Gene mutation appears to confer early benefit despite later cost. The genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease (HD)—a devastating brain disease that disrupts mobility and diminishes cognitive ability—may also enhance early brain development and play a role in promoting human intelligence. This revelation comes from more than 10 years of brain imaging and brain function data, including…
Research and Education
Research and Education
Israel Wipf wants to understand whether fat is a rich energy source that fuels cancer cells’ movement. And he’s using fruit flies to test the connection. Wipf, a fourth-year graduate student in the University of Iowa Department of Biology, stitched together these seemingly disparate topics into a winning presentation at this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, organized by the Graduate…
University of Iowa researchers have been awarded federal funding to help develop an effective drug combination to treat a deadly type of liver cancer. The Iowa research team will be led by Aliasger Salem, the Lyle and Sharon Bighley Endowed Chair and Professor in the College of Pharmacy and an associate vice president for research at the university. Salem's team is part of a collaboration led by…
Results from a randomized, phase 2 clinical trial show that adding high-dose, intravenous (IV) vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16 months. “This is a deadly disease with very poor outcomes for patients. The median survival is eight months with treatment, probably less without treatment, and the…
Iowa Neuroscience Institute researchers find that sleep deprivation affects each part of the brain differently, allowing for distinct computations influencing behavior, emotion, and memory. Sleep. It’s cherished. It’s avoided. It’s sought after and protected—and yet often sacrificed. Above all else, it’s completely necessary. A lack of sleep has been shown to harm mental health, immune systems,…
James Byrne, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at University of Iowa Health Care, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, recognizing his groundbreaking work aimed at improving outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Byrne is one of 40 early career scientists across the nation to receive this award, which is…
University of Iowa Health Care is conducting a new, national Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical research study evaluating the potential benefits of benfotiamine, a synthetic version of thiamine or vitamin B1, as a treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early AD. The Phase 2 study, called BenfoTeam, will evaluate the effects of benfotiamine on cognitive function and preservation and/or…
As UI Health Care works to increase access for all Iowans, the organization is actively adopting new, innovative technologies to support its teams, reduce the administrative burden involved with patient care, and enable a stronger connection with patients. To guide the development of UI Health Care’s technology strategy, leaders gathered feedback from clinicians across the organization to…
University of Iowa researchers in engineering, otolaryngology, and neurology are working to improve treatment planning for those struggling with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common cause of snoring. The sleep disorder in which breathing stops because the throat muscles relax and block the airway is estimated to affect nearly a billion people worldwide and 30 million in the United States,…
Radiation therapy is an important treatment for head and neck cancers, but it can also damage adjacent structures, such as the trachea and the esophagus, causing difficult-to-treat, breathing and swallowing problems. Driven to alleviate some of the serious side effects that can occur and improve patients' quality of life, University of Iowa Health Care gastroenterologist Rami El Abiad, MD, has…