By

Sara Dagen

UF Joins Global Study Into Parkinson’s Onset and Progression

The University of Florida has been selected to join The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s landmark clinical study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a global project seeking to discover new insights into the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease by studying people with and without the disease.

Can Antiviral Agents Help Immune Systems Fight Mosquito-Borne Dengue?

Can the dengue virus be prevented using antiviral agents such as antibiotics or vaccines? Before considering that step, University of Florida scientists are taking a closer look at whether mosquito immune systems can be influenced enough to fight the virus as a control method.

Dr. Przkora Elected APPD Director-at-Large

Rene Przkora, M.D., Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology and chief of the Pain Medicine Division, has been elected a director-at-large of the Association of Pain Program Directors (APPD). His two-year term began in conjunction with the ASRA 20th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in November 2021.

24-Year-Old Researches Treatment for Her Own Crippling Disease: ‘I’m in a Race Against Time’

Shandra Trantham has Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a rare genetic disease that is slowly robbing her of the ability to walk and talk, and can also affect her heart. FA is caused by an inability in the body to make frataxin, a protein that is necessary for normal cell function. To date, there is no cure and no approved treatments — but she's working on one. She's a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate in genetics and genomics at the University of Florida Powell Gene Therapy Center. Trantham works in a lab where gene therapy for FA is being fine-tuned.