Research

The National Institutes of Health has renewed its funding of eye disease research led by Mark D. Parker, PhD, associate professor of physiology and biophysics.

Rice cereal, formula, purees and puffs. They’re among the most popular products purchased from the baby food aisle. And they share one more thing in common: They likely contain toxic metals.

Brain lesions — areas of brain tissue that show damage from injury or disease — are the biomarker most widely used to determine multiple sclerosis disease progression. But an innovative new study led by the University at Buffalo strongly suggests that the volume of white matter lesions is neither proportional to, nor indicative of, the degree of severe disability in patients. 

The University at Buffalo is embarking on a historic hiring initiative over the next two years and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences — the largest school at the university — will have a large role in that growth.

A study led by a University at Buffalo physician has found that people experiencing a miscarriage in states with restrictive abortion policies may be less likely to receive optimal care than those in states with supportive abortion policies.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo are hard at work studying rare diseases and caring for the many patients suffering from them. UB will hold an event recognizing rare disease patients, their clinicians and the researchers working to discover causes — and ultimately cures — for these conditions.

Recent lab studies have shown that aging is a reversible process, an advancement that has prompted scientists to seek ways to stop the functional decline of cells and tissues, as well as restore their regenerative capacity.

Imagine waking up one day and finding that you are suddenly having difficulty swallowing, walking and talking. You start experiencing involuntary muscle contractions called dystonias. Then imagine that these symptoms do not go away.

Joe L’Huillier, MD, a third-year trainee in the general surgery residency program, was very busy during the Department of Surgery’s 19th annual Research Day, conducted May 18 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building.

After a successful fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, Adelaiye-Ogala chose to continue her career at UB, attracted by Buffalo’s diversity and energy.

A study led by University at Buffalo researchers has confirmed that contrary to claims by anti-vaccine proponents, COVID-19 vaccines pose only trivial risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots. 

Yijun Sun, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, has received two large-scale R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health to study cancer evolution and progression.

A pediatric infectious disease team led by Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences faculty is screening and treating hepatitis C virus (HCV)-exposed infants. The clinic’s efforts are documented in a new paper based on an 11-year retrospective chart review, published this month in BMC Gastroenterology.

THC-0-acetate has been getting a lot of attention as people claim it’s stronger than THC and produces psychedelic effects. But UB-led research says that’s not the case.

New research on the connection between endometrial lesions and pain in endometriosis could lead to new therapies for this chronic, painful and poorly understood condition.

The National Eye Institute has approved additional funding for research on retinal development led by Xiuqian Mu, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology.

John “Jack” M. Sullivan, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded a four-year National Eye Institute RO1 grant to continue research in RNA therapeutics.

Clinicians treating severe obesity have a new genetic tool for predicting — and ultimately improving — bariatric surgery outcomes. 

A researcher who focuses on mind-body modalities as treatments for migraine headaches was the featured speaker at the 21st annual Lawrence & Nancy Golden Memorial Lectureship on Mind-Body Medicine.  

The multitude of cancer research studies being conducted at the University at Buffalo was on full display at the UB Cancer Research Consortium Symposium.

Researchers have found that people using e-cigarettes before pregnancy were more likely than those using nicotine replacement therapy to abstain from smoking later in pregnancy.

Researchers have discovered how an active form of a gene present in 75% of the human population works to protect the brain against neurodegeneration. 

UB researchers are unraveling the complex biological phenomena that drive our ability to detect heat and pain.

Rosalind Lai, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and a neurosurgeon with UBNS, has been awarded the CNS Foundation/CV Section Young Investigator Grant for her research on cerebral aneurysms. 

Yongho Bae, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, has been awarded a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to continue his research into the effects of arterial stiffness on cardiovascular disease.

Springtime brings warm, sunny weather, more outdoor playtime for kids and, unfortunately, Lyme disease.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States. It is also the leading cause of cancer death in the nation.

University at Buffalo researchers who study what makes people buy and eat healthy foods are teaming up with Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, to test nutrition intervention programs for families at higher risk for obesity. Their upcoming project aims to enroll 70 families, about half of whom will be low-income.

Ram Samudrala, PhD, professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and chief of its Division of Bioinformatics, and Zackary M. Falls, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, have been involved in research that has resulted in four recent successful funding projects — three grants and a challenge.

