Research News

University of Iowa scientists have discovered a new role for a protein that is mutated in Usher syndrome, one of the most common forms of deaf-blindness in humans. The findings, which were published Aug. 8 in Nature Neuroscience, may help explain why this mutation causes the most severe form of the condition.

The study suggests that the protein called harmonin, which is known to be involved in sound sensing in the inner ear, may also play a role in the transmission of sound information to the brain.

Hearing starts with the transmission of sound by inner hair cells in the ear. Sound waves cause movement of special structures called stereocilia on the tips of the hair cells. Harmonin is thought to mediate this movement, which then activates the cells and initiates transmission of sound information as electrical and chemical signals to the brain. Click to continue »

A research team that included investigators from Harvard, Dartmouth and the University of Iowa has reported a major advance that may help unlock the mysteries of a broad range of neurological disorders, including sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

The scientists have developed a strain of mice in which it is possible to selectively shut down their brain serotonin-producing cells, which control breathing, temperature regulation and mood. When the serotonin cells were turned down, the animals failed to step up their breathing in response to an increase of the carbon dioxide levels in the air and their body temperatures dropped to match the air temperature. Click to continue »

A student group devoted to encouraging medical graduates to enter family medicine based at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, Iowa, has won a national award for its efforts.

The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) Network Program of Excellence (PoE) Award recognizes Family Medicine Interest Groups for their efforts to stimulate interest in family medicine and family medicine programming.

The UI Carver College of Medicine student organization is one of only 10 programs in the nation to earn the honor. Jill Endres, M.D., serves as the faculty advisor to the Iowa group.

The American Academy of Family Physicians calls the award a cornerstone of the FMIG Network. More information is available online at http://fmignet.aafp.org/online/fmig/index/fmig-on-campus/fmigresources/fmigawards.html.

Twenty new faculty will be hired in seven different colleges to work jointly with existing faculty at the University of Iowa to study both the challenges of the obesity epidemic and the expanding needs of the study of genetics and genomics.

The two areas of study are the newest approved endeavors under the university’s five-year cluster hire initiative, “Meeting the Grand Challenges of the 21st Century.” Through this initiative the university will hire faculty in interdisciplinary groups to build on UI strengths and help the university achieve distinction in targeted areas. Click to continue »

Anne Leserman, a social worker and coordinator for the University of Iowa’s Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) Center of Excellence, has been presented the 2011 HDSA Patient and Family Service Award.

Leserman received the award June 25 at the society’s annual national convention in Minneapolis. Click to continue »

Graduate students Valerie Beck and Georgina Moreno have been awarded 2011-12 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowships to pursue graduate studies at the University of Iowa.

Beck, a doctoral candidate in psychology, and Moreno, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience, each will receive three years of support from the NSF, including a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance, and international research and professional development opportunities. Click to continue »

Mice fed ursolic acid -- a waxy substance found in apple peel -- had smaller fat cells (image on right) than mice that did not get ursolic acid (image on left). In addition to reducing fat mass in mice, ursolic acid also increased muscle mass and strength.

For Popeye, spinach was the key to extra muscle. For the mice in a new University of Iowa study, it was apples, or more precisely a waxy substance called ursolic acid that’s found in apple peel.

The UI study, published in the June 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that ursolic acid reduced muscle atrophy (also known as muscle wasting) and promoted muscle growth in mice. It also reduced fat, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and triglycerides in the animals. The findings suggest that the compound may be useful for treating muscle wasting and possibly metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Click to continue »

A multifaceted $10 million gift commitment from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead of Scottsdale, Ariz., will advance children’s medicine at the University of Iowa by creating endowed faculty positions, supporting research and staff excellence initiatives and funding innovative support services for patients and their families.

The gift from the Steads, natives of Maquoketa, Iowa, will be used by staff at UI Children’s Hospital and by faculty and researchers in the Department of Pediatrics in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine to improve patient treatments and increase understanding of how pediatric diseases can be combated. Click to continue »

A team of researchers has identified a cellular protein that acts as a receptor for Ebola virus and Marburg virus. Furthermore, the team showed that an antibody, which binds to the receptor protein, is able to block infection by both viruses.

“This is the first receptor identified for Ebola and Marburg viruses,” said Wendy Maury, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and senior study author. “That’s important because if you can identify and understand the first step in infection – how the virus enters cells – then perhaps you can prevent the infection by nipping it in the bud.” Click to continue »

Larry Oberley, PhD

Six teams of researchers at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa, including faculty from three UI colleges, have received 2011 Oberley Seed Grant Program awards.

The two-year, $50,000 grants provide support for new interdisciplinary and collaborative projects that are likely to lead to externally supported cancer research funding. The seed grant program memorializes former UI faculty member Larry Oberley, Ph.D., a leader in free radical and cancer biology who passed away in spring 2008. Click to continue »