Appalachian Research Day Logo_Color JPG_0.jpg

The University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) has released the agenda for the fifth annual Appalachian Research Day: Come Sit on the Porch.  The one-day event, which shares results of health research conducted with communities in Appalachia, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the First Federal Center in Hazard. Registration for the event closes on Sept. 12. 

ei.png

From the Vice President for Research
Thank you for your vital work to support the UK Research enterprise. We hope this monthly newsletter becomes your source for numbers, highlights, news and people who are making an impact. Please share with your colleagues, and you can opt out through the link at the bottom.

Lisa Cassis, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research


Mrytle-1.jpg

Myrte Nudd is effervescent and chatty as she talks about her schedule. She teaches seniors at the Lexington Senior Center how to use their new cell phones, tablets and laptops, helps out when her church needs food for post-Mass receptions, travels to her grandson's high school graduation and to far-flung places such as western Canada, Europe, New York and even Russia. And by the way, she needs to go now because she's promised to take her twin 16-year old granddaughters on their annual shopping trip. 

chart3_white_space.png

University of Kentucky (UK) faculty received $417.1 million in competitive research awards last fiscal year, a record-breaking increase of $83 million over the previous year.  

This astounding 25% increase in FY 2019 takes the university to an unprecedented 12% compound annual growth rate over the last three years for grants and contracts to UK.  

Matthew Gentry Photos - A7R - 005_0.jpg

A team of scientists have designed and tested a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for treating Lafora Disease (LD), a fatal form of childhood epilepsy. This new type of drug, known as an antibody-enzyme fusion, is a first-in-class therapy for LD and an example of precision medicine that has potential for treating other types of aggregate-based neurological diseases.

BTB-UKNow_0_17_0.jpg

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 3, 2019) — 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.

Healthy Kentucky Research Building_0.jpeg

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2019) — What impact does University of Kentucky research have on the Commonwealth? The UK Research 2018 Annual Report provides a snapshot of UK’s research: from the opening of the Healthy Kentucky Research Building, to statewide economic impact and national R&D rankings, to innovative federally funded research projects in the six areas that fall under a new program — the Research Priorities Initiative.

Pop’s Blue Moon bar, a fixture of this beer-loving city since 1908, has joined an emerging national trend: alcohol-free spaces offering social connections without peer pressure to drink, hangovers or DUIs. From boozeless bars to substance-free zones at concerts marked by yellow balloons, sober spots are popping up across the nation in reaction to America’s alcohol-soaked culture, promising a healthy alternative for people in recovery and those who simply want to drink less.

BTB-UKNow_0_17.jpg

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.

cancer-article.jpg

The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer (formerly known as Lung Cancer Alliance and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation) is conducting a statewide education campaign in partnership with the University of Kentucky to bring lung cancer screening awareness to the thousands of Kentuckians at risk for the disease.

20190308 - Yvonne Mittendorf Photos - A7R - 001.jpeg

University of Kentucky researcher Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf affectionately describes the formation of her career as an “accident.”

Originally hailing from the Republic of Cameroon, Africa, Fondufe-Mittendorf had never even seen inside of a lab before moving to Germany to pursue an advanced degree. At the Georg-August Universitaet in Göttingen, she earned a doctorate in molecular genetics.

Ren Xu.jpg

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) recently hosted their eighth annual “Meet the Researchers” Day. This event is a field trip given as a prize to two schools in the region who successfully raised more than $1,000 for the LLS’s Pennies for Patients campaign.

MCCRD Evers.jpg

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center celebrated 10 years of Markey Research Day this past Tuesday. Sponsored by the Markey Cancer Foundation, Markey Research Day is an opportunity for researchers who study any aspect of cancer to share their work and receive feedback from colleagues across campus. Markey’s reach extends across 10 of UK’s 16 colleges, and the work on display at Research Day showcases the wide variety and diversity of perspectives that fall under the Markey umbrella. 

20190430 - Research Profs Reception Group Photo - Low Res.jpg

This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professorships for the 2019-20 academic year.

The purpose of the University Research Professorship program is to recognize and publicize research accomplishments of scholars across the full range of disciplines at UK. The award amount is $10,000 for one year, to be used to further the research, scholarship and creative endeavors of the awardee.  

190425Nelson3343.JPG

In the past, using the terms "Alzheimer’s disease" and "dementia" interchangeably was a generally accepted practice. Now there is rising appreciation that a variety of diseases and disease processes contribute to dementia.

According to Nina Silverberg, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers Program at National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of NIH, in the past many of the people who enrolled in clinical trials for Alzheimer's drugs likely did not have amyloid — the sticky substance that gums up neurons and interferes with thinking — in their brains.  

placeholder-news_1.png

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. Emphasis for support will be placed on pilot projects that examine the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, or neurodegenerative diseases.  These pilot grants are intended to assist investigators new to this area of research

190408Lofwall6355.JPG

After being revived with Naloxone in the emergency room, patients immediately enter withdrawal. Cold chills, vomiting, diarrhea – “dope sickness” is what many call it. The feeling is hard to describe, but many people who’ve experienced it or witnessed it say it’s like the worst flu times 10.

Healthy Kentucky Research Building.jpeg
190416HEAL220 copy.JPG

In the largest grant ever awarded to the University of Kentucky, researchers from UK's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR) and across campus — in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Justice and Public Sa

ncta Presentation_0.jpg

Mark Williams, MD, Chief Quality and Transformation Officer at UK HealthCare and Director of the University of Kentucky Center for Health Services Research, and Jing Li, MD, MS, Associate Director of the UK Center for Health Services Research, presented the findings from Project ACHIEVE at the National Care Transitions Awareness (NCTA) Day Summit, which was held on NCTA Day, April 16.