Growing up in the small rural town of Paintsville, Kentucky, Hilaree Frazier always loved science. She remembers that from a young age she was interested in pursing a PhD in science, but when she finished her bachelors of science at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), she was intimidated by the prospect of going straight into a doctoral program. Even though she was interested in UK's Integrated Biomedical Sciences PhD program, she didn't apply.
"I think I just didn't have enough confidence," she said.
In Kentucky, a state with many unfortunate health statistics, rates of diabetes and obesity are increasing and are among the worst in the nation.
According to America's Health Rankings, more than 1 million adults are obese in Kentucky and the prevalence has increased from 30.4 percent to 31.3 percent in the past year, placing Kentucky 42nd nationally.
The UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has launched a new website that is especially oriented to researchers who currently use or could benefit from CCTS resources, including research services, funding opportunities, and education and career development.
The CCTS offers a spectrum of multidisciplinary support to assist investigators across the entire cycle of clinical and translational research, from protocol development and participant recruitment to regulatory affairs and evaluation.
A team of nanotechnology researchers at the University of Kentucky has discovered new methods to build heat resistant nanostructures and arrays using RNA.
The research, led by Peixuan Guo, professor and William Farish Endowed Chair in Nanobiotechnology at the UK College of Pharmacy and Markey Cancer Center, is reported in an article titled "RNA as a Boiling-Resistant Anionic Polymer Material To Build Robust Structures with Defined Shape and Stoichiometry," coauthored by Emil F. Khisamutdinov and Daniel L.
The University of Kentucky Aortic Program is proud to present the 2014 University of Kentucky Aortic Symposium on Thursday, September 4, - Saturday, September 6 in Lexington, KY. This event will provide a forum for the integration of basic science and clinical care discussions. It will feature talks on aortic aneurysmal diseases from leading experts, as well as abstracts in the form of oral and poster sessions. The Symposium will also include forums for networking that will particularly focus on early career investigations.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced on April 17 an important change in policy on application resubmissions for research grants, effective immediately. For applications due after April 16, 2014, following an unsuccessful resubmission application, applicants may submit the same idea as a new application for the next appropriate due date. The NIH and AHRQ will not assess the similarity of the science in the new application to any previously reviewed submission when accepting an application for review.
Krishna Vyas has been named associate editor of The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research, Second Edition, a 3-volume reference of emerging concepts in stem cell developmental biology, research, and therapy, and ethics.
Authored by international experts and scholars, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research, Second Edition references emerging concepts in stem cell developmental biology, research, and therapy, in addition to the ethics, religion, politics and challenges of the field. The reference series is scheduled to be published in print and electronic editions in 2015.
The University of Kentucky Center for Molecular Medicine through a NIH/NIGMS funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant anticipates funding pilot grants in the amount of $50,000 per year for up to two years. Research projects should fit into the general theme of the molecular basis of human disease. Three categories of grants will be considered:
The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2014 will be held on The University of Kentucky campus on April 3-5, 2014 – just a week away! Over 4000 students and mentors will be in participation. NCUR is an annual celebration of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study for students across the country and beyond. For full details, see http://www.cur.org/ncur_2014/.
We all know that exercise is good for us — it can help us lower blood pressure and cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, and even improve mood and sleep. But can exercise improve the brain, especially as we age?
A multidisciplinary group of University of Kentucky researchers is working to answer that question.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General has released a plan to review that grantee institutions are complying with Conflict of Interest regulations. To see the report, click here. It is noted within the report starting on page 30. The Univeristy of Kentucky regulations on Conflict of Interest are available here.
Translational research — the process of moving a laboratory discovery into clinical applications — is a long and complex process requiring diverse expertise, ranging from basic science and regulatory affairs to participant recruitment and rclinical application. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it can take more than a decade for a lab discovery to result in a new treatment, medical device, or prevention method.
Nagaraj Kerur, a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, has received a prestigious K99/R00 award from the National Eye Institute (NEI). This Pathway to Independence award is one of only four given by the NEI in the nation annually.
The award will provide up to five years of support consisting of two phases. The initial mentored phase will provide support for up to two years for the most promising and exceptionally talented new investigators.
When Premi Haynes was growing up in Pune, India, she attended Stella Maris High School, an English language convent school founded by Swiss nuns. Her second grade singing class used a book of English songs. One of the songs was "My Old Kentucky Home." At that time, Haynes had never heard of Kentucky, had no idea where it was, and had no particular ambition to go there.
Some 20 years and a twist of fate later, today Haynes is defending her Ph.D.
Questions continue to come up related to compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy. We are pleased to provide this additional resource as investigators work through the steps to comply with this policy. This PowerPoint is from a presentation at the June 2013 NIH Regional Conference. To view the presentation, click on the file below.
In addition to providing high quality health care, the University of Kentucky is also committed to finding new treatments, tests, and cures for diseases. Now, patients at UK can contribute to that effort by agreeing to participate in the Research Registry and Specimen Bank, or the "biobank."
When you have a medical procedure that involves, for example, drawing blood or sampling tissue, there is often material left over from the testing process that would otherwise be thrown away.
