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Researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging say a paper recently published in Acta Neuropathologica is the most definitive assessment yet of the prevalence of a form of dementia classified in 2019 and now known as LATE. The results show that the prevalence of brain changes from LATE may be roughly 40% in older adults and as high as 50% in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

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The University of Kentucky has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to find out why people in the Appalachian region of Kentucky have such consistently poor sleep outcomes.

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The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has announced the creation of the Saha Aortic Center, a new research center focused on aortic disease. This new center was established thanks to a generous $1 million gift from the Saha Foundation. Housed in the Biomedical Biological Science Research Building on the UK campus, the Saha Aortic Center will promote research and education to advance clinical care for disease of the aorta. Aortic disease can cause the expansion and rupture of a vessel wall in the chest or abdominal area, leading to potentially deadly internal bleeding.

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The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has received a $5 million gift to establish the Ambassador William Stamps Farish Program of Excellence in Urologic Cancer. The gift will be formally accepted later in June, subject to UK Board of Trustees approval.

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The rate of deadly drug overdoses among Black people in Kentucky more than doubled from 2016 to 2020, according to a new analysis by University of Kentucky researchers. The Black overdose mortality rate increased by nearly 117% — from 21.2 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2016 to 46.0 per 100,000 in 2020, according to the research published in the journal Public Health Reports.

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According to a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study, asymptomatic COVID-19 infection during pregnancy could still have potential long-term consequences for a developing baby. The study led by Ilhem Messoudi, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, was published in Cell Reports May 25. The research shows that COVID-19 infection in pregnant mothers who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms still triggered immune responses causing inflammation in the placenta.

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In a clinical report released on April 18, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended resources administered by the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) to pediatricians across the nation. These resources are recommended to be distributed by pediatricians to families learning about a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

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The University of Kentucky’s Center for Cancer and Metabolism (CCM) will continue its critical mission to research the metabolism of cancer with a renewed Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant award from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. The prestigious grant — totaling $11.4 million — will continue to fund UK’s CCM over the next five years.

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The news of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s proposal to ban mentholated cigarettes and flavored cigars will save lives. Every two and a half minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with lung cancer. Every day in the U.S., 400 lives are lost to lung cancer. If the FDA’s proposal is approved, researchers expect a 15 percent decline in tobacco smoking. Over the next 40 years, that decline in smokers could result in saving up to 654,000 lives. Nearly one-third of those deaths avoided will be among non-Hispanic Black smokers, who are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than non-Hispanic White smokers.

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“The only way out of this is with new lungs.” That’s what Andy Wilkins and his wife Michelle were told after Andy was hospitalized with COVID-19.

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The University of Kentucky will collaborate on a five-year, $10 million National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative, led by the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), to reimagine cyberinfrastructure user support services and delivery to keep pace with the evolving needs of academic scientific researchers.

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University of Kentucky students in the Textile Testing Laboratory are helping develop durable, reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers.

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For more than 20 years, Brent Seales, University of Kentucky Alumni Professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been working to create and use high-tech, non-invasive tools to rescue hidden texts and restore them to humanity. Dubbed “the man who can read the unreadable,” he has garnered international recognition for his “virtual unwrapping” work to read damaged ancient artifacts — such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Herculaneum papyrus rolls — without ever physically opening them.

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University of Kentucky experts on the front lines of the nation’s opioid and addiction crises will share their work in the field of opioid use disorder research, treatment and prevention this week at the 2022 Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta April 18-22.

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Caris Life Sciences (Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize health care, announced April 14 that the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has joined Caris’ Precision Oncology Alliance (POA).

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In 2013, April Ballentine’s ex-boyfriend shot her five times in public. Though she survived – barely – the event left her paralyzed from the chest down. April channeled her trauma into a force for good, becoming an advocate for victims of domestic violence and volunteering at the local rehabilitation facility to help teach physical therapy students how to work with paralyzed patients.

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Tumor biopsies are currently the most common tool for diagnosing lung cancer. However, according to a new paper published by the University of Kentucky and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, there is evidence that liquid biopsies – obtained from a blood sample – have the potential to replace tumor biopsies that require patients to undergo a surgical procedure.

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The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Foundation received a $1 million gift to create the world’s first distinguished professorship in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) research. The Amanda W. Lockey Foundation gives the gift in support of UK Markey Cancer Center medical oncologist Lowell Anthony, M.D., a specialist in neuroendocrine tumor treatment. The distinguished professorship in NET research will support Anthony’s work by allowing him and his team to focus on clinical and translational research and the development of a radiotherapeutic program.

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Replenishing the body’s high-density lipoprotein (HDL) could be an effective treatment for sepsis, according to a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study published in Science Signaling. The lab study, led by Xiangan Li, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Physiology and the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, found that a synthetic form of HDL provided protection against sepsis in mice.

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Holding true to their mission to improve the lives of all Kentuckians, the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky is launching the Pandemic Support Response Initiative. Funded by $3.9 million in federal pandemic relief dollars, PSRI will serve as a resource connector for foster youth across the Commonwealth.

