From Basic Discovery to Bedside tells the tale of a rare milestone being accomplished many times over within the past year. Three research labs at U of U Health have translated their basic science discoveries into therapeutics that are being tested in clinical trials for their benefit to human health. These stories are part of Pioneering the Future, a campaign celebrating high-impact discoveries made by today's scientists.
Next-generation Treatment for ALS - Meeting a family with a nervous system disorder—ataxia—set Stefan Pulst, MD, chair of neurology, on a path to build a new treatment for a different neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The result is a molecular therapy that shows promise for treating a deadly disease.
HIV Advance Built from the Basics - Fueled by pure curiosity, biochemists Wes Sundquist, PhD, and Chris Hill, PhD, have been learning how the virus that causes AIDS is built. In the process their research stumbled onto a discovery and spurred a new drug that could make lives better for people with HIV/AIDS.
Blinding the Body to HIV Infection - Biochemists Michael Kay, PhD, and Debbie Eckert, PhD, have taken a clever approach to combating HIV/AIDS. The team has built a drug from the mirror image of pieces of proteins, called D-peptides, that promises to be effective and long-lasting.