UW–Madison researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination — including a COVID-19 vaccine that has advanced to clinical trials.
animal research
Hamsters develop protective immunity to COVID-19 and are protected by convalescent sera
The animals are useful to researchers trying to understand SARS-CoV-2 and in the evaluation of vaccines, treatments and drugs against the disease it causes.
Study confirms cats can become infected with and may transmit COVID-19 to other cats
Researchers advise that people with symptoms avoid contact with cats, and cat owners should keep their pets indoors to limit contact with other people and animals.
Research on viral junk, quicker drug testing could help outflank coronaviruses
Researchers hope to better understand how coronaviruses enter cells, spread, and cause varying immune responses in different individuals.
Combining mouse and human data uncovers new gene regulating cholesterol
Work by Brian Parks and collaborators provides a new target for understanding the genetic risk of high cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease.
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene works with campus partners to test for COVID-19
Although the global surge in demand has made it more difficult in many places, WSLH’s colleagues at the university have pitched in to keep testing available in Wisconsin.
UW–Madison, FluGen, Bharat Biotech to develop CoroFlu, a coronavirus vaccine
Refinement of the CoroFlu vaccine concept and testing in laboratory animal models at UW–Madison is expected to take three to six months. CoroFlu could be in human clinical trials by fall, 2020.
Deleting a gene prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice by disguising insulin-producing cells
The cellular sleight of hand, says biomolecular chemist Feyza Engin, may also suggest ways to prevent other diseases in which the immune system targets the body’s own cells.
Molds damage the lung’s protective barrier to spur future asthma attacks
A UW–Madison study provides a new avenue of research for understanding and potentially preventing the development of asthma, which affects 25 million Americans.
How monkeys, mice and ferrets are helping scientists to fight coronavirus
Nature News features University of Wisconsin–Madison virologist David O’Connor on the importance of animals to learning how a virus infects cells, how the immune systems responds, and how the virus spreads to new hosts.