Morgridge Institute research and expertise is garnering attention from state and national independent media. Morgridge news has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Scientific American, USA Today, National Public Radio, Mashable, Science News and many more. Here are some recent highlights.
Collagen highway signs could show how to stop pancreatic cancer spread
via College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison biomedical engineers, including Morgridge Investigator Melissa Skala, showed how the alignment of collagen fibers accelerates the movement of clusters of pancreatic cancer cells.
Morgridge Institute researchers speak on biomedical imaging, virology at Sept. 24 Tech Council luncheon
via Wisconsin Technology Council
Two Morgridge Institute researchers will share how they use a multi-disciplinary approach to fight human disease and viruses at the Sept. 24 Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon in Madison.
Distinguished Service Award: John ’55 and Tashia Morgridge ’55
via Wisconsin Alumni Association
Morgridge Institute co-founders John and Tashia Morgridge received a distinguished service award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association for their visionary and unprecedented giving to UW-Madison and affiliates.
Faculty and staff explore state’s rivers, culture and more in Wisconsin Idea Seminar
via UW-Madison
he seminar is an annual five-day journey through Wisconsin that offers faculty and staff the opportunity to learn firsthand about the social and cultural contexts that shape the lives of many of our Wisconsin students, and to see what the Wisconsin Idea looks like when it is rooted in local communities and shaped by local priorities.
The engineering challenges of preterm birth
via The Conversation
In the public affairs news site The Conversation, a trio of engineers (including the Morgridge Institute’s Melissa Skala) describe their research alliance to better understand the biomechanics of pregnancy — and create a better warning system for preterm birth risk.
New biomarkers of response in melanoma immunotherapy
via SPIE
The Skala Lab used quantitative imaging to observe collagen changes in melanoma tumors in mice, offering potential to improve immunotherapy treatments.
Civic Science Fellows Program Launches 2024-25 Cohort
via Rita Allen Foundation
The Morgridge Institute is a partner with the pioneering Civic Science Fellows program — designed to catalyze progress toward a future where all people can shape science to expand its benefits and horizons.
AAAS members make eight UW researchers new fellows
via UW–Madison
Morgridge Institute CEO Brad Schwartz and Morgridge Visiting Scientist James Keck are among eight University of Wisconsin–Madison scholars who have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society.
New tool provides researchers with improved understanding of stem cell aging in the brain
via UW-Madison
By identifying and decoding these autofluorescence signatures, the researchers have developed a tool that can aid in studying adult neurological diseases and aging, but potentially also expand beyond neuroscience.
Soft-landing methods to simplify structural biology
via Nature
The journal Nature profiled a novel technology developed in the Josh Coon Lab to link two technologies — mass spectrometry and cryo-EM — to better image complex protein structures.
Medical Collaborations at UW–Madison Are Changing Lives
via Livability
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are helping patients achieve better health outcomes by working together.
Viral Copy Machine Revealed
via College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
GROW Magazine, a research publication for the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, highlighted the research of Morgridge Investigator Paul Ahlquist on how viruses replicate their genomes within cells.
Skala Lab’s photonics-based imaging featured in UW Health News
via UW Health
Melissa Skala’s technology harnesses the natural light produced by cells in order to track response to cancer drug treatment.
Pathways to Immunity
via College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Morgridge investigator Jing Fan embraces an interdisciplinary approach as she pushes the boundaries of immunometabolism to search for better ways to fight disease.
Photos: How Sea Spiders and Other Creatures Could Unlock the Secrets of Tissue Regeneration
via Wall Street Journal
Many animals have the ability to regrow limbs and other body parts after injury. A Wall Street Journal photo essay explores scientific inquiries into these amazing creatures — including the work of Melanie Issigonis in the Phil Newmark Lab at Morgridge.
New faculty profile: Daniela Drummond-Barbosa explores physiological regulation of stem cell lineages
via College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Daniela Drummond-Barbosa joined the UW–Madison faculty in September 2022 as a professor in the Department of Genetics.
Genome Spotlight: Nile Rat (Avicanthis niloticus)
via The Scientist
Common rodent models aren’t ideal for studying certain diseases, but the Nile rat might offer a solution. A high-quality reference genome for the species will aid studies on type 2 diabetes and circadian rhythm disruption.
