News

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have discovered new biological processes by which mutations in the FUS gene cause neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

FUS is a DNA and RNA binding protein that resides predominantly in the nucleus and appears to play a role in DNA repair and RNA metabolism. In contrast, ALS-related mutations cause the protein to accumulate in the cytoplasm, which can contribute to inclusion bodies – the pathological hallmarks of disease – and neurotoxicity.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced that University of Kentucky's Matthew Gentry has received the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship.

Dr. Tannock joined UK in 2004 and is now the chief of endocrinology in the Department of Internal Medicine as well as the associate director of the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. Endocrinologists study and treat hormone-related diseases, such as diabetes and thyroid disease. Some of Dr. Tannock's clinical interests include diabetes and insulin resistance, cholesterol disorders and transgender medicine. Barnstable Brown is one of the few centers in Kentucky to offer hormonal management therapies to transgender individuals.

Research at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has identified two potential ways to predict vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) – the second leading cause of dementia behind Alzheimer's disease.

Renowned biochemist Xiaoqi Liu, Ph.D., has been named chair of the University of Kentucky Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology.

Liu’s research involves the molecular mechanisms that cause cancer with the goal of using this information to create new avenues for cancer therapy. His work specifically focuses on an enzyme known as Polo-like kinase 1, which plays a central role in controlling cell division and exists at abnormally high levels in many types of cancers, including prostate, pancreatic, melanoma and lung cancers.

Diabetes is a complex condition that requires patients to check in with providers across a number of specialties. Multiple appointments with practitioners can mean endless rounds of scheduling, traveling and follow-ups. Many patients don't have the flexibility to take off work, the means to travel, or access to education materials to help them manage their condition. But thanks to a new grant secured by UK HealthCare's CE Central and their partners at DKBmed, vital screenings for diabetic retinopathy will be conducted by the patient's primary care provider.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are an array of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most severe of these conditions, often results in physical abnormalities, behavioral development issues and intellectual disabilities.  

The NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases, in collaboration with the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) announce the availability of limited funds to support pilot projects focused on research examining obesity-associated diseases.

Alzheimer's disease wreaks emotional havoc on patients, who are robbed of their memories, their dignity and their lives. It’s financially devastating as well: care for Alzheimer's patients is predicted to top $1 trillion by about the time children born today are having children of their own.

We've all experienced a "gut feeling" — when we know deep down inside that something is true. That phenomenon and others, aptly describe what scientists have now demonstrated: that the gut and the brain are more closely connected than we once thought, and in fact the health of one can affect the other.

Capitalizing on this relatively new scientific concept, Ai-Ling Lin, and her colleagues at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, have published two studies that demonstrate the effect of diet on cognitive health in animals.

The University of Kentucky Alumni Association — with a committee chaired by UK Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement G.T. Lineberry — regularly honors outstanding UK faculty members with the UK Alumni Professorship Award.

Last week, more than 200 faculty, staff, and trainees from across the nation attended the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute's Cardiovascular Research Day to share the latest research on cardiovascular health. 

The event, in its 21st year, showcased the research of postdoctoral fellows, students, and faculty, much of it focused on the prevention or reversal of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes. 

Registration is open for the 2018 Kentucky Neuroscience Clinical-Translational Research Symposium, which will take place Oct. 5, 2018 at the Karpf Auditorium in Pavilion A of the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

The symposium provides basic, translational and clinical neuroscience investigators an opportunity to discuss their work, share progress and develop collaborations.  The symposium will include a scientific poster session and four theme-based platform sessions, each with short (10-minute) talks selected from abstract submissions. 

A research facility expressly devoted to addressing and eradicating the state’s most significant health disparities was opened Friday morning by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees and President Eli Capilouto, and many of the Commonwealth’s leading policymakers.

 The University of Kentucky Sports Medicine Research Institute (SMRI) received a $4 million research contract from the United States Department of Defense (DOD) and Office of Naval Research to expand research focused on determining optimal physical and mental fitness among elite U.S. military members.

For the last three years, the SMRI has worked with the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) human performance program at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to study injury prevention and create new ways to optimize physical performance in its personnel.

Barbara Nikolajczyk has always had a passion for scientific exploration and discovery. After losing her father to complications from type 2 diabetes, she decided to delve into research examining the connection between inflammation and the disease. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 5, 2019) — Last September, Guy Bradley began having episodes of severe and sudden confusion with night sweats and nausea.

"He'd wake up and not know where he was or what day it was," said his wife, Harriet. 

Also troubling: the 69-year old suddenly could not find his way around the golf course he'd played all his adult life. 

With each of the four episodes, Harriet and Guy would head to the closest emergency room. Each time, the diagnosis was scary – and yet didn't quite fit.  

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center announced Friday that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) renewed its national cancer center designation for the next five years. The UK Markey Cancer Center remains one of only 70 NCI-designated centers in the country and the only one in Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 15, 2019) — A meeting in early 2010 sparked Dr. Ima Ebong's passion to advocate for greater minority representation in medical school — a passion that has propelled her to national recognition for her work.

Ten researchers from institutions across the U.S. have been selected to participate in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Advocacy Training Program, a rigorous six-month program aiming to produce the next generation of science advocates. Among those chosen is Aria Byrd, a doctoral candidate in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and researcher in the Fillmore Brainson Lab.