Despite uncertainty over federal funding, the university’s scientific community continued to advance knowledge and improve lives. Find out how from our favorite UW research stories of 2025.
State & Global
Congressional staff see UW–Madison research, federal investments up close
Congressional staff visited campus to see firsthand how national investments fuel discovery, improve lives, and strengthen Wisconsin’s economy.
Ticks may be able to spread chronic wasting disease between deer
Research determined that ticks can not only carry CWD prions in their blood meal, they can also carry enough of the agent to potentially infect another animal with CWD.
Chancellor Mnookin tours dairy farm, highlights research efforts
The visit to two dairy farms highlighted the Dairy Innovation Hub, a partnership that conducts research and offers support to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
New understanding of ‘superantigens’ could lead to improved staph infection treatments
Researchers at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine explain that the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus not only causes illness, but undermines the body’s ability to heal — a finding that could point toward new approaches to fighting infection.
Canine TV preferences could lead to answers in protecting dogs’ eyesight
A UW study is asking dog owners what their pets like to watch — a nontrivial question that could lay the groundwork for developing better canine eye tests.
Microbes help hibernating animals recycle nutrients, maintain muscle through winter
The discovery could help people with muscle-wasting disorders and even astronauts on extended space voyages by putting space travelers into a hibernation-like state.
Current anti-COVID pills work well against omicron, but antibody drugs are less effective
Public health officials expect antiviral pills to become an increasingly common treatment for COVID-19 that will reduce the severity of the disease in at-risk patients and decrease the burden of the pandemic.
UW–Madison researchers lead effort to create a universal coronavirus vaccine
If the world already had a pan-coronavirus vaccine in March 2020, it could have served as a mitigation tool until vaccines specific to SARS-CoV-2 could be developed.
Gene-edited monkey embryos give researchers new way to study HIV cure
A gene that cured a man of HIV a decade ago has been successfully added to developing monkey embryos in an effort to study more potential treatments for the disease.