The University of Texas Medical Branch was among 40 institutions nationwide selected to receive the award, joining four other Texas universities: Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Arlington and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said additional details, including other strategies to eradicate screwworm, would be forthcoming.

UTMB virologist Thomas Geisbert, PhD, is featured in this article about scientists studying Bundibugyo virus to better understand how it spreads and causes disease. Early evidence suggests it may be less deadly than other Ebola viruses but differs enough to require its own diagnostics, treatments, and research.

Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences faculty members Drs. Megan Berman, an associate professor of internal medicine, and Richard Rupp, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch discuss findings that tattoo ink can accumulate in nearby lymph nodes and alter immune cell behavior, affecting vaccine responses in mice. While the findings are intriguing, there is currently no evidence that tattoos reduce vaccine effectiveness in people.

"Berberine also improves our body’s ability to utilize insulin and slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates in the gut, like some diabetes medications. This is why berberine has been found to assist with weight loss." - Dr. Samuel Mathis, assistant professor in The University of Texas Medical Branch’s Family Medicine Department

“While vaccines in poultry are an active area of investment, it now seems of paramount importance to additionally employ similar strategies in U.S. dairy cattle." —Dr. Gregory Gray, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at The University of Texas Medical Branch.

"As GLP-1 receptor agonists become increasingly utilized, understanding their effects on bone health becomes critical, particularly in older adults and postmenopausal women.” – UTMB orthopedist Dr. Burak Altintas

"The Brain Economy Summit showcases a future in which brain health innovation drives both human and economic vitality. Our region should embrace the medical branch’s Brain Economy initiative as a source of pride and a promise of remarkable breakthroughs ahead, benefiting not only those of us in Galveston County but millions around the world." - Michael A. Smith, editor, Galveston County Daily News

"In their natural state, children can do and say the most amazing, straightforward, and honest things. This is because they live in the moment, not hanging onto and regretting the past or planning for and anxious about the future as we adults often do." - Dr. Victor Sierpina, professor emeritus of Family Medicine at the The University of Texas Medical Branch.

Like Marburg, Ebola also plays a hide-and-seek game in the darkest depths of nature, according to Professor Alexander Bukreyev, associate director of the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

"Researchers, students and clinical caregivers all view technology through different lenses. What’s top of mind for me is understanding those perspectives and then delivering technology that’s meaningful for each group." -- Jayson Laban, vice president and CIO at UTMB