Category: Uncategorized

New screening platform accelerates search for Rett syndrome treatments and reveals new disease mechanisms

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At a Glance: Developing treatments for rare genetic disorders, such as Rett syndrome, is notoriously difficult, often requiring years of research and significant financial investment. Researchers at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a new drug screening platform for Rett syndrome that could help accelerate the search for potential therapies while uncovering new …

Building the Waisman Center’s window to the world: Website manager Linda Rowley retires after more than 30 years of keeping the center online

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Rowley, who managed the Waisman Center website for 30 years, retired this July, but not before ensuring the website was set up for its most recent update.

‘We built a brain roadmap for each person’: New AI-driven tools help decode Alzheimer’s disease at the cellular level

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Identifying the cells connected with Alzheimer’s symptoms could result in new treatments for the disease. By Emily Leclerc and Charlene N. Rivera-Bonet Alzheimer’s disease is complex, presenting and progressing in so many different ways in individual patients that it’s difficult for scientists to study. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed AI-driven bioinformatics …

RNA-binding protein identified as key regulator of brain development

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A new Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison study has identified a critical regulator of this early process of cell fate called FXR1, a protein that binds RNA to regulate the abundance of key genes.

First drug to treat Alexander disease approved by the FDA after three decades of research at UW–Madison

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Puerto Rico to become a site for The Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium – Down syndrome

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Puerto Rican families have started traveling to Wisconsin to be part of the research study, but the goal is to build the infrastructure to eventually conduct the studies on the island.

Friends of the Waisman Center Annual Awards

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On August 11, the Friends of the Waisman Center celebrated a remarkable group of students, staff, and volunteers whose dedication, achievements, and service have strengthened the Waisman community. During the annual awards reception, Friends Board President Jim Dama presented awards recognizing outstanding contributions, while Waisman Center Director Qiang Chang presented the two recipients of Wisconsin …

New AI tool enhances cell segmentation with gene expression data

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At a Glance: Understanding what a cell does starts with knowing exactly where it is. Now, a new AI-powered tool developed by researchers at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, is making that task easier by combining tissue images with molecular activity data to more accurately map cell boundaries, potentially unlocking new insights into how …

A legacy of support: Connie Stevens retires after decades of advocacy for families of children with hearing differences

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After more than two decades of advocacy, collaboration, and compassionate support for families of children with hearing differences, Connie Stevens, MA, retired at the end of June 2026. A veteran support parent with Parents Reaching Out, a longtime collaborator with Wisconsin Sound Beginnings, and trusted voice for families across the state, Stevens leaves behind a legacy defined by connection, empathy, and impact.

Understanding why individuals with disabilities continue to be left out of health research

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Individuals with disabilities face significant health disparities, yet remain underrepresented in health research. There is substantial evidence that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are systematically excluded from health research, even when it involves a condition that disproportionately impacts them.