Annual Review 2016
President’s Message
Connecting Brain Research to Better Care
Brain disease affects some 50 million people in the U.S., causing a ripple effect of devastation beyond the patient. UT Southwestern, home to premier scientists and physicians in the neurosciences, is taking on the enormous challenge of finding better treatments, cures, and preventions for all types of neurological disorders through the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. Through gene editing, biomarker analysis, and other advanced scientific techniques, the goal is to connect research to better care.
- Unraveling the mysteries of the brain at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute
- Wellstone Center targets new treatments for Muscular Dystrophy
- Gene editing: A promising future treatment for DMD
- UTSW-led study identifies brain-based biomarkers in psychosis
- New biomarkers show exercise helps reduce daytime sleep disorder
Breaking New Ground in Research and Treatment
From research using nanoparticles and advanced cryo-electron microscopy to historic clinical achievements such as the first lung-liver transplant in North Texas, UT Southwestern continues to pursue and achieve breakthrough scientific discoveries and deliver revolutionary, lifesaving patient care.
- Cryo-electron Microscope Center zooms in on life at atomic scale
- Taking a look at living cancer cells in 3-D
- Highlights in Structural Biology at UT Southwestern
- Using nanoparticles to deliver tumor-suppressing therapy
- Fish oil adds secret touch to boost nanoparticle therapy
- Patients take flight to further science on zero-gravity effects
- Surgical teams perform North Texas’ first lung-liver transplant
- Making history: Lung transplant marks first in Texas using new ex-vivo technology
Preparing for the Next Generation of Medicine and Science
So much has changed since UT Southwestern opened more than 70 years ago as a small medical college. Today, it is a vibrant, expansive campus laser-focused on medical care, research, and education. That evolution continues, including growth through innovative alliances, program and facility enhancements and educational curriculum improvements - all aimed at meeting health care needs of the future.
- Southwestern Health Resources unfolds, expanding UTSW’s reach and capabilities
- UTSW elevates Nursing Program and University Hospitals with Magnet achievement
- From the front lines: Medical students reflect on how revised curriculum prepares them as future doctors
- Advancing UTSW educational programs
- Growing to meet future needs
Translating Gentic Data Into Personalized Medicine
Each person’s DNA is unique, providing clues about his or her health waiting to be unlocked. Using this information, researchers at UT Southwestern are identifying more effective, individualized disease treatments and pinpointing biomarkers that can aid in diagnosis or prevention. Biomarkers can also predict response to immunotherapy, a type of treatment in which the immune system is supercharged to fight off disease.
- DNA sequencing technology unlocks the genetics of lupus
- Researchers uncover mutation that causes rare disease
- Trial advances game-changing immunotherapy for lung cancer
- Immunotherapy: The autoimmune disease downside
Building Upon Scientific Advances
Brilliant ideas and hard work lead to discovery, just as breakthroughs inspire continued advancement. The exceptional, groundbreaking research of UT Southwestern scientists led to prestigious honors last year, including the Passano Award for important discoveries in cholesterol research and an extraordinary rare national grant to pursue more effective kidney cancer treatments.