OU Researcher Joins $12 Million Effort to Advance Obesity Drug Discovery
A University of Oklahoma researcher is part of an international team developing a new way to discover obesity drugs using human cells instead of animal models, an approach that could speed the development of more effective and affordable treatments. The effort is supported by a $12 million grant...
Researchers Discover Hidden ‘Recycling System’ That Helps Keep Vision Cells Healthy
For decades, scientists believed that photoreceptors in the retina relied primarily on neighboring support cells, known as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), to remove waste. While the RPE is still responsible for clearing away the worn-out tips of photoreceptors each day, new findings from...
Human Study Links Reduced Inflammation to Later Myopia Onset
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine researcher Jody Summers, Ph.D., has long hypothesized that inflammation plays a role in the development of myopia, or nearsightedness, in which close-up vision is clear but distance vision is blurry. Her laboratory experiments have been convincing, and...
NIH Awards OU College of Medicine $10.7 Million to Advance Sensory Biology Research
The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create the Oklahoma Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Sensory Biology. The center will serve as a hub for research into how cells sense and respond...
Clinical Trial to Evaluate Immunotherapy Drug for Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Following Surgery
Muhammad Furqan, M.D., professor of hematology-oncology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, is leading a national clinical trial evaluating whether immunotherapy can improve outcomes for patients...
Study Uncovers Chain Reaction That Connects Smoking to Heart Disease
Scientists at the University of Oklahoma have identified a previously unrecognized immune system pathway that helps explain how cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The findings, published in Circulation Research, show that cigarette smoke activates immune cells that...
Experimental Treatment Strategy Shows Promise Against Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
An experimental treatment strategy for metastatic pancreatic cancer may help patients live longer by making tumors more visible to the immune system, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center enrolled patients on the clinical trial, which studied a new...
Microplastics May Worsen Fatty Liver Disease, New Study Suggests
Microplastics – minuscule pieces of plastic broken down from larger plastic waste – are a growing concern for human health, especially for the liver. A study from the University of Oklahoma, published today in Science Advances, demonstrates that a common type of microplastics is...
Family History of Vision Loss Inspires Researcher’s Fight Against Macular Degeneration
University of Oklahoma researcher Wenjing “Lily” Wu, Ph.D., who studies age-related macular degeneration (AMD), isn’t driven solely by scientific curiosity but also by vision loss that has affected generations of her family.
OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center Names New Director to Lead Fight Against Diabetes
Building on its two-decade journey from a philanthropic vision to a worldwide research enterprise committed to preventing, treating, and curing diabetes, the University of Oklahoma Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center has named John P. Kirwan, Ph.D., FACSM, a world-leading translational scientist,...
Do Chia Seeds During Breastfeeding Improve Both Mom and Baby’s Health?
As childhood obesity and diabetes continue to rise worldwide, a researcher at the University of Oklahoma is investigating whether a simple addition to a breastfeeding mother’s diet – chia seeds – could help lower a child’s future risk of these conditions while improving...
Obesity May Influence How Breast Cancer Becomes Invasive
Obesity may change how early-stage breast cancer becomes invasive, according to a study by University of Oklahoma researchers published in The American Journal of Pathology.
TSET Health Promotion Research Center Awards FY27 Seed Grants
The TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) within the National Cancer Institute-Designated OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus (OUHC) has awarded four FY27 seed grants to support innovative research aimed at improving the health of Oklahomans. Each...
University of Oklahoma Launches Project 200, a Generational Investment in Oklahoma’s Future
The University of Oklahoma today announced Project 200, a generational investment in research, talent and infrastructure designed to move Oklahoma forward by strengthening the health of its people, growing the state’s economy and expanding opportunity for the future.
Blocking Stress Signals Could Limit Harmful Inflammation After Heart Attack
After a heart attack, the body rapidly floods the injured heart with neutrophils — white blood cells that help repair damage but can also make it worse when too many arrive too quickly. New research from the University of Oklahoma shows that these early-arriving cells come not from the bone...
The Lancet Paper Calls for Earlier Diagnosis as Leprosy Persists Globally
Although often considered a disease of the past, leprosy remains a global health issue, causing preventable disability due to delayed diagnosis and gaps in care. In a paper published in The Lancet, a professor of infectious diseases from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine calls for...
Genetic Study Finds New Pathways Involved in Cardiometabolic Disease
A study published today in PLOS Medicine has identified two new genetic pathways that contribute to cardiometabolic disease, which includes heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The research, led by Dharambir Sanghera, Ph.D., of the University of Oklahoma, represents a step toward targeting the...
Jennings Accepted Into National Leadership Program
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Associate Professor Lee Jennings, M.D., chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, has been selected for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program, one...
Experimental Drug Offers Hope for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Results from a Phase 3 clinical trial offer new hope for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, showing the experimental drug daraxonrasib significantly extended survival compared with chemotherapy alone. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Stephenson Cancer Center enrolled...
OU College of Medicine Honors Two with Stanton L. Young Awards
Two University of Oklahoma College of Medicine faculty members, Mary Moon, Ph.D., and Priyabrata Mukherjee, Ph.D., were honored recently for their excellence in teaching and research. Moon received the 2026 Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Award, and Mukherjee received the Stanton L. Young...