People who maintained their drinking habits had lower prevalence of mental health issues compared to those who abstained or whose drinking patterns changed.

Of all the organs that can be transplanted, kidneys, by far, are the organ in greatest demand. Kidney failure can take years to develop but there are typically few symptoms until irreparable damage has been done.

Thomas D. Grant, PhD, assistant professor of structural biology, is part of a research team that is helping to lead the development of X-Ray scattering and data analysis at the compact X-Ray free electron laser (CXFEL).

Studies have shown that a specific non-drug treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences can be effective for a range of pain problems and lead to significant improvements in functioning, quality of life and symptoms resistant to medical treatments.

The past few years have seen numerous advances in the understanding of how Type 1 diabetes develops and how to manage it, yet the global disease burden remains high.

The UB Biophysics Research Day event provided an opportunity for the university’s biophysical research community to gather to share their work and reconnect with one another.

The first genome-wide significant study of the epigenetics of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has yielded a trove of genetic mechanisms and pathways that are responsible for this disease.

Gabriela K. Popescu, PhD, professor of biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is the first SUNY-affiliated recipient of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Research Program Award (R35).

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences medical students who were recipients of 2022 Fellowships in Social Justice, Equity Administration and Leadership presented their research findings at a symposium April 19.

A new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences study conducted at Oishei Children’s Hospital is one of the first to reveal that there were fewer cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the omicron wave of the pandemic than the delta wave.

Steven E. Lipshultz, MD, professor of pediatrics, is senior author on a paper published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology that shows that for survivors of childhood cancer treated with doxorubicin, dexrazoxane is cardioprotective for at least 18 years.

UB is the first place in the nation to use the powerful Philips MR 7700 scanner solely for research that will prioritize underrepresented groups.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued its first scientific treatment statement for pediatric cardiomyopathy, a rare disorder affecting the structure of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure and death.

UB faculty member Nikhil Satchidanand’s Movers and Makers program combines exercise and art-making to encourage long-term health.

The work could improve a promising type of immunotherapy treatment — chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

The microbiology research community in Western New York and beyond gathered for the 33^rd annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis, hosted by the Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology.

Family-based treatment for obesity conducted in the pediatrician’s office leads to improved weight-loss outcomes for the treated child and parent, and even extends to untreated siblings. 

Prescribed aerobic exercise after a sport-related concussion speeds recovery, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis led by University at Buffalo researchers and published online on June 14 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The National Institutes of Health has continued the funding of research by Kedar Aras, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, to study cardiac obesity.

Children taking psychostimulant drugs prescribed for psychiatric disorders who experience a common childhood fracture take longer to heal than children who don’t take these drugs.

The kickoff event for the initiative features the acting director of the NYS Office for the Aging as the keynote speaker.

UB’s Community Health Equity Research Institute is launching its first-ever pilot funding program to address health equities and adverse social determinants of health. The institute will fund two projects with a maximum budget of $40,000 each.

A number of medical students are gaining valuable clinical research experience studying autonomic disorders under the direction of Svetlana Blitshteyn, MD, a clinical associate professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

E-cigarette use is rising among pregnant adolescents, according to a UB study published Dec. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

With NIH funding, UB pediatric researchers will study an intervention they developed for children with asthma in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Lead author Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, notes prospects are improving for those with MS but disease management in older adults is challenging.

Teresa Quattrin, MD, UB Distinguished Professor of pediatrics, is a co-author on a new global study that suggests a novel treatment option for children with achondroplasia — a form of severe short stature.

UB researchers found that more than 90 % of those in the telemedicine arm at an opioid treatment program were cured of HCV infection compared to 35.2% of participants referred to an offsite specialist. 

Funding to support interdisciplinary research into older patients’ journey throughout health care system

UB research has identified how a misstep in the genesis of a key component of the kidney causes infantile cystinosis, a rare disease that significantly shortens the lifespan of patients. 

The R&D projects pairing a UB researcher with a NYS business will support the growth of new life and health sciences technologies.

The study aims to curb hypertension and mental health issues in postpartum women, particularly those from marginalized populations.

The powerful 3T scanner will facilitate breakthroughs in understanding and treating MS, stroke, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Researchers in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences figured prominently in the 2023 Art of Research competition carried out by The Graduate School at UB.

QAS.AI awarded $1 million National Science Foundation grant for clinical evaluation in Buffalo and Florida.