UTMB News Articles

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps heal damaged tissues and fight infections, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discover News column. New results have found that they have another skill: they can form a “Band-Aid” around a wound to protect it from invading microbes and foreign molecules.

“Starting at 45 to 50, you could gain as much as 10 years of healthy life and this study just shows the truth of that at a cellular level,” UTMB’s Dr. Thomas Blackwell tells USA Today in his comments about a Chinese Academy of Sciences study on proteins taken from about 70 people ages 14 to 68.

“It should always be used under the guidance of a Medical Professional, and it is only indicated to treat allergic reactions and motion sickness,” UTMB’s Dr. Manuela Murry tells CNN for a story on dangerous misuse of the allergy medication diphenhydramine.

In low-resource settings, infants born with gastroschisis face life-threatening challenges but researchers and medical experts at UTMB, Rice University and UTHealth Houston have come up with a low-cost solution. “Our goal was to replicate the functionality of commercial silo bags using inexpensive, easy-to-source materials,” said UTMB’s Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria.

“Biohacking is essentially DIY biology—making intentional changes to your lifestyle, diet, or environment to optimize health and performance,” Dr. Salim Hayek tells Prevention. Hayek recommends looking for scientifically-proven changes and not just trying whatever crosses your social media feed.

UTMB’s Dr. Brent Masel spoke to ESPN about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can be diagnosed only after someone has died. Masel told ESPN it can take weeks to do the appropriate testing. “So there will not be an instant answer to that,” he said.

Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of getting a fake tooth implanted, you could grow a new one, ask Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discover News column. Japanese scientists are working on a drug that could make it a reality.

“We are trying to showcase our technologies better to the world outside,” UTMB’s Dr. Vineet Gupta told HBJ about the first Innovation VentureX summit held in Galveston. Dr. Jochen Reiser told the journal that the event was a success and could lead to more tangible investments in the next year or two, such as a new venture fund or physical expansions on campus.

“The assessment with Blue Zones represents a bold step forward in transforming the health of our community," said Dr. Jochen Reiser, UTMB president and CEO of the UTMB Health System. UTMB is working with Blue Zones to conduct an assessment of the community and then create a policy-focused plan.

In a recent editorial, the Daily News highlighted some of the Galveston County residents who are volunteering in Kerr County, recently hit by devastating floods. The editorial mentions the work of UTMB’s Tyler Morrison and Austin Johnson. “The wonderful thing, amidst the chaos and tragedy, is the people that have come together for the effort,” Morrison is quoted in the editorial.

“My top two priorities for the second half of 2025 are driving operational excellence across pharmacy services and advancing workforce standardization, development, and retention,” UTMB’s Dr. Michael Eagon tells Becker’s for an article on finishing 2025.

“As a physician executive leader, my top two priorities for the latter half of 2025 are access and capacity utilization,” UTMB’s Dr. Vicente Resto told Becker’s. He was one of the executives from across the country surveyed by Becker’s about their priorities.

“Let’s talk through the health benefits of adding these fungi into our diet,” writes Dr. Samuel Mathis as he digs into medical properties of mushrooms. For example, Mathis writes about a study that found that eating just 2 medium sized mushrooms per day could lower our risk of developing cancer by up to 45 percent.

Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp write about the promising roll out of a vaccine to combat gonorrhea. “The UK’s decision to offer Bexsero to people at higher risk, including gay and bisexual men, is a bold move,” they write. “While Bexsero isn’t perfect, it’s the first time a vaccine has been used on a national level to help prevent gonorrhea.”

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel write about promising research into treating pancreatic cancer in their latest Medical Discover News column.

UTMB’s Dr. Giulio Taglialatela commented on a A new study has found a link between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and Alzheimer’s disease. "Our brains use sleep to clear out toxic proteins, like those associated with Alzheimer’s, and these results show that the cleaning mechanism is less effective when it takes someone longer to enter the REM cycle," Taglialatela tells Fox News.

"This research could introduce a new perspective to the discussion of preventing and mitigating the devastating effects of stroke and related brain injuries,” said Dr. Matias Costa about research presented at the annual Society of Neurointerventional Surgery’s meeting discussing use of GLP-1 inhibitors to minimize the impact of strokes and brain injuries.