Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The emeritus professor of pediatrics and biomolecular chemistry passed away on January 1, 2026 at the age of 93.
The team of dietitians from the Waisman Center’s Biochemical Genetics Clinic hosted a morning event with a cooking and container gardening class for individuals with PKU and their families.
Kay Emerson was the first person in Wisconsin and one of the first in the United States to be successfully treated for phenylketonuria (PKU), a condition in which the body fails to break down the amino acid phenylalanine, causing a buildup.
Research and clinical services go hand in hand. One can’t effectively work without the other.
In 1972, Nancy Reyzer had only been home in Chicago a couple of days with her newborn son, John, when she received an unexpected and alarming phone call from her son’s doctor. The doctor said that her son may have a condition called phenylketonuria and that they needed to come into the clinic immediately.
At a recent screening of the video series “The Low-Phe Life”, Logan Schrimpf’s favorite video was the one where the raccoons messed up the family’s supply of PKU formula. It was the episode titled, The Trip, in the six-part animated video series by Kurt Sensenbrenner.
People with metabolic disorders who require formula to ensure adequate nutrition are among those dealing with a months long shortage — the Waisman Center at UW-Madison is seeking to help source alternatives, even as such options can be stressful.
Shortly after Raegan was born to Scott and his wife Carrie, she was diagnosed with phenylketonuria, or PKU — a rare metabolic disorder that prevents her from properly metabolizing phenylalanine, a common amino acid that exists in most proteins. PKU is a rare disorder that affects approximately 16,000 people in the U.S. It is one of 47 disorders for which newborns in Wisconsin are screened. If left untreated, it can cause intellectual disabilities, seizures, among other health-related issues.
Certain kinds of foods prescribed to manage the rare metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) could contribute to skeletal fragility seen in many PKU patients, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers. Led by Waisman Center and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences investigator Denise Ney and graduate student Bridget Stroup, the study represents …
Research led by Waisman Center investigator Denise Ney has shown that food products made from a specific protein found in whey can safely be part of a more palatable diet for individuals diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU). Ney, who is also the Billings-Bascom Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focuses on individuals with …
