News & Publications

Study Shows How Sickle Cell Disease May Drive Chronic Kidney Disease

July 2, 2024

A new study by University of Pittsburgh researchers sheds light on how the oxygen-binding molecule heme, which is released from the fragile red blood cells of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, could cause chronic kidney disease, a serious complication that affects more than half of patients with SCD. 

Pitt Scientists Solve Structure of Epilepsy Drug Target in the Brain

July 1, 2024

Matt Martin, Anshu Mittal, and Jonathan Coleman (left to right) in front of the Titan Krios electron microscope at the University of Pittsburgh

While many anti-convulsant medications are available to help more than 50 million people manage their epilepsy, scientists do not know how some of these medications interact with their target proteins in the brain.

Applications Open for Mothers Leading Science

June 27, 2024

Mothers Leading Science gathering (left to right): Anne-Marie Rick, Amery Treble-Barna, Brooke Klatt, Sarah Belcher

The Mothers Leading Science (MLS) program has opened applications for the 2025 cohort of health sciences researchers who are also mothers of young children.

The year-long program involves group, peer, and individual coaching for 12 women and leadership...

Bird Flu Stays Stable on Milking Equipment for at Least One Hour, Pitt Research Finds

June 27, 2024

With the spread of bird flu, or H5N1 virus, to dairy cattle, new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Emory University in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that the virus remains stable on commercial milking equipment for at least one hour, increasing its potential to infect people and other animals.

“Our data supports that...

Pitt and UPMC Researchers Test First Vaccine Targeting Pre-Invasive Breast Cancer

June 26, 2024

On Thursday morning, June 20, 2024, Maria Kitay, 67, received her final dose of a new vaccine targeting pre-invasive breast cancer. She was the first patient to get the vaccine, developed by Pitt and UPMC researchers, as part of a clinical trial led by Olivera Finn (above), Distinguished Professor of immunology and of surgery in the School of Medicine.

The researchers...

Some Middle-Aged Breast Cancer Patients May Not Need Surgery, Pitt Research Finds

June 20, 2024

For middle-aged women with a certain kind of breast cancer, sentinel lymph node biopsy surgery may do more harm than good, according to a new study led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers. The team used a novel artificial intelligence pipeline developed by Realyze Intelligence, a UPMC Enterprises portfolio company, to analyze electronic health...

Psychiatric Medications Can Cause Diabetes. Pitt Research Hints at Solution.

June 20, 2024

New University of Pittsburgh research points to a potential approach to reducing the risk of diabetes associated with widely prescribed antipsychotic medications.

The study presents early evidence in support of coadministering antipsychotic medications that block dopamine receptors in the brain alongside drugs that stop antipsychotics from blocking those same receptors in...