UVA researchers Stephen Rich, Suna Onengut-Gumuscu, and Aakrosh Ratan have received a $5.2 million NIH grant to study alternative splicing in type 1 diabetes using TEDDY Study samples. The team will use RNA sequencing and machine learning to identify splicing events linked to islet autoimmunity, aiming to enable earlier risk detection and new therapeutic targets.
Dr. Jianjie Ma, director of the Division of Surgical Sciences at UVA School of Medicine, discusses how translating research from the lab bench to clinical trials brings lifesaving therapies to patients. Featured in a video for the 2026 Annual Research Report, produced by the Office of the Vice President of Research.
U Ask, UVA Answers returns this fall with talks at Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and new sessions at Crozet Library. Sarah Flowers kicks off September discussing Alzheimer’s disease and genetics research. Upcoming speakers include Bryan Berger on food biotechnology in October and Natasha Diba Sheybani on ultrasound breast cancer treatment in November.
UVA researchers have identified a gene that contributes to glaucoma and could potentially be targeted as a treatment.
A UVA researcher explains how a new tool could help scientists better understand the complex connections among children, their parents and their environment.
Yaohua Yang, PhD, of UVA’s Department of Genome Sciences has been awarded a five-year, $3.5 million NCI R37 MERIT grant to study RNA modifications called m6A marks and their role in lung cancer risk.
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UVA researcher Ziqiao Wang and Johns Hopkins colleagues developed PGS-TRI, a statistical tool analyzing family DNA trios to separate genetic and environmental influences on autism risk. Tested on over 18,000 families, it confirmed polygenic score accuracy varies by ancestry, linked maternal genetics to autism risk, and identified the CADM2 gene as a potential prevention target.