Tag Research
Pin-sized sensor could bring chemical ID to smartphone-sized devices
Spectrometers can detect dangerous chemicals based on a “fingerprint” of absorbed and emitted light. But they have long been bulky and expensive, preventing their use outside the lab — until now. Read More
Personalized in vitro model enables drug screening for kidney cancer
One way to treat the most common type of kidney cancer is to use anti-angiogenic drugs to cut off the blood supply to the tumors, but patients respond differently to the drugs, and choosing the wrong one can make the cancer grow faster. Read More
Have microscope, will travel: New tech project links Madison, Boston scientists
Researcher Jan Huisken’s vision is to redesign a high-end optical microscope — normally big enough to fill an entire room — down to the dimensions of a suitcase, with minimal loss of power or precision. Read More
Researchers pinpoint cause of deadly Lake Michigan rip current
“No one in the world has ever documented this before,” said Chin Wu, professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Meteotsunamis are a new generation mechanism for rip currents.” Read More
UW team finds key to common cancer pathway in discovery that could unlock new therapies
A team led by UW cancer researchers discovered an unexpected regulator of the critical protein p53, opening the door to the development of drugs that could target it. Read More
Master glassblower’s art, work on exhibit at Madison Children’s Museum
Tracy Drier wants to increase interest in scientific glassblowing as a career choice by demonstrating the precision and artistry involved in constructing these delicate, almost ice-like glass instruments. Read More
Light provides control for 3D printing with multiple materials
UW-Madison researchers realized that a one-vat, multiple-component approach — similar to a chemist's one-pot approach when synthesizing molecules — would be more practical than multiple reservoirs with different materials in 3D printing. Read More
Study confirms horseshoe crabs are really relatives of spiders, scorpions
UW–Madison evolutionary biologists hope their study helps firmly plant ancient horseshoe crabs within the arachnid family tree — "a major shift in our understanding of arthropod evolution.” Read More
THOR wrangles complex microbiomes into a model for improving them
A growing understanding of microbial communities and their influence on human health or crop productivity has led to the dream of changing these communities to produce benefits. New research addresses this head-on. Read More
Engineered microbe may be key to producing plastic from plants
With a few genetic tweaks, a type of soil bacteria with an appetite for hydrocarbons shows promise as a biological factory for converting a renewable — but frustratingly untapped — bounty into a replacement for ubiquitous plastics. Read More
Quantum science at UW–Madison joins exchange, invests in faculty and students
“By the investments we are making in quantum science and technology," says Steve Ackerman, "we are ... leading the way in concepts and technology that may revolutionize computing, communication, security and more.” Read More
Swimming microbes steer themselves into mathematical order
The movement of crowds of things too small to easily see — like single-celled organisms and filaments inside individual cells responsible for cell-division — is critically important to research in materials science, engineering and biochemistry. Read More
WARF bets big on new squad of drug hunters
“We are building a preclinical drug discovery organization,” says WARF Therapeutics Director Jon Young, who has worked in drug development at Merck Research Laboratories, Regulus Therapeutics and Celgene. Read More
Radiation-resistant E. coli evolved in the lab give view into DNA repair
Scientists in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Biochemistry are blasting E. coli bacteria with ionizing radiation once a week to watch evolution happen in real time as the bacteria become radiation resistant. Read More
Cell component breakdown suggests possible treatment for multiple neural disorders
New UW–Madison research provides the first direct evidence that mitochondria dysfunction contributes to fragile X and autism, raising hope for new therapeutic developments. Read More
Save the dates: Public forums for VCRGE finalists
Three candidates for the position vice chancellor for research and graduate education will visit campus over the next several weeks to interview, present their visions of the UW–Madison research enterprise, and meet with faculty, staff and students. Read More
Video: Stem cells, lab to clinic
David Gamm, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute, and Forward Bio Institute director Bill Murphy explain how stem cell scientists at UW–Madison are working with industry to put scientific breakthroughs on the path to helping patients. Read More
SSTAR Lab examining solutions for making higher education more affordable
The SSTAR Lab’s mission is to use applied academic research to guide, support, and partner with practitioners whose work aims to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for current and future college students. Read More
Study: No race or gender bias seen in initial NIH grant reviews
“Absence of bias here does not mean there is no bias in the entire review process,” says psychology professor Patricia Devine. Read More
Microbes hitched to insects provide a rich source of new antibiotics
A UW–Madison research team found that insect-borne microbes often outperformed soil bacteria in stopping some of the most common and dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Read More