School of Medicine
December 12, 2013
Scientists discover double meaning in genetic code
Finding a second code hiding in the genome casts new light on how changes to DNA impact health and disease.
November 21, 2013
Studies to probe confluence of human, animal and environmental health in Africa
Grand Challenges Exploration Grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will allow two UW-led teams to study the health determinants people share with other living creatures.
November 14, 2013
FDA-approved immune-modulating drug unexpectedly benefits mice with fatal mitochondrial defect
Rapamycin, an anti-rejection drug for organ transplant patients, has now been shown to increases survival in and delayed symptoms of Leigh’s syndrome. The drug appears to cause a metabolic switch that bypasses the mitochondrial deficiency.
November 7, 2013
Cost-effective method accurately orders DNA sequencing along entire chromosomes
The method may help overcome a major obstacle that has delayed progress in designing rapid, low-cost — but still accurate — ways to assemble genomes from scratch. It also may validate certain types of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer.
October 1, 2013
Estrogen pills for menopause symptoms vary in blood clot risk
A recent observational study comparing the safety of estradiol and conjugated equine estrogen associated estradiol with a lower risk of leg vein and lung clots.
September 30, 2013
3 UW professors honored by NIH for innovative biomedical research
Three University of Washington faculty members are among those honored with a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s High Risk-High Reward program.
September 16, 2013
Depletion of ‘traitor’ immune cells slows cancer growth in mice
Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a strategy to slow tumor growth and prolong survival in mice with cancer by targeting and destroying a type of cell that dampens the body’s immune response to cancer.
September 9, 2013
Gene for most common childhood cancer identified
In children with this form of leukemia, damage to chromosome 9 removes part of a normal copy of the gene in question, and leaves the mutated copy unopposed.
August 7, 2013
UW researchers report on genome of aggressive cervical cancer that killed Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks was the subject of bestselling book on the HeLa immortal cell line, the most used of its kind in labs around the world. The UW scientists are the first to publish under new policy, established through agreement with Lacks’ family.
August 1, 2013
Brain chemistry changes in children with autism offer clues to earlier detection and intervention
Between ages three and 10, children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit distinct brain chemical changes that differ from children with developmental delays and children with typical development.
Burnt sugar-derivative reduces muscle wasting in fly and mouse models of muscular dystrophy
A trace substance in caramelized sugar, when purified and given in appropriate doses, improves muscle regeneration in insect and animal models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
July 23, 2013
Pain of artificial legs could be eased by real-time monitoring
University of Washington engineers have developed a device that tracks how much a person’s limb swells and shrinks when inside a prosthetic socket. The data could help doctors and patients predict how and when their limbs will swell, which could be used to build smarter sockets.
July 15, 2013
Ecological forces structure your body’s personal mix of microbes
Researchers hope to build a predictive model of the human microbiome to study what affects this massive biological system and to design ways to manipulate the microbiome to achieve desired clinical outcomes.
July 9, 2013
Link between low vitamin D blood levels and heart disease varies by race
Low vitamin D levels are linked to higher risk of heart disease in whites and Chinese, but not in blacks or Hispanics. The findings underscore the importance of designing medical research that includes a diverse ethnic and racial makeup of participants.
July 3, 2013
Great ape genetic diversity catalog frames primate evolution and future conservation
A model of great ape history during the past 15 million years has been fashioned through the study of genetic variation in a large panel of humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
June 25, 2013
UW awarded $10 million to design paper-based diagnostic medical device
The University of Washington has received nearly $10 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue a project aimed at building a small, paper-based device that could test for infectious diseases on-demand in areas where diagnostic capabilities are limited.
June 11, 2013
New tasks become as simple as waving a hand with brain-computer interfaces
University of Washington researchers have demonstrated that when humans use brain-computer interfaces, the brain behaves much like it does when completing simple motor skills such as kicking a ball or waving. Learning to control a robotic arm or a prosthetic limb could become second nature for people who are paralyzed.
June 5, 2013
Congolese rape survivors helped by cognitive processing therapy
Short-term therapy from paraprofessionals improved the mental health of Congolese women who suffered sexual violence.
May 29, 2013
Traffic air pollution turns good cholesterol bad
Exposure to diesel exhaust undermines one of the body’s protections against heart and blood vessel disease.
May 23, 2013
Clinical trial aims to prevent type 2 diabetes through medication
The UW and the VA Puget Sound will be among the sites for the national RISE study. The researchers want to see if treating patients to preserve insulin secretion keeps diabetes from forming or slows its progression.
May 22, 2013
Practicing medicine pharma-free in a drug rep-filled world
A rural family medicine group is an example for other community physicians seeking to wean themselves from pharmaceutical industry influence.
May 14, 2013
Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants
University of Washington engineers have created a synthetic substance that fully resists the body’s natural attack response to foreign objects. Medical devices such as artificial heart valves, prostheses and breast implants could be coated with this polymer to prevent the body from rejecting an implanted object.
April 4, 2013
Explore global health through the arts during Global Health Week
Dance, photography, cinema, theater and music will convey how the arts can make a difference in public health.
March 20, 2013
2013 Canada Gairdner Global Health Award goes to King Holmes for STD work
Holmes was honored for his groundbreaking work on sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea and human papilloma virus.
March 19, 2013
Tenfold boost in ability to pinpoint proteins in cancer cells
New research offers a more comprehensive way to analyze a cell’s unique behavior, revealing patterns that could indicate why a cell will or won’t become cancerous.
November 30, 2012
Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV
Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV. New funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will further test the system’s versatility and feasibility.
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