Researchers led by Dr. Vadim Pivniouk have discovered that respiratory bacterial extracts known as OM-85 reduce the ability of the SARS-COV-2 virus to attach to lung cells.

Dr. Carol Gregorio was elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.” Dr. Gregorio is being honored “For internationally-recognized contributions toward understanding striated muscle structure, function and disease, using advanced imaging and cell biological approaches.”

Bipin Nair, PhD, has been appointed as an adjunct professor in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine. Dr. Nair is the Dean of Life Sciences in the School of Biotechnology at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University. Dr. Nair was instrumental in the creation of the dual degree program and internship program shared by Amrita University and UArizona’s CMM Department. Read more about Dr. Bipin Nair here. Read more about the CMM/Amrita Dual Degree Program here.

Click here to read the original article featured on UA Health Sciences News.

Congratulations to Dr. Valerie Schaibley for being recognized as a new AMES member!

The mission of the Academy of Medical Education Scholars (AMES) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is to create and sustain a diverse community of scholars dedicated to excellence and innovation in medical education. AMES recognizes and supports the most accomplished teachers and educators at UACOM-T and, in return, draw on those faculty members for advice and service to the College’s education programs.

Drs. Cindy Miranti (CMM) and Yitshak Zohar (AME/Engineering) are co-investigators on a grant awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the mechanisms that underly prostate cancer development. As part of this collaboration, they developed the first human Prostate-on-Chip model by culturing basal epithelial cells next to prostate stromal cells within a microfluidic device which recapitulates human prostate biology, for basic and translational cancer research.

A research team led by Jessika Iwanski, MD/Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine (GPMM) and including CMM faculty members Dr. Carol Gregorio and Dr. Jared Churko, studied the effects of blood pressure medication on patients’ susceptibility to COVID-19 infection.

Drs. Donata Vercelli and Julie Ledford are co-investigators on a grant awarded to Dr. Monica Kraft, Chair of the UArizona Department of Medicine. The grant was received from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study innate immunity and viral infection in asthma.

Dr. Noel Warfel's lab has discovered a mechanism to control blood vessel growth in cancerous tumors. Dr. Warfel was recently featured on the local news. Click for more.

Dr. Carol Gregorio is the inaugural chair holder of the Czarina M. and Humberto S. Lopez Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research.