UW–Madison Faculty Make Strong Showing on Global Highly Cited Researchers List
via UW–Madison
Morgridge investigator Kevin Eliceiri is one of 16 UW–Madison researchers to make the 2022 list of “Highly Cited Researchers,” compiled annually by the Office of Scientific Information.
CZI Science Diversity Leadership Award Grantees
via Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
CZI partnered with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to launch the Science Diversity Leadership program, a funding opportunity that aims to recognize and further the leadership of excellent biomedical researchers who — through their outreach, mentoring, teaching, and leadership — have a record of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their scientific fields.
Solving for the future: Investment, new coalition levels up research computing infrastructure at UW–Madison
via UW–Madison Information Technology
Bolstered by a $4.3 million investment from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, UW–Madison’s research computing hardware is getting a significant upgrade—giving researchers the sustained shared infrastructure they need to help them push the bounds of science with support from the Morgridge Institute.
The 2022 winners: Cool Science Image Contest
via UW–Madison
A team of scientists including graduate student Julia Gambardella, Morgridge scientist
John Maufort, and UW–Madison Professor Marina Emborg, were winners in the UW–
Madison 2022 Cool Science Image Contest.Eliceiri named Open Hardware Trailblazer Fellow
via UW Research
Morgridge investigator Kevin Eliceiri was recently named an Open Hardware Trailblazer Fellow by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) for his work in imaging innovation.
COVID lawsuits push doctors to provide substandard care
via Wisconsin Examiner
In this Wisconsin Examiner report, Morgridge Bioethicist in Residence Pilar Ossorio addresses the dangerous notion of “whatever the patient wants, the patient gets” when it comes to the rash of unproven and disproven treatments related to COVID.
Big achievement in black hole imaging gets assist from UW scientists
via Wisconsin Public Radio
Miron Livny, Morgridge investigator and UW–Madison computer scientist, describes his Center for High Throughput Computing as a service provider for scientists with big to-do lists. That includes people searching for super-massive black holes.
UW–Madison computer scientist helps create model of supermassive black hole
via WKOW
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) was able to create a black hole model thanks to the contribution of Morgridge investigator and UW–Madison computer scientist Miron Livny.
Jason Cantor Receives Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award
via UW Biochemistry
Morgridge investigator Jason Cantor has received a 2021 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award. His was among the ten award-winning proposals that represent early-stage, innovative and cutting-edge technology in medicine and biomedical engineering.
James Thomson, renowned UW scientist who brought the world human embryonic stem cells, to retire in July
via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
James Thomson, the Morgridge Institute and UW–Madison scientist who first isolated and grew human embryonic stem cells, inspiring a generation of researchers, and igniting a furious ethical debate that he would later help resolve, plans to retire after more than three decades of work in Wisconsin.
Murphy featured in Beloit College Health & Healing Channel
via Beloit College
Dan Murphy, outreach and lab manager at Morgridge, shares advice about working in science education and programming with his alma mater, Beloit College.
New collaborative research center to provide clearer image of tumor microenvironment
via College of Engineering
Morgridge Investigator Kevin Eliceiri and collaborators at the University of Minnesota will develop and test an integrated toolkit of imaging and data analysis technologies for immunotherapies, funded by the National Cancer Institute.
Skala to develop new imaging approach for retinal diseases
via College of Engineering
Morgridge investigator Melissa Skala has landed a grant from the National Eye Institute to develop a new imaging method that could allow for earlier disease detection, monitoring and treatment evaluation for retinal diseases.
By citations, UW–Madison faculty demonstrate strong impact
via UW–Madison
Morgridge biomedical imaging investigator Kevin Eliceiri is one of 17 UW–Madison researchers who made the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers List. Eliceiri has been cited more than 68,000 times in 228 publications and is recognized for his cross-disciplinary influence.
Scientists Pinpoint Structure of Antifungal, Challenge Binding Mechanism
via UW Biochemistry
Morgridge affiliate Chad Reinstra, a biochemist at UW–Madison, has unlocked the structure of Amphotericin B (AmB), a powerful and reliable drug that saves lives by obliterating serious fungal infections that can’t be diagnosed quickly.
Machine learning guiding early drug discovery process
via WisBusiness
Morgridge Investigator Anthony Gitter presented at the annual BioForward Biohealth Summit about ways machine learning is having a major impact on the early phases of drug discovery.
Researchers, UW educators see bright future for AI in healthcare
via The Cap Times
Anthony Gitter, a Morgridge investigator, discussed his lab’s promising new efforts to use AI to create custom-fit chemicals — or as he described it, “a brand new recipe” for treating illnesses.
Coon lab’s ’smart toilets’ project a hot commodity
via The Wall Street Journal
Morgridge investigator Josh Coon’s unique project marrying mass spectrometry technology to the everyday toilet is tabbed as one of the trends to watch in the Wall Street Journal’s “Future of Everything” series.
For the sake of rural science students in Wisconsin, we have to get broadband right
via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A editorial by Kim Kaukl, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, referenced the Morgridge Institute’s Rural Summer Science Camp as an ideal example of the benefits of online and hybrid learning opportunities in science education.
UGA’s Rozario receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
via University of Georgia
Tania Rozario, a 2020 alumna of the Phil Newmark Regenerative Biology Lab at Morgridge, has received a National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award for high-risk, high-reward research she is pursuing as a University of Georgia professor.
Biden offers American science a fresh chance to prove its value to society
via The Hill
President Biden has laid out a vision for elevating the importance of science in this country. But it’s up to all scientists to help educate Americans about the benefits of science and the discoveries that have changed our world.
Schools taking more virtual field trips during COVID-19 pandemic
via NBC 15
Districts are finding creative ways to safely give students unique experiences while staying in the classroom.
Third booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to fight new variants in the works
via CBS58
Citing presentations from the Feb. 24 Morgridge Institute Fearless Science Seminar, CBS 58 in Milwaukee reported that new booster vaccines are in development that will specifically target COVID 19 variants that have recently emerged around the world.
Building a better bioimaging community: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supports international partnership
via The Daily Cardinal
The Morgridge Institute’s Kevin Eliceri describes how a new grant will help foster learning and community for UW–Madison students interested in bioimaging.
Cell atlas of schistosome may hold key for new treatments
via Sanger Institute
Morgridge postdoctoral fellow Jayhun Lee is a lead author in a new study that outlines the first-ever cell atlas of the tropical parasite schistosome, an advance that could provide new alternatives for fighting a disease that impacts more than 200 million people globally.
Minority students share their stories in science so others feel power of representation
via Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin students and teachers took part in an online session called “My Story in Science So Far: From Voices Underrepresented in Science,” as part of a field trip to the Wisconsin Science Festival in October.
‘Molecular Signature’ In Blood May Indicate Coronavirus Disease Severity
via Forbes
Researchers at the Morgridge Institute for Research, Albany Medical Center, and UW–Madison assembled a profile of biological molecules that correlated not only with COVID-19 infection, but with disease severity. More target molecules will likely be found as others analyze the data, which is freely available online.
Wisconsin Innovation Awards Announce 2020 Winners at Virtual Ceremony
via Wisconsin Innovation Awards
OnLume Surgical, a spinoff company originating from Morgridge Institute research, has received a 2020 Wisconsin Innovation Award. The company, which develops precise fluorescence for image-guided surgery, was chosen for the award from more than 400 nominees.
OnLume Surgical is a Finalist for the 2020 Wisconsin Innovation Awards
via Business Wire
Morgridge Institute spinoff company OnLume Surgical, a medical device company developing novel imaging systems for use during surgery, was recognized as one of the ten (10) finalists for the 2020 Wisconsin Innovation Awards.
Optical Society elects Eliceiri as fellow
via UW College of Engineering
Morgridge Institute investigator and UW–Madison biomedical engineering professor Kevin Eliceiri has been elected a fellow by The Optical Society, an honor given to only one in 10 members.
UW–Madison gets $23 million grant for frozen imaging at atomic scale
via Wisconsin State Journal
UW–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research will get $22.7 million over six years from the National Institutes of Health to create a national center for imaging techniques that flash-freeze biological molecules to let scientists see a better picture of their function.
Endless Frontier Act to revitalize, transform Midwest industries
via WisPolitics
“A mill won’t last long if there is no mine, but a mill is required to get the products to the market,” Morgridge investigator Melissa Skala said during a Wisconsin Technology Council webinar. “What I find so powerful about the Endless Frontier Act is that it supports both the mine and the mill to benefit innovation across the spectrum.”
InsideWis: Even in fractious times, the need for a vital, secure economy can unite lawmakers
via Wisconsin Technology Council
Morgridge investigator Melissa Skala participated in a Wisconsin Technology Council webinar promoting bipartisan support for the Endless Frontier Act, which would bolster national research funding.
‘Like a Map of the City’ – How Metabolic Networks Contribute to Our Understanding of Cancer’s Growth
via UW Health
When Morgridge investigator Jing Fan thinks about metabolism, she is focused on the complicated network of biochemical reactions. Her lab has been working on understanding metabolism in a quantitative, systematic way.
How schistosome worms defy host immune systems
via SciDev.Net
Morgridge researchers uncovered in a new study how schistosomes, parasitic flatworms that infect more than 200 million people in the tropics, trick the host’s immune system and continue producing eggs for decades.
Label-Free Autofluorescence Imaging Method Differentiates Between Active, and Off-Duty T Cells
via Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Researchers at the Morgridge Institute and UW–Madison have developed a novel label-free imaging technique that exploits autofluorescence in cells to differentiate between active and off-duty T cells.
Miron Livny awarded 2020 IEEE Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement and 2020 High Impact Paper Award
via UW Comp Sci
Computer Sciences Professor Miron Livny has been selected for two prestigious IEEE awards: the 2020 IEEE Technical Committee on Distributed Processing (TCDP) Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement and a 2020 IEEE TDCP ICDCS High Impact Paper Award.
Local research findings to aid in development of treatment for COVID-19
via WMTV
UW–Madison announced Tuesday that scientists from the university and the Morgridge Institute for Research have been able to capture “strikingly improved images” of virus group, which could help aid in the creation of antiviral drugs and treatment for COVID-19.
An invisible hand: Patients aren’t being told about the AI systems advising their care
via STAT
Morgridge bioethicist in residence Pilar Ossorio commented in STAT about the growing problem of hospitals not disclosing to patients how many clinical decisions are now being made with artificial intelligence.
Coronavirus is revolutionizing scientific practices and communication. Here’s how
via Argus Leader
Morgridge bioethicist in residence Pilar Ossorio warns that “conditions are ripe for cutting corners” in the research push to combat COVID-19.
In our post-COVID world, science must be our new frontier
via The Hill
Writing in The Hill, Morgridge CEO Dr. Brad Schwartz provides insight and context for scientific discovery as a foundation for economic prosperity. As the United States looks to science to help us get past the COVID-19 pandemic, we would be well advised to also look back.
Smart toilets could transform health tracking. Here’s how
via ZDNet
Morgridge investigator Josh Coon describes how “smart toilets” could be the new frontier in personalized medicine.
Science camp for rural high schoolers goes virtual
via NBC 15
For over ten years, rural high school students have come to Madison to take part in the Rural Summer Science Camp at the Morgridge Institute. This year, the camp will still take place virtually.
Morgridge Institute board names new chair, welcomes three new trustees
via Wisconsin Technology Council
The Morgridge Institute for Research Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday to elect Carl Gulbrandsen, emeritus managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Association (WARF), as the new chairman of the 20-member Morgridge Institute board.
Detecting cellular diversity to sharpen personalized cancer treatments
via UW College of Engineering
Melissa Skala, a University of Wisconsin–Madison associate professor of biomedical engineering, and collaborators have used an approach called optical metabolic imaging (OMI) to effectively assess that heterogeneity and related treatment responses in organoids created with tissues from patients with breast cancer and pancreatic cancer.
UW–Madison researchers plan return to lab
via NBC15
Morgridge CEO Brad Schwartz is featured in a report discussing the return of in-person research following nearly three months of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Power List 2020
via The Medicine Maker
Stem cell pioneer and Morgridge investigator James Thomson was named to the Power List 2020 for his contributions to advancing the field of medicine to save lives and improve the world.
Albany Med partnering with University of Wisconsin for COVID-19 research
via Albany Times Union
An Albany Medical Center Hospital physician is partnering with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to study different patient experiences with COVID-19.
Albany Med doctor partners with university on coronavirus research
via WTEN-TV
An Albany Medical Center pulmonologist is teaming up with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to study why COVID-19 patients experience the virus more severely than others.
Albany Med Pulmonologist Partners with University of Wisconsin on COVID-19 Research
via Albany Medical College
An Albany Med physician who has been caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic is partnering with the Morgridge Institute and UW–Madison to study why some patients experience COVID-19 more severely than others.
Faculty receive WARF, Kellett, Romnes awards
via UW–Madison
Morgridge Affiliate Dominique Brossard and Morgridge Investigator Joshua Coon are 2020 recipients of Kellett Mid-Career Awards, given by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation every year to recognize mid-career excellence.
Making a difference: Madison makers build safety equipment for frontlines of COVID-19 fight
via The Capital Times
From designers and engineers to sewists and 3D printing hobbyists, they’re joining a global movement to combat the shortage of personal protective equipment.
Skala Lab: New tools for cancer immunotherapy
via WARF
Emerging cell therapies are giving hope to cancer patients, but new analytical tools are desperately needed. Melissa Skala and her team are going all in on the challenge.
Madison company’s surgery imaging device approved by FDA
via Wisconsin State Journal
A device to help surgeons better see tissue during operations has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The technology is based on research at the Morgridge Institute for Research.
Lessons learned from a year in Washington
via Chemical & Engineering News
Danielle Lohman, a former member of the Pagliarini Lab and a UW–Madison alumna, talks about her first year working in the Department of State. Lohman is one of six Ph.D scientists to receive a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship.
To stop pancreatic cancer from spreading, cut out the chatter
via Massive Science
Morgridge investigator Melissa Skala shares her perspective on a promising new approach to treating pancreatic cancer in this feature from Massive Science.
‘Smart’ toilet analyzes your pee, may revolutionize personal health
via USA Today
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin think their “smart toilet” is capable of monitoring your health and discovering early signs of diseases.
China Is Using DNA from Uighurs to Predict Physical Features
via The Scientist
Morgridge bioethicist in residence Pilar Ossorio comments on the ethical perils of China’s efforts to use DNA-based technology to recognize faces — a potential weapon for racial profiling.
Pagliarini lab members attend mitochondrial disease walk, interact with patients
via UW–Madison Biochemistry
Events hosted by UMDF have enabled the Pagliarini Lab to connect with those who may directly benefit from the findings of their research: patients with mitochondrial disease.
Professor will make ‘workhorse’ microscope more powerful
via UW–Madison
Kevin Eliceiri says he has always believed that science is best done by building on the work of others and openly sharing what you have done.
The weird science behind smart toilets and your pee
via Mashable
A new, small-scale study published in Nature this month seeks to determine whether regular urine collection and analysis of the thousands of telling, changing indicators in our pee can reliably serve up information about a person’s health.
Tiny aquatic animals may combat schistosomiasis
via ScienceNews
Tiny aquatic invertebrates, once a nuisance to scientists studying snail fever, may actually hold the key to fighting the spread of the tropical disease.
Tiny Creature Could Help Prevent Devastating Parasitic Disease
via Howard Hughes Medical Institute
HHMI reports on the Newmark Lab’s discovery and purification of a substance made by rotifers that can paralyze the worms that cause schistosomiasis, a dangerous infection that affects 200 million people worldwide.
U.S. Sen. Baldwin and the scientists carrying on her grandfather’s work
via Madison Magazine
At the Morgridge Institute for Research in the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus, David Green’s granddaughter — U/S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin — met the scientists who are continuing his early study of metabolism science, in hopes of breakthroughs that will help treat or reverse numerous diseases.
A Note to the Nobel Prize Selection Committee
via Scientific American
As 2019 Nobel Prize announcements unfold, Morgridge CEO Brad Schwartz reflected on his all-time favorite winner. “Howard Temin represented what society expects from us and had the characteristics that make society willing to fund our work,” Schwartz wrote in Scientific American. “People want scientists who get up every morning committed to finding the truth.”
Science Festival Panels Examine Science and Society
via Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Panels on Oct. 17 and 18 during the Wisconsin Science Festival will examine representation and inclusion in science and science in entertainment and the arts. Both afternoon panels will take place in the Discovery Building.
Illuminating Better Cancer Treatments with Light
via Wisconsin Public Television
Peter Favreau, a postdoctoral researcher at the Morgridge Institute for Research, discusses how the use of Optical Microscopy is helping to create individualized effective cancer treatments based on each patient’s tumor cells.
Test Pilot Geese, Planetary Wrecking Balls and Super AI Vision: The Week’s Best Science GIFs
via Scientific American
The Morgridge Institute’s project to capture early developmental timing of humans “in a dish” was included in The Scientific American’s “Best Science GIFs” feature. This weekly feature highlights the most amazing short video clips produced in the world of science.
