimer's risk
02/11/2020
Regular aerobic exercise may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease, or slow its progression, in adults who are at a higher risk, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health...
Stem cells could help cancer patients fight dangerous infections
01/30/2020
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a more efficient way to grow the white blood cells, which serve as front-line defenders against bacterial infections but are often depleted as a potentially deadly side effect o...
UW-Madison study shows calorie restriction slows skeletal muscle aging
01/22/2020
Monkeys on calorie restricted diets age better than monkeys on a normal diet, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Call for posters: Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Day
01/22/2020
The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is now accepting abstracts for the 2020 Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Research Day poster session. The call for posters is open to students of all levels, trainees...
Scoring system predicts seizure risk in hospitalized patients
01/14/2020
A new rating system can accurately predict which critically ill patients are in danger of having seizures while hospitalized, a large, multi-national trial shows.
Study: Access to Medicare increases cancer detection
01/13/2020
Access to Medicare significantly impacts detection of certain cancers and life expectancy following cancer diagnosis, according to a new study from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health that was recently published online in the Journal of Po...
Video: A new year's message from Dean Robert Golden
01/10/2020
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Dean Robert Golden, MD, shares some of the school's successes from 2019 and outlines priorities for 2020.
Study finds where you live affects brain health
01/06/2020
Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may impact the brain, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
UW-Madison inventors aim to replace old-style breast-surgery marker
01/06/2020
Three University of Wisconsin–Madison innovators have invented a better way for surgeons to locate tumors during lumpectomies for breast cancer.
Inflammation predicts response to anti-depression medication
01/03/2020
Children and teens with bipolar depression responded better to an antipsychotic medicine if they had increased markers of inflammation in their blood, a new University of Wisconsin–Madison study shows.
Lawrence Brown selected to lead County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
12/10/2019
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has named leading population health researcher Lawrence Brown, Ph.D., as the next director of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
Delirium linked to brain injury after severe surgery
12/05/2019
Researchers at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health discovered that delirium following severe surgery may be associated with brain injury.
Injectable, flexible electrode could replace rigid nerve-stimulating implants
11/18/2019
By electrically stimulating nerves, neuromodulation therapies can reduce epileptic seizures, soothe chronic pain, and treat depression and a host of other health conditions without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.
Wisconsin Partnership Program announces new research awards through Collaborative Health Sciences Program
10/30/2019
The Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has announced awards to three interdisciplinary research projects to address significant and diverse health and healthcare issues through its Collaborative Health Sci...
Binge drinking costs Wisconsin $4 billion annually
10/28/2019
A new study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute reveals the financial magnitude of adult binge drinking in Wisconsin.
Study: Higher social media engagement with marijuana marketing linked to higher rates of use
10/22/2019
One in three youth in states with legal recreational marijuana (cannabis) engage with marijuana brands on social media.
UW researchers use stem cells to develop in vitro vocal folds
10/04/2019
Researchers at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have created an in vitro 3-D model of human vocal fold tissue (called mucosa) that could improve our understanding and treatment of disorders affecting the human voice.
Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Department tapped for $11.8 million national coordinating center
10/02/2019
A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and his team have been chosen to lead the nation’s coordinating center for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet).
Michael Newton named chair of biostatistics and medical informatics
10/01/2019
A leader in the use of statistical computing and inference in areas including genomics, molecular biology and cancer, Michael Newton, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics at the University of Wiscons...
Remembering Heidi Dvinge: scientist, colleague, mentor and friend
09/25/2019
Heidi Dvinge, PhD, assistant professor of Biomolecular Chemistry and a member of the Carbone Cancer Center, passed away on September 20, 2019. With great sorrow over the loss of a brilliant young scientist, colleague, mentor and friend, we honor h...
Disparities between racial, ethnic mortality rates expand in U.S. for certain age groups
09/24/2019
After years of improving mortality rates in the United States, rates have increased, and between certain racial and ethnic groups the gap is widening depending on age.
Affordable Care Act slashed the uninsured rate among people with diabetes
09/23/2019
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided health insurance for an estimated 1.9 million people with diabetes, according to a newly published study.
'Clamp' regulates message transfer between mammal neurons
09/10/2019
A fundamental question in nerve biology brings to mind a race car at the starting line: The engine is revving, but the brake is on. The system is ready to go, but under tight control.
Electronic records pin broad set of health risks on genetic premutation
08/21/2019
It was long believed the FMR1 premutation — an excessive number of trinucleotide repeats in the FMR1 gene — had no direct effect on the people who carry it. Until recently, the only recognized effect on the carriers of the flawed gene was the risk...
Single protein plays important dual shipping role in the brain
08/15/2019
Just as a packaging breakdown can hamstring delivery of cables, switches and connectors to a house under construction, removing a protein from neurons can block the “shipment” of proteins to developing axons.
Changing a single molecule in the brain can alleviate anxiety
08/15/2019
A new study shows, for the first time in primates, that altering one particular molecule in a specific brain region can change “dispositional anxiety,” the tendency to perceive many situations as threatening. The finding provides hope ...
Study finds major surgery is associated with minor cognitive decline
08/08/2019
A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has revealed that major surgery is associated with only a minor decline in cognitive ability.
UW launches nation's first cell therapy trial for kidney transplant patients
08/06/2019
For the first time in the United States, a research team will test a personalized cell therapy to treat a common and serious complication facing kidney transplant patients.
Lessons of conventional imaging let scientists see around corners
08/05/2019
Along with flying and invisibility, high on the list of every child’s aspirational superpowers is the ability to see through or around walls or other visual obstacles.
Fear of more dangerous second Zika, dengue infections unfounded in monkeys
08/05/2019
An initial infection with dengue virus did not prime monkeys for an especially virulent infection of Zika virus, according to a study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Nor did a bout with Zika make a follow-on dengue infection more...
Wisconsin rule limiting full-contact practice in high school football cuts concussion rate by more than half
07/30/2019
The rate of sport-related concussions during high school football practice in Wisconsin decreased by 57 percent following a rule change limiting the amount and duration of full-contact activities during practice, according to a new study by resear...
Thanks to science, parasite can have sex in mice, not just cats
07/29/2019
Toxoplasma gondii, a single-celled parasite perhaps best known for its ability to trick mice into taking potentially fatal risks around cats and, in humans, as a serious threat to fetal health, has given up a long-held secret of its reproduction.
Simultaneous infection by two viruses the key to studying rare lymphoma
07/29/2019
New research has found that a rare blood cancer can be simulated in the lab only by simultaneously infecting white blood cells with two viruses typically found in the tumors.
Can a sleep device give deep-space explorers a good night's rest?
07/24/2019
The Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness (WISC) will be one of two sites for testing a device that might improve sleep and thus waking performance for people on long space voyages.