UC Davis Advancing Health Worldwide News

Could Dietary Changes — Even After Obesity — Help Prevent Pancreatic Cancer?

Amy M Quinton — June 04, 2025

UC Davis researchers find low-fat diets slowed pancreatic precancer development in mice, even after weight gain.

Telehealth Can Improve Care for Cats with Chronic Health Issues

Amy M Quinton — June 03, 2025

UC Davis researchers found telehealth visits can improve care for cats with feline arthritis.

New Book Details the Good, Bad and Unexpected of Ibuprofen

Andy Fell — June 03, 2025

What you don’t know about ibuprofen, one of the world’s most popular painkillers, could well fill a book — and that book has just been published, authored by Professor Aldrin Gomes and 36 of his current and former students at the ��Ƶ, Davis.

“Ibuprofen is an affordable and widely used medication that has transformed pain management for millions worldwide,” said Gomes, who teaches in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. “However, its story serves as a powerful reminder of the delicate balance between benefit and risk.”

Cell Biologist Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society

Andy Fell — May 20, 2025

Neil Hunter, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the ��Ƶ, Davis, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in London.

This prestigious appointment, announced May 20, was offered to only 70 scientists across the world.

“I’m thrilled and surprised,” said Hunter. “The acknowledgment means a great deal to me, because it’s an election by some of the best scientists in the world.

Wily Parasite Kills Human Cells and Wears Their Remains as Disguise

Andy Fell — May 12, 2025

The single-celled parasite Entamoeba histolytica infects 50 million people each year, killing nearly 70,000. Usually, this wily, shape-shifting amoeba causes nothing worse than diarrhea. But sometimes it triggers severe, even fatal disease by chewing ulcers in the colon, liquefying parts of the liver and invading the brain and lungs.

The Secret to Happiness Lies Within You, Or Society — Or Both

Andy Fell — May 02, 2025

What is the secret to happiness? Does happiness come from within, or is it shaped by external influences such as our jobs, health, relationships and material circumstances? A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that happiness can come from either within or from external influences, from both, or neither — and which is true differs across people.

Researchers Develop an LSD Analogue with Potential for Treating Schizophrenia

Andy Fell — April 14, 2025

��Ƶ, Davis, researchers have developed a new, neuroplasticity-promoting drug closely related to LSD that harnesses the psychedelic’s therapeutic power with reduced hallucinogenic potential.

The Gut Health Benefits of Sauerkraut

Amy M Quinton — April 14, 2025

A new UC Davis study suggests that sauerkraut could help protect your gut, an essential part of overall health.

Dogs Could Help Predict Valley Fever Spread in Humans

Amy M Quinton — April 10, 2025

Dogs could help predict valley fever spread in humans. A new UC Davis study finds a correlation between occurrence of dog and human disease.

The Milestones of COVID-19: A Timeline

Jocelyn C Anderson — March 18, 2025

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, its effects still pervade our lives. Millions of Americans still wear masks at times, carry hand sanitizer and work from home. We also have a heightened understanding of the role that health care providers, government and public institutions must play during a public health crisis.

Awareness of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Saves Lives

Katherine E Kerlin — March 06, 2025

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection spread by biting ticks to humans and dogs. Found on every continent except Antarctica, the infectious disease has been spreading since the early 2000s, most notably in Mexico and Brazil. Of the cases reported, more than half of infected people and dogs die.

A paper led by the ��Ƶ, Davis, highlights one of the most effective but often missing solutions to surviving this preventable, deadly disease: awareness. Most fatal cases stem from delays in diagnosis and treatment.

3D Genome Structure Guides Sperm Development

Andy Fell — March 03, 2025

How 3D folding of DNA inside germ cells sets them on the path to become sperm.

Restoring Voices and Identity with Neuroengineering

Andy Fell — February 27, 2025

Lee Miller vividly recalls the day in 2021 when he met a woman who had lost the function of her vocal cords. In hoarse, whispering tones she explained how her voice had been instrumental to her vocation. Losing it, she said, undercut her life’s purpose. Her words were faint, but the lesson was powerful.

Improving Indoor Air Quality for Better Public Health

Jocelyn C Anderson — February 24, 2025

Scientists are unraveling the complex factors that go into indoor air quality and how indoor air pollution and airborne pathogens are affecting public health.

Media Experts on Avian Influenza

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2025

UC Davis media experts for avian influenza or bird flu.

Sweet Molasses Feed Key to Understanding Grazing Behavior in Cattle

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2025

Researchers tempted grazing cattle with sweet molasses feed to discover whether cows would roam far to graze or stick close to the herd, water supplies and feed stations.

Killing H5N1 in Waste Milk — An Alternative To Pasteurization

Amy M Quinton — February 13, 2025

UC Davis researchers have found that acidification can kill H5N1 in waste milk, providing dairy farmers an affordable, easy-to-use alternative to pasteurization.

UC Davis Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine

Andy Fell — February 06, 2025

Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine is a finite resource, extracted from plants native to Africa like the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (Voacanga africana). Further, its use can lead to irregular heartbeats, introducing safety risks and an overall need to better understand how its molecular structure leads to its biological effects.

Outside-In Signaling Shows a Route Into Cancer Cells

Andy Fell — February 04, 2025

A new study shows how an anticancer drug triggers an “outside in” signal that gets it sucked into a cancer cell. The work, published Jan. 29 in Nature Communications, reveals a new signaling mechanism that could be exploited for delivering other drