Taking out the trash: New study finds clearing specific cell “trash” is possible and may be target for future treatments of neurodegenerative diseases
Cells make a lot of trash. Probably more than you’d think. So, cells have a trash disposal system that efficiently cleans up and recycles any waste that is produced. But when there are issues with the disposal system and trash builds up in the cell, that can lead to disease. This has led researchers to consider the trash disposal system as a target for potential disease treatments and therapies.
September 17, 2024
John Svaren honored with Vilas professorship
Professor of Comparative Biosciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Waisman Center investigator, John Svaren, PhD, is a recipient of a Vilas Distinguished Professorship.
April 25, 2024
Waisman’s Own Takes Interim Position in OVCRGE
CMT is a slowly progressive disease in contrast to ALS, which affects the same neurons in the peripheral nervous system.
December 11, 2023
Neurodegeneration research at the Waisman Center from gene to organelle to cell to brain
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and retinitis pigmentosa all have different manifestations and affect different body functions, but they are all connected by one mechanism: neurodegeneration.
December 1, 2023John Svaren joins research office leadership team
John Svaren, professor of Comparative Biosciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Waisman Center IDD Models Core, has been named the interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Biological Sciences.
September 11, 2023
Artificial intelligence: A real tool for advancing research on intellectual and developmental disabilities and beyond
AI collects big data and uses computer algorithms to search patterns that are present in your daily life.
July 10, 2023
Cells with a superhero alter ego: Schwann cells transform into repair cells after nerve injury with help of transcription factor JUN and Sonic Hedgehog gene
When nerves are injured, Schwann cells—a key cell in peripheral nerve function and nerve insulation—assume a new role and identity as repair cells.
September 16, 2022
CMT biomarkers for future treatments
A new test may spur advances in drug discovery for a rare and debilitating neurological disorder. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare inherited neurological disorder, affects more than 2.8 million people around the globe.
October 19, 2021The identities of enzymes: study further defines the function of a potential target for Alzheimer’s therapy
A new study from the lab of UW-Madison professor of medicine Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, opens a door to potential treatments for diseases of age, such as Alzheimer’s disease, by defining the roles of two enzymes that are imperative to protein production.
April 20, 2021CMT advocate will not be sidelined
CMT is equally common among all ages, genders, and races and is one of the most common heritable neurological impairments. The symptoms present as neuropathy, foot drop, poor balance, difficulty with dexterity, or abnormal sensation – just to name a few.
September 23, 2019Study finds a key to nerve regeneration
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found a switch that redirects helper cells in the peripheral nervous system into “repair” mode, a form that restores damaged axons. Axons are long fibers on neurons that …
September 13, 2016A case of (peripheral) nerves
Every day, Waisman Center researcher John Svaren deals with nerves – peripheral nerves, that is. Peripheral nerves connect the brain and spinal cord to our limbs and organs, serving as vital communication relays that allow …
August 4, 2016Genome editing takes research one step closer to a cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
John Svaren, PhD’s paper “Genome editing-enabled HTS assays expand drug target pathways for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease,” examines how the use of genome editing places his research one step closer to a potential cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
September 18, 2014Vorperian recipient of the 2010 Editor’s Award for the Speech section of the Journal of SLHR
A research article from the Vocal Tract Development Laboratory at the Waisman Center (Principal Investigator, Houri K. Vorperian, Ph.D.) is the recipient of the 2010 Editor's Award for the Speech section of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
September 6, 2011Researchers Discover Gene Crucial For Nerve Cell Insulation
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a defect in a single master gene disrupts the process by which several genes interact to create myelin, a fatty coating that covers nerve cells and increases the speed and reliability of their electrical signals.
April 16, 2007
Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.