Scientists at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) and the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have been at the forefront of stem cell research and regenerative biology since James Thomson isolated the first human embryonic stem cell in 1998.
Erectile dysfunction affects over 40% of men over 40, yet our understanding of the condition remains limited. Research on this issue has mostly relied on real organs, making it difficult to study the detailed interaction between blood flow and tissue during an erection.
Repeated sessions of electrical stimulation to brain networks associated with memory improved verbal learning in some Alzheimer’s disease patients for up to eight weeks in a preliminary trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.
Using an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created a four-dimensional brain map that reveals how lesions similar to those seen in human MS form. These findings, published in Science, provide a window into the early disease state and could help identify potential targets for MS treatments and brain tissue repair.
The programmable proteins are compact, modular, and can be directed to modify DNA in human cells.
Millions of people with type 2 diabetes could receive better treatment thanks to a new, simple low-cost tool, according to research announced at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2025 and published in The Lancet.
Adding engineered human blood vessel-forming cells to islet transplants boosted the survival of the insulin-producing cells and reversed diabetes in a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The new approach, which requires further development and testing, could someday enable the much wider use of islet transplants to cure diabetes.
A novel PET technique that visualizes spinal cord injuries provides critical information about which patients may be able to regain mobility, according to new research published in the February issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. By detecting intact nerve connections in the injured spinal cord, a newly developed radiotracer has the potential to help diagnose injuries more precisely, monitor recovery, and evaluate the effectiveness of new therapies in clinical trials.
Zwitterions sound like a distant cousin of Twitter (X), but in fact they are a common macromolecule found in human cells. Scientists at the University of Sydney are also now using Zwitterions to create materials that could stop blood clots from forming in medical devices and implants.
In a surprising discovery, scientists have found that the heart possesses “sweet taste” receptors, similar to those on our tongues, and that stimulating these receptors with sweet substances can modulate the heartbeat. This research opens new avenues for understanding heart function and potentially for developing novel treatments for heart failure.