Research Reflections: Transforming Lives Through Pioneering Research
By Rachel Hess, MD, MS
Since its beginnings, University of Utah Health has fostered some of the best minds in research. We created genome analysis technologies and now apply them to rapidly diagnose disease in critically ill patients. We established best practices for treating back pain and now disseminate that care to rural populations who otherwise lack access to treatment. Our research is making tangible differences every day.
These accomplishments are just the beginning. Every year, our research changes paradigms and enhances lives, and we shouldn’t have to wait decades to recognize the significance.
Pioneering the Future is an annual campaign celebrating recent field-changing discoveries and high-impact innovation from our world-class researchers. The selection process is rigorous, and being included in the campaign is a mark of excellence. It’s always exciting to see the sheer quantity of high-quality work that’s put forward each year, and it’s difficult to narrow down the final choices to a select few.
This year, we’re proud to feature 12 discoveries and innovations that redefine possibilities. These stories highlight the power of research in creating a healthier, brighter future. Doing so is particularly important during these critical times, when we all need to shine a light on the value of research.
Explore the outstanding work from our research community. The series has four installments, each with three stories. I hope you will join me in sharing them widely and celebrating the scientists, trainees, and staff that make these advances happen.
The Science of Healing
- Gene Therapy to Restore Failing Hearts – A cutting-edge gene therapy could restore heart function for the 1 in 4 Americans who will develop heart failure.
- Protecting Muscles to Speed Their Recovery – A medication might help older adults recover from debilitating injuries and age-related muscle loss.
- Easy-Access Care for Perinatal Depression – A data-backed telehealth program helps prevent perinatal depression and brings treatment to parents in Utah anytime, anywhere.
Paths Toward Better Population Health
- Risks of Cannabis Use During Pregnancy – Cannabis use increases pregnancy risks, an important finding that health care providers and patients should discuss.
- Heart Health Disparities – Only 30% of Black and Hispanic Americans at high risk for stroke and heart disease use cholesterol-lowering statins, highlighting the need to identify barriers to treatment.
- Supporting Health by Screening for Social Needs – Researchers are addressing social needs by creating evidence-based hospital programs that link patients with essential services.
Unveiling Tomorrow’s Medicine
- Brain Under Fire – Understanding why cancer triggers an immune response against the brain may reveal ways to treat memory loss from paraneoplastic syndrome.
- Uncovering Unwanted Fuel for Cancer Growth –The discovery of how neighboring cells trigger tumor growth may reveal novel ways to rein in cancer.
- Movement Disorder Exposed – Discovering the genetic cause of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 may improve diagnosis and treatment.
Transformative Technologies for a Healthier World
- Seeing the Light - Reviving neurons in the retina after death helps researchers explore new treatments for major causes of blindness.
- Prosthetic Limbs That Move and Feel - Artificial limbs can communicate with the nervous system to give users better control and a sense of touch.
- Finding Inspiration for Drug Development - New strategies will use molecular interactions to affect cellular metabolic pathways.