Novel nanoscintillator concept leads to improved outcomes in pancreatic cancer
Research from the lab of Sunil Krishnan, MD, professor and John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, seeking to push the limits of light-activated therapies used to kill cancer cells has…
Common genetic variants linked to drug-resistant epilepsy
Certain common genetic changes might make some people with focal epilepsy less responsive to seizure medications, according to a new global study led by researchers from UCL in London and UTHealth Houston. Focal epilepsy is a condition where seizures start…
Human placenta stress response to maternal COVID-19 infection reinforces maternal-fetal barrier
A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology by researchers at UTHealth Houston, Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions reveals that maternal COVID-19 infection triggers distinct stress responses in the placenta, including upregulation of preeclampsia-associated genes. The stress…
Research identifies novel gene regulator of microglial inflammation
Recent research by Gab Seok Kim, PhD, and Sean P. Marrelli, PhD, on interferon proteins and how they spread neuroinflammation in the brain has been published in Nature Communications. Kim is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and…
Research employs AI to diagnose unsolved genetic syndromes
Using a deep learning tool, new research from the Division of Medical Genetics illuminates the importance of in-depth genetic testing, especially for hard-to-diagnose patients. “Non-canonical splice variants in thoracic aortic dissection cases and Marfan syndrome with negative genetic testing” recently…
Research reveals ‘big picture’ of perioperative organ injury
After nearly four years researching the surgical outcomes of more than 28 million patients, McGovern Medical School investigators are illuminating the global impact of perioperative organ injury. Findings from “Impact of Peri-operative Organ Injury on Morbidity and Mortality in 28…
Research on gut microbiota published in Nature Communications
An imbalance in ligands, which are molecules produced by the body and the gut microbiota, can affect a key receptor protein that plays a role in brain inflammation after stroke, according to researchers at UTHealth Houston, who recently published their…
Neurology project takes AHA/ASA Stroke Data Challenge prize
A paper from the team of Amanda Jagolino-Cole, MD, associate professor; Sushanth Aroor, MD, assistant professor; Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH, professor; and Sunil Sheth, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology, won the 3rd Place Prize in the American…
Brain channels ‘stopped in time’ reveal chemical flow that enables learning, thinking
In an effort to understand how brain cells exchange chemical messages, scientists say they have successfully used a highly specialized microscope to capture more precise details of how one of the most common signaling molecules, glutamate, opens a channel and…
Stem cell trial for early Alzheimer’s disease begins at UTHealth Houston
A stem cell therapy trial aimed at reducing neuroinflammation in patients with presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease is underway at UTHealth Houston. In Alzheimer’s disease, deposits of beta-amyloid and tau lead to the buildup of plaques and tangles in the brain, which…