UF Health Researcher’s Analysis Finds New Pattern of Mutations in Omicron Variant
University of Florida Health researcher has successfully analyzed the many mutations in the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a crucial step in better understanding the variant’s potential threat and ways to combat it.
UF Study: Consumers Like Shelved Tomato Juice More Than a Refrigerated Product
Tempted by the tangy taste of tomato juice? Consumers may prefer a product sold from grocery store shelves over a minimally pasteurized refrigerated product, but only by a small margin, new University of Florida research shows.
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.
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.
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.
Oragenics Announces Positive COVID-19 Challenge Study Results Evaluating Multiple Formulations of its SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Candidate
UF startup and Sid Martin Biotech alumni company Oragenics, Inc. announced the results from its study to evaluate the immunogenicity and viral load reduction impact of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in a hamster challenge study. The study provided preclinical data for formulations designed for both intranasal and intramuscular administration.
COVID-19 Spread Undetected in U.S., Europe Earlier Than Believed, Study Shows, Offering Lessons for Future Outbreaks, Including Transmission of Omicron Variant
Local COVID-19 transmission was underway in California, New York, Florida, and Texas well before the first reported U.S. case in Washington state on Jan. 20, 2020, according to a new study published in Nature, which indicates the virus spread much earlier and faster in the United States and Europe than previously thought.
Patients Who Recover From Severe COVID-19 Still Have Significant Risk of Death, UF Study Finds
Patients who have recovered from severe COVID-19 have more than twice the mortality risk within the year following their illness than people who have not contracted the virus. The study by University of Florida researchers, who previously reported that patients who had a severe case of the disease were more than twice as likely to […]
UF Research: Mesh Covers Protect Citrus Trees From Psyllids That Transmit Greening Disease
New UF research shows that citrus trees grown under individual protective covers (IPCs) show no signs of the greening disease. Specifically, scientists found that psyllids cannot penetrate the bags (IPCs) under which the trees are growing because the diameter of their openings is smaller than the insects.
UF Center for Coastal Solutions Awarded Multi-Institution Grant To Study Harmful Algal Blooms
University of Florida Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) Associate Director David Kaplan, Ph.D., and a team of CCS-affiliated scientists and engineers from UF, the University of South Florida, North Carolina State University and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation have received $2.3 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how water and nutrients flowing from Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River watershed interact with tides, currents, and waves at the coast to affect coastal water quality.