Morgridge Rural Summer Science Camp extended for additional week
via The Badger Herald
The Morgridge Summer Science Camp seeks to immerse rural high school students into research and allow them to experience a larger, urban research campus.
Morgridge-Milwaukee collaboration gets statewide recognition
via Wisconsin State Journal
Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, focused his statewide business column on July 21 on a novel eye research partnership between the Morgridge Institute and Medical College of Wisconsin.
Pagliarini wins young scholar honor
via American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Morgridge Institute metabolism investigator Dave Pagliarini will receive the 2020 Earl and Thressa Stadtman Young Scholar Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). The award honors outstanding scholars with ten years or fewer of postdoctoral experience.
When Small Worlds Collide: Collaboration Behind the Microscope with Liz Haynes and Henry He
via Masters of Microscopy
Welcome to Masters of Microscopy: The People Behind the Lens, where we showcase and celebrate the individuals who are the heart of the Nikon Small World competitions. They are scientists, artists, researchers, educators and everyday curious individuals who uncover the fascinating microscopic world around us.
Growing transplantable arteries from stem cells
via FierceBiotech
Blood banks have been vital in medical care since the early 1900s, and now a team of scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin, wants to take the concept a step further.
Faculty receive WARF, Kellett, Romnes awards
via UW–Madison
Dave Pagliarini, associate professor of biochemistry and director of the Morgridge Institute for Research’s Metabolism Theme, studies mitochondria — ubiquitous organelles essential for cellular metabolism. His lab integrates classic biochemistry with large-scale methodologies to systematically define the functions of uncharacterized mitochondrial proteins and to establish the detailed mechanisms that drive disease-related mitochondrial pathways.
Morgridge scientist named a ‘cool science image’ winner
via UW–Madison
Congratulations to Jiaye “Henry” He, a member of the Huisken Lab, for his second straight winning entry in the UW–Madison annual “Cool Science Image” awards.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
via Chan Zuckerberg Science Initiative
Imaging of molecules, cells and tissues is central to biomedical research and clinical practice, allowing scientists to understand and identify disease. Yet progress in the imaging field has been slowed by inadequate software and limited sharing of advanced microscopy methods. The CZI Imaging Scientists program aims to move the field of imaging forward by increasing collaboration between biologists and technology experts and improving the imaging tools that scientists use.
The Role of the Student Engineer in Medicine and Innovation
via Xconomy
In a March 18 Xconomy opinion piece, Morgridge Fab Lab Director Kevin Eliceiri describes how a trifecta of engineering training, clinical experience and entrepreneurship is putting Wisconsin students in a great position for future success.
How to get young scientists thinking about ethics? Cartooning, say UW researchers
via The Cap Times
A biomedical research institute is prompting young scientists to think about the ethics of their research — not through a rulebook or a lecture, but with a cartooning contest.
Seeing things more clearly, thanks to campus-wide microscopy effort
via UWMadScience
Give most kids a basic microscope and a leaf or a drop of pond water, and they are in awe of the, well, microscopic patterns and organisms they can now see. Give a cell biologist a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and they can understand how structures within cells are organized – and how changes in the structures contribute to diseases.
Conferences are Important for High School Students—Youth Apprentices and STEM Professional Development
via Promega Connections
Isabel Jones, Verona Area High School senior and second year YA, who works at the Morgridge Institute for Research, presented a scientific poster at one conference and spoke on a panel at another.
Scientists, ethicists slam decisions behind gene-edited twins
via Ars Technica
“There’s been very broad consensus that we shouldn’t be doing CRISPR on embryos yet.” Morgridge Institute bioethicist Pilar Ossorio speaks out about recent news of first human gene-edited babies.
UW researchers, doctors trying to better predict preterm birth
via Wisconsin State Journal
Preterm births — which can lead to infant death or disability — are on the rise, accounting for nearly 400,000 of the country’s 4 million annual births. But doctors have a hard time figuring out which pregnant women are likely to deliver early.
Lunchroom leftovers make for an ‘eye-opening’ science project
via Wisconsin State Journal
This year the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and the Wisconsin Science Festival are partnering on a Statewide Science Challenge open to all K-12 schools. The 2018 challenge is called “Lunchroom Leftovers” and student teams are conducting detailed analyses of food waste in their school cafeterias.
Scientists seek to improve quality control for genome editing therapies in the eye
via UW–Madison
As gene editing therapies for macular degeneration and other visual disorders work their way into clinical trials, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is on the forefront of research into making sure they are safe and effective.
How microscopes are opening a door into an invisible universe brimming with life — Genius Moments
via Mashable
Meet Dr. Elizabeth Haynes and Jiaye “Henry” He. Their tiny zebrafish video just won first prize in the annual Nikon Small World in Motion Competition. It basically selects the coolest movies or time-lapse photos taken through a microscope.
Partnerships between universities, private sector working across Wisconsin
via Wisconsin Technology Council
At the UW–Madison, the progress of the Morgridge Institute for Research is another example. Partly financed with a $50-million gift from John and Tashia Morgridge of Cisco Systems fame, the private- non-profit biomedical research center is focused on novel strategies to improve human health.
Award Winning Videos Reveal The Weird And Beautiful Microscopic World
via Forbes
This week, Nikon announced the winners of the 2018 Nikon Small World in Motion contest. First prize went to Elizabeth Haynes and Jiaye “Henry” He of the University of Wisconsin–Madison for their mesmerizing time-lapse video of a zebrafish embryo growing its sensory nervous system over the course of 16 hours.
Award-Winning Microscopic Video of Growing Zebrafish Embryos Is Mesmerizing
via Gizmodo
A glowing, branching web slowly grows more and more tiny connections, with thin white tendrils reaching in to a black void. It looks like a fractal art piece. But in fact, it’s someone’s science research—the developing nervous system of a zebrafish embryo.
Trio of Morgridge Institute medical researchers to speak at Sept. 25 Innovation Network luncheon
via Wisconsin Technology Council
Three scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research will describe what brought them to Madison and how breakthroughs in medical engineering, regenerative biology and medical imaging will help save lives at the Tuesday, Sept. 25 Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon meeting in Madison.
UW Carbone Cancer Center Study to look for ways to personalize therapy in colorectal cancer
via School of Medicine and Public Health
The study will use optical imaging techniques developed by Melissa Skala, a co-investigator at the Morgridge Institute, to monitor the evolution of 3D cancer tumor cultures over time.
HOSA students tackle tough subject
via Wisconsin State Journal
Dane County high school students visited the Skala Lab to tackle pancreatic cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in Wisconsin.
New imager identifies tissue types during surgery
via University of Wisconsin
OnLume, a spinoff from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is continuing to develop its system for identifying tissue types during surgery. The company’s technology causes chemical labels to glow in the operating room.
Cryo-EM Expert Elizabeth Wright Joining Biochemistry to Direct New Facility
via UW Biochemistry
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Biochemistry will welcome Elizabeth Wright in July as a faculty member and director of the department’s newly established cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) facility.
New course brings storytelling techniques to science
via University of Wisconsin
A new course teaches early-career scientists how to communicate their work outside of the lab, and is designed to turn real research into engaging stories, visuals and presentations.
Morgridge ‘titans’ of healthcare
via Madison Magazine
Morgridge’s own James Thomson (founder of Cellular Dynamics) and Rock Mackie (founder of Tomotherapy) are listed among the top nine “healthcare titans” fueling the Madison economy.
WARF announces annual grant figures and Innovation Award winners
via University of Wisconsin
At a ceremony honoring several of the year’s most outstanding inventions, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) announced that it has granted the Morgridge Institute for Research $19 million in grants for the 2017-18 academic year.
Study Shows HPV Works Across Cellular Borders to Drive Cervical Cancer
via School of Medicine and Public Health
Human papillomavirus (HPV) and the hormone estrogen are both linked to the development of cervical cancers, but how they work together has remained unclear. A new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers shows how the combination of two factors influences the local cervical environment and drives the progression of cancer development.
Quality and collaboration, not growth, should drive research institutions
via STAT
The crux of the problem is that, over the years, many leaders of research institutions have treated research as a volume business and focused more on money and operational size than on the discovery of new knowledge.
With heart cells, middle schoolers learn the hard lessons of science
via UW–Madison
The students are among a group of 12 in a Madison Metropolitan School District program called the Middle School Science Cohort, a program geared for students with a propensity for science and math. The setting is a teaching lab at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, most likely the only place in the country — if not the world — where adolescent learners conduct real science using the kinds of stem cells on the front lines of modern biology.