All University of Texas articles
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NewsStudy is first to detect and track multiple cancer-causing viruses in wastewater
A study is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater. The work shows that it is feasible to monitor the presence and levels of cancer-causing viruses, enabling the possibility of public health interventions in the future.
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NewsResearchers develop realistic ‘mock’ samples to speed cervical cancer test development
A team of bioengineers has developed a new way to create highly realistic “mock” patient samples that could help accelerate the development of faster, more accessible cervical cancer screening tests for low-resource settings.
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NewsNew insights into how bacteria manage DNA
New analytical methods have enabled researchers to uncover how the sequence, physical shape and flexibility of bacterial DNA guide the activity of an enzyme called DNA gyrase, which previously got all the credit for managing DNA.
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NewsMothers' exposure to microbes protect their newborn babies against infection
A study dives into new depths to explore why only some babies develop severe infection to common bacteria. The research revealed that the babies that became most severely ill from E. coli infections also had markedly lower levels of germ-fighting antibodies transferred from their mothers.
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NewsA parasitic origin for the ribosome?
Scientists propose that the ribosome first emerged from a proto-ribosome, likely a viral parasite, which began by taking advantage of proto-cells, and ended up being incorporated into cells, at some time before the last universal common ancestor.
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NewsScientists say these two viruses may become the next public health threats
Two emerging pathogens with animal origins — influenza D virus and canine coronavirus — have so far been quietly flying under the radar, but researchers warn conditions are ripe for the viruses to spread more widely among humans.
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NewsPregnant women hospitalized for COVID-19, and their newborns, have higher complication risk
When hospitalized for COVID-19, pregnant women — and their eventual newborn children — have a higher risk of complications. Research revealed that pregnant women were nearly 3.5 times more likely than non-pregnant women to require respiratory support when hospitalized for COVID-19.
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NewsStudy finds COVID-19 mRNA vaccine sparks immune response to fight cancer
Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy drugs lived significantly longer than those who did not get the vaccine, researchers have found.
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NewsStudy reveals how bacteria in tumors drive treatment resistance in cancer
Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown way for microbes within tumors to contribute to treatment resistance in certain cancers. The study finds these microbes push cancer cells into a reversible resting state, allowing them to become resistant to certain chemotherapies.
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NewsScholars take a new look at controversial Stateville prison malaria research 75 years ago
Medical ethicists are shining a light on a buried part of the malaria research conducted on inmates at Illinois’ Stateville Penitentiary 75 years ago.
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NewsMeasles virus detected in Houston wastewater before cases were reported
An innovative outbreak detection program that tracks disease-causing viruses in wastewater identified the measles virus in Houston samples collected in early January 2025, before cases were reported.
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NewsGlobal Virus Network meeting unites Caribbean and Latin America to tackle emerging viral threats
A two-day summit focused on collaborative strategies to bolster viral surveillance, diagnostics, vaccine research, and pandemic preparedness across Latin America and the Caribbean, challenges intensified by climate change and globalization.
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NewsScientists engineer antibody against flu with sticky staying power
Scientists have engineered a monoclonal antibody that can protect mice from a lethal dose of influenza A, a new study shows. The new molecule combines the specificity of a mature flu fighter with the broad binding capacity of a more general immune system defender. Source: NIAID Colorized transmission ...
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NewsAlternative approach to Lyme disease vaccine development shows promise in pre-clinical models
An international research team finds genetically engineered Lyme bacterial proteins could offer long-standing protection against infection while requiring fewer vaccinations.
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NewsResearchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus
Researchers have reported the discovery of replication hubs for human norovirus, which could lead to designing antiviral drugs to prevent, control or treat these infections.
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NewsHuman antibodies could prevent the malaria parasite from causing life-threatening infections
Malaria, particularly in its severe forms, remains a global health and economic burden. It causes the deaths of more than 600,000 people every year – most of them African children under five. In a new study, published in the journal Nature, researchers from EMBL Barcelona, the University of Texas, the ...
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NewsResearchers to develop a new method for preserving microbial samples
The project aims to develop a new method for preserving microbial samples without refrigeration/cooling requirements through integrating innovations in microfluidics, biomaterials, protein engineering, and synthetic biology.
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NewsResearchers investigate bunyaviruses and picornaviruses in bid to stave off next pandemic
A $13 million per year grant will enable researchers to accelerate their investigations of bunyaviruses, which include life-threatening respiratory and hemorrhagic fever viruses, and picornaviruses, notably enterovirus D68.
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NewsUT Health San Antonio to lead $11m study of a first-ever oral chlamydia vaccine
The study of a novel oral vaccine that could protect against chlamydia infection has been awarded approximately $11 million in National Institutes of Health funding over five years through a cooperative agreements research project grant.
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NewsMarine plankton behaviour could predict future marine extinctions, study finds
Marine communities migrated to Antarctica during the Earth’s warmest period in 66 million years long before a mass-extinction event.