How did Zika virus acquire the ability to infect the brain and reproductive tissue to cause its characteristic disease? The answer may lie in a newly observed ability of the virus to use a host cell’s own defense mechanisms as a disguise. A team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have published new research that shows the Zika virus evolved to use a host cellular enzyme for its own invasion, potentially explaining the mechanism by which the virus efficiently infects the brain and reproductive tissues, a potential explanation for how the Zika virus causes congenital neurological disorders like microcephaly, found in the newborns of infected mothers.

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a new mechanism for designing antiviral drugs for dengue virus.

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have received more than $7.7 million from the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases to spearhead a Center to identify, track and counter mosquito-borne diseases.

Galveston, Texas – The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has been named to the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list. Specifically, UTMB ranked in the top 15 nationwide among major teaching hospitals on the list. IBM Watson Health recognizes hospitals of all sizes in five different categories – major teaching hospitals, large community hospitals, medium community hospitals and smaller community hospitals.

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston explored the effects of estrogen and testosterone and their possible therapeutic effects in treating older patients with COVID-19. The findings are now available in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

A team of researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, led by Dr. George Saade, are active partners in the National Institutes of Health’s newly launched study to learn more about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy and post-partum care.