microbiology – UF Innovate https://innovate.research.ufl.edu Building business on innovation Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:41:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/favicon-blue_1.png microbiology – UF Innovate https://innovate.research.ufl.edu 32 32 Markers at Birth May Help Predict Type 1 Diabetes (UF News) https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/markets-at-birth-type-1-diabetes/ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:06:01 +0000 https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/?p=21356 One day, there could be a new test to screen for type 1 diabetes, now that scientists have found markers in the blood of the umbilical cords of children who were later diagnosed with the disease.

In research published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists at the University of Florida and Linköping University in Sweden found that early signs of type 1 diabetes can be found in the blood of the umbilical cord, which links the baby to the placenta during pregnancy and is discarded at birth.

This does not mean that diabetes is predetermined, said Angelica Ahrens, lead author of the study and assistant research scientist in microbiology at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

 

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]]> Common Water Pill May Help HIV Medicines Work Faster and Reduce Inflammation, Early Study Suggests (The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute) https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/common-water-pill-may-help-hiv-medicines-work-faster-and-reduce-inflammation/ Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:33:32 +0000 https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/?p=20780 An FDA‑approved medication called spironolactone, often prescribed for heart and blood pressure conditions, may be a useful add‑on to the standard HIV treatment, according to new research from the Valente lab at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

Viruses spread by hijacking cells and using their gene transcription machinery to make new copies. Today’s HIV medicines keep the virus under control but are not a cure. If treatment stops, HIV can return from hidden reservoirs, so more durable, long-lasting approaches are needed. In the new study, researchers treated HIV-infected mice with human immune cells with first‑line antiretroviral therapy plus a long‑acting form of spironolactone. Spironolactone is a widely used diuretic, or water pill.

 

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