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Now a couple of years after this discovery, Pete Nelson, the R.C. Durr Foundation Chair in Alzheimer's Disease at the University of Kentucky, is working towards the second part of the dream, with the world’s first clinical trial for LATE officially underway by his colleagues at UK.

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The Neighborhood Healers Project, a new pilot project led by University of Kentucky researchers, aims to reduce this equity gap by addressing the stigma and helping Black Lexingtonians access the mental health services they need.

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A small black lump, about an inch or so in width, rests­ on the bottom of a sealed plastic container. It doesn’t look like much ­­– in fact, it doesn’t look like anything. But this little black lump has untold potential, full of secrets for the researchers at Kentucky Research Alliance for Lung Disease (K-RALD) to discover about the pandemic that has ravaged the world for more than two years.

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The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has been around for nearly half a century. In that time, they have built an international reputation for best-in-class research into a disease that kills more people every year than breast and prostate cancer combined – Alzheimer’s disease. There are several components to the ongoing research at Sanders-Brown, one is exploring ways to detect Alzheimer’s earlier in a person’s life.

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Through reconstructing an evolutionary history, they found that genetic differences between axolotls and other salamanders in their region of Mexico were almost indistinguishable.

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Recent findings in the laboratory of University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researcher Christine Brainson, Ph.D., could lead to promising treatments for two molecular subtypes of lung cancer.

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The $45,000 award will support the Bitter Aloe Project, which uses machine learning models to extract data from records produced by South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

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A team of researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is working to identify new proteins that are destructive to the brain. They know that about 25% of individuals, and 50% of individuals with Alzheimer disease, have the genetic mutation APOE ε4 allele — a known risk factor for the disease. Through a recent study, researchers were surprised to find that even in the brains of patients without the disease-driving mutation, ApoE proteins were enhanced in dementia. Their findings appear in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier.

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The University of Kentucky has been named a 2022 Beckman Scholars Program Award winner. The award will create a new program focusing on diversity and equity in undergraduate research — Scholars United by Chemistry: Cultivating Excellence through Science Stewardship (SUCCESS). This prestigious, invite-only program for top-tier research institutions provides a 15-month mentored research experience for exceptional undergraduate students in chemistry, biological sciences and associated interdisciplinary combinations.

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Aleina and Kelly Milligan are more than sisters - they are truly best friends. For Kelly, her older sister has been a lifeline during the past two years. As Kelly settled in with her sister in Columbia, Kentucky, Aleina became concerned when she noticed a change in Kelly’s seizure patterns. The sisters then made the trip to Lexington for an appointment with UK HealthCare’s Sally Mathias, M.D., assistant professor of Neurology, who specializes in epilepsy.

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A new University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) program is helping to meet that need by equipping health and education professionals with the specialized skills and knowledge needed to effectively care for children with developmental disabilities.

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The University of Kentucky is participating in a nationwide study that seeks to understand why some people have prolonged symptoms (long COVID) or develop new or returning symptoms after an acute bout of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Using new methodology, University of Kentucky researchers have mapped the variations in sugar chains attached to brain proteins from deceased healthy individuals or individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Thus far, no effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are available. New approaches to preventing the progression of this devastating neurological disease are desperately needed.

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Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging recently received a five-year grant renewal of their MarkVCID program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award total is more than $6 million.

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Thanks to a $14 million infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Kentucky is poised to tell multiple heritage science stories in new, groundbreaking ways.

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The University of Kentucky Office of Public Relations and Strategic Communications joined UK HealthCare hospital staff for a few days in September 2021 to document the reality of treating COVID-19 patients across the hospital system. This is chapter two in our ongoing series, “UK HealthCare: Voices from the Front Lines,” highlighting stories and perspectives from our front-line workers who have been caring for our sickest COVID-19 patients since March 2020. For more from this series, visit https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/covid-19/voices.

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A recently released paper from the Department of Physiology and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine suggests that your genetics can influence your response to Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

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Recent studies by the University of Kentucky's HEALing Communities Study (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) researchers show a notable rise in opioid overdose death rates among non-Hispanic Black individuals.

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In the Q&A session below, Michelle Martel, a psychology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, shares her expertise and offers tips for helping your child cope with COVID anxiety.

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University of Kentucky College of Medicine researchers were part of a new study that gives insight into how limb development evolved in vertebrates.

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We recently joined hospital staff for a few days to document the reality of treating COVID-19 patients across the hospital system. This is chapter one in our ongoing series, “UK HealthCare: Voices from the Front Lines,” highlighting stories and perspectives from our front line workers who have been caring for our sickest COVID-19 patients since March 2020.

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At a time when incidence of Lyme disease is rising across the U.S., a study led by University of Kentucky College of Medicine researcher Brian Stevenson, Ph.D., may provide a significant impact in the fight against the disease. A new study will build upon Stevenson's three decades of research aimed at understanding Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

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The new study, published today in Global Change Biology, reveals just how dramatically climate change has impacted aquatic ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada. Scientists can use the data to anticipate changes coming in the near future, and how those changes might influence water availability.

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The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science has received a $23.5 million, four-year award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. This is the third time the CCTS has successfully competed for the prestigious Clinical and Translational Award, with continuous funding since 2011 totaling $65.4 million in research dollars.