While research suggests that the complex link between nutrition, gut microbes, and host metabolism is vital for health, many questions remain about how to improve outcomes, either in mice or in humans.
Campus news
New measure of insulin-making cells could gauge diabetes progression, treatment
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new measurement for the volume and activity of beta cells, the source of the sugar-regulating hormone insulin.
Zika infections unlikely to be passed by kissing, casual contact
UW-Madison researchers have found in a study of monkeys that casual contact through saliva is not enough for the virus to move between hosts.
Stem cell advance brings bioengineered arteries closer to reality
New techniques have produced, for the first time, functional arterial cells at both the quality and scale to be relevant for disease modeling and clinical application.
Plants under attack can turn hungry caterpillars into cannibals
A researcher found a tomato plant can make itself taste so horrible that a caterpillar, which would typically munch on its leaves, might eat another caterpillar instead.
Old bones lead to new strategy for drug delivery
An engineering team has developed a new way to seed biomedical devices with agents that promote tissue growth and healing.
Plant derivative could help patients reliant on tube feeding
Experiments suggest it could help people who must obtain “enteral nutrition” — often due to swallowing problems related to cancer, neurological disease, surgery or developmental delay.
Zika infections could be factor in more pregnancies
“It’s sobering,” says researcher Ted Golos. “If microcephaly is the tip of the iceberg for babies infected in pregnancy, the rest of the iceberg may be bigger than we’ve imagined.”
Researchers make headway toward understanding Alexander disease
The new finding by the UW-Madison Waisman Center could change the way scientists think about and try to solve the rare, fatal disorder.
Study shows stem cells fiercely abide by innate developmental timing
Scientists from the Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison are studying whether stem cell differentiation rates can be accelerated in the lab and made available to patients faster.