Petrie Dish

A UT Health San Antonio researcher is working to map the nerves involved in jaw pain as part of a federally funded consortium aimed at developing the first targeted, non-opioid treatment for chronic pain, research he hopes will give millions of suffering Americans their lives back and ultimately reverse or even prevent pain in the first place.

Around 30% of boys diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy also experience cognitive dysfunction and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD. A UT Health San Antonio neuroscientist is doing research he hopes will uncover what is causing these deficits and how they might be treated.

When hospital patients have trouble breathing, respiratory therapists often reach for Albuterol, but a San Antonio researcher thinks it may be overused. He and his students are measuring patient response to the drug, hoping to bring more evidence-based medicine to respiratory care.

Whole milk is back in school lunches, but millions of American kids can’t easily digest it. Pediatric dietitian Marina Chaparro breaks down the science and offers ideas to help families make sure their kids get the nutrition they need, no matter what’s in the carton.

Exercise can improve function and slow disease progression in people with Parkinson's disease, but why? A UT Health San Antonio researcher is studying patients who exercise and play virtual reality games to see if she can figure out the answer.

Chronic kidney disease with no clear cause is killing young people who do physical labor in Central America at an alarming rate. A UT Health San Antonio researcher has spent a decade looking for answers, and this summer, he'll study similar workers in San Antonio to see if clues he uncovers here can save lives there.

One of the handiest tools in our immune system is an enzyme called apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide — better known as APOBECs.

The same mRNA technology President Trump called a medical miracle is now under attack by his own administration, and the stakes go far beyond vaccines. TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks with two San Antonio scientists about the technology's history, its current uncertainty, and its future potential.

A new center for the study of chronic infectious diseases aims to develop treatments for illnesses like Valley fever, tuberculosis, HIV, and Long COVID that disproportionately affect South Texas communities. Led by Dr. Barbara Taylor, the center seeks to attract top researchers and serve as a hub for clinical trials and community-focused care.

In March, around 90% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, which has been linked to serious physical and mental health challenges. What is vitamin D? How do you get it? What can happen if you don't get enough? What is enough? TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks about her own March madness with a Boston University doctor who has been studying this chemical — that isn't actually a vitamin — for decades.

Exercise can improve function and slow disease progression in people with Parkinson's disease, but why? A UT Health San Antonio researcher is studying patients who exercise and play virtual reality games to see if she can figure out the answer.

A study of two groups of 70-year-olds found that branched-chain amino acids combined with exercise improve physical function and quality of life. Exercise alone did not.

From COVID-19 research to Parkinson's disease therapies, these statistical experts turn numbers into answers, helping doctors make evidence-based decisions that improve patient care.

Many medications ease the constellation of symptoms that define Parkinson's disease, but the only treatment that slows the progression of the neurological movement disorder can't be purchased at a pharmacy. It's high-intensity, cardiovascular exercise, like boxing, and it's changing lives.

The chemical cross-communication between the guts and other organs that occurs when a person metabolizes nutrients begins before we open our mouths, when we see or smell food. The answer to why some people develop obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, and why some people respond so well to medicines like Ozempic, might lie in those signals. UT Health San Antonio endocrinologist Dr. Marzieh Salehi is studying that communication in patients with spinal cord injury.

Jannine Cody, PhD, founded and leads the Chromosome 18 Clinical Research Center, which has revolutionized the understanding of and care for disorders caused by alterations in chromosome 18 in humans. However, Cody began this mission as a mom with a baby with a chromosome 18 disorder who needed care.