Tag Diseases
Study shows movement, evolutionary history of TB in China
A genetic scan of a massive number of samples taken from tuberculosis patients across China has shown a surprising genetic uniformity: just two “strains” of the tuberculosis bacterium account for 99.4 percent of all cases.
Mutation in common protein triggers tangles, chaos inside brain cells
Growing human brain cells in lab dishes was key to the findings. Researcher Su-Chun Zhang was the first scientist to convert all-purpose human stem cells into neural cells.
Clinical prospects for stem cells begin to emerge
Responsible science is almost always a slow, grueling process, but 20 years after James Thomson derived the first human embryonic stem cell lines, experts in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine feel more optimistic than ever.
A stent-free future for common cardiovascular ailments
An interdisciplinary team of investigators from UW–Madison and Ohio State believes once the new approach to maintaining open blood vessels is fully developed, it could benefit millions of patients.
Researchers trace Parkinson’s damage in the heart
Heart attacks, diabetes and other disorders cause similar damage to nerves in the heart. Those patients and potential therapies could also benefit from the new visualization method, says Parkinson's disease researcher Marina Emborg.
Finding a weak link in the frightful parasite Schistosoma
More than 250 million people, mostly in Africa and Asia, have schistosomiasis, which kills an estimated 280,000 each year. “We don’t get that many aha! moments in our lives as scientists,” says a researcher. “This was one of them.”
Lipids in blood and liver offer insights into metabolic health
Often, in order to identify a fatty liver, an invasive liver biopsy is required. Taking a blood sample would be a much simpler way to diagnose it.
Study of inflammation’s link to diseases wins NIH grant
Inflammation "is likely implicated in almost every disease,” says researcher David Beebe — including cancer, cardiovascular conditions and autoimmune diseases.
Ebola vaccine inches toward human clinical trials
The need for an Ebola vaccine is acute. Periodic outbreaks of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, including an epidemic between 2013 and 2016, caused major loss of life and serious economic disruption.
Bringing cheap and accurate tuberculosis tests to Africa
Researchers are developing a "robust, simple and inexpensive way to increase the sensitivity of an existing TB test" by integrating a step very similar to a pregnancy test.
Monkeys infected by mosquito bites further Zika virus research
Monkeys who catch Zika virus through bites from infected mosquitoes develop infections that look like human Zika cases, and may help researchers understand the many ways Zika can be transmitted.
Chimpanzee deaths in Uganda pinned on human cold virus
Scientists investigating an outbreak of respiratory disease in a community of wild chimpanzees in Uganda were surprised and dismayed to discover that rhinovirus C was killing healthy chimps.
Designer molecule points to treatment for diseases caused by DNA repeats
“Most young people with Friedreich’s ataxia develop severe heart problems and are wheelchair-bound," says researcher Aseem Ansari, "but the disease is so rare that few drug companies invest in it."
A little myelin goes a long way to restore nervous system function
New research shows that in long-lived animals, renewed but thin myelin sheaths are enough to restore impaired nervous systems and can do so for years after the onset of disease.
Zika infections unlikely to be passed by kissing, casual contact
UW-Madison researchers have found in a study of monkeys that casual contact through saliva is not enough for the virus to move between hosts.
UW center plays key role in finding Zika-transmitting mosquito in state
Under a federal grant, Midwestern universities led by UW–Madison have more resources to conduct the kind of surveillance that turned up the Asian tiger mosquito in Dane County.
Zika infections could be factor in more pregnancies
“It’s sobering," says researcher Ted Golos. "If microcephaly is the tip of the iceberg for babies infected in pregnancy, the rest of the iceberg may be bigger than we’ve imagined.”
New clues to healthy bones for those with PKU
Individuals with PKU are unable to metabolize phenylalanine, so it accumulates at high levels in their blood, leading to intellectual disabilities, seizures and other serious health problems.
Researchers make headway toward understanding Alexander disease
The new finding by the UW–Madison Waisman Center could change the way scientists think about and try to solve the rare, fatal disorder.
CDC awards $10 million for insect borne disease center
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $10 million to a consortium of Midwestern universities to establish a new research and training program to stem the spread of disease carried by vectors like ticks and mosquitoes.