UW-Madison

  1. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat; nano-drugs hitching a ride on bacteria could help

    Photo of Quanyin Hu in his laboratory. Photo by Todd Brown/UW–Madison

    May 30, 2024

    Many pancreatic tumors are like malignant fortresses, surrounded by a dense matrix of collagen and other tissue that shields them from immune cells and immunotherapies that have been effective in treating other cancers. Employing bacteria to infiltrate that cancerous fortification and deliver these drugs could aid treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to newly published findings […]

  2. Exceptional meteorite, plowed up from a Dane County field, finds new home in UW-Madison Geology Museum

    Photo of Farmers Jan Shepel (at near left) and Jim Koch (in wheelchair) flanking a 110-pound iron meteorite sitting on their family dining table at their home and Vienna EqHo Farm in the Town of Vienna, Wis. Included in the background, from left to right, are Shepel’s sister, Laurie Shepel; Carrie Eaton, curator of the UW Geology Museum; science writer Will Cushman; Noriko Kita, a distinguished scientist and meteorite expert from UW–Madison; and UW Geology Museum Director Rich Slaughter. At near right is Joe Zanter, a metallurgical engineer and Laurie Shepel’s husband. Photo: Jeff Miller

    May 21, 2024

    VIENNA, Wis. — It was a balmy spring day in May 2009 when Jim Koch’s plow kicked up an unusually hefty rock. Koch was prepping a field for alfalfa on his farm in the Town of Vienna just a short drive north of Madison. At first, he didn’t notice the rock. But after stopping the […]

  3. UW–Madison researchers develop better way to make painkiller from trees

    Photo of Scientists Steve Karlen and Vitaliy Tymokhin look over a reactor they used for their research on converting biomass into paracetamol.

    May 6, 2024

    Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way to make a popular pain reliever and other valuable products from plants instead of petroleum. Building on a previously patented method for producing paracetamol – the active ingredient in Tylenol – the discovery promises a greener path to one of the […]

  4. UW–Madison researchers first to 3D-print functional human brain tissue

    Photo of Yuanwei Yan, a scientist in the Zhang lab at UW–Madison, where researchers have developed new printing methods to grow brain tissues for use in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Photo by Xueyan Li

    March 22, 2024

    A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists has developed the first 3D-printed brain tissue that can grow and function like typical brain tissue. It’s an achievement with important implications for scientists studying the brain and working on treatments for a broad range of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. “This could […]

  5. UW-Madison researchers uncover new clues about the cause of common birth defects

    Photo of image of a section through the midface of a mouse embryo illustrating fusion of the tissues that form the secondary palate above the tongue. Green staining illustrates cells expressing a key enzyme that mediates DNA methylation, blue indicates nuclei of all cells, red indicates epithelial cells.

    February 13, 2024

    Cleft lip and palate are the most common craniofacial birth defects in humans, affecting more than 175,000 newborns around the world each year. Yet despite decades of research, it’s still not known what causes most cases or what can be done to prevent them. But a recent study from the University of Wisconsin School of […]

  6. UW–Madison scientists reveal the inner workings of an essential protein trafficking complex

    Photo of image, which is a 3D reconstruction showing sites (in red) where the Coat Protein Complex II (COPII) facilitates the packaging of various proteins within a mammalian cell. The green areas are the endoplasmic reticulum, where protein sorting and trafficking takes place. Image courtesy of Anjon Audhya

    January 25, 2024

    Like mail carriers who manage to deliver their parcels through snow, rain, heat and gloom, a critical group of mammalian proteins helps cells function properly even under less-than-ideal conditions. Using state-of-the-art cell imaging and genome editing technology, University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have begun to unravel how this collection of proteins performs its essential service. The […]

  7. Surprising contributions from UW–Madison’s overlooked scientists

    Photo collage: While the scientists in this story aren’t household names, the research they did and the training they received from UW–Madison helped advance their fields of science and improve the world.

    January 9, 2024

    From medicine to ecology, engineering to computer science, the University of Wisconsin has for 175 years made valuable innovations that help people and communities across the state and beyond. And today, with one of the highest-ranked research programs in the country, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is well-known for making important scientific discoveries. But what about […]

  8. Cracking the da Vinci chronology: Bringing order to the works of a Renaissance genius

    December 18, 2023

    Leonardo da Vinci may have been a genius, but he was also a hot mess — at least in terms of organizing his works. When he died in 1519, the Renaissance master left behind 7,000 pages of undated drawings, scientific observations and personal journals, more or less jumbled up in a box. So, when his […]

  9. With $15M boost from U.S. Navy, engineers will help detect, prevent traumatic brain injuries

    Photo of the new helmet liner system prototype that Team Wendy manufactured as a direct outcome from PANTHER research. The liner system is designed to provide enhanced protection against traumatic brain injury. Photo courtesy of Team Wendy

    December 12, 2023

    With new funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, an interdisciplinary initiative led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison will continue to grow its research on concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Christian Franck, a professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison, started the initiative, called PANTHER, in 2017. Under his leadership, it has grown to include […]

  10. UW-Madison: Mixing donor and recipient immune systems creates tolerance of transplanted kidneys

    Photo of UW-Madison campus

    October 23, 2023

    Successful kidney transplants rely on the biological compatibility of the donor and recipient but still require long-term use of drugs to tamp down the recipient’s immune system and prevent donor organ rejection. Finding a method to increase compatibility can help recipients tolerate a life-saving organ transplant without the lifelong need for anti-rejection medications. A relatively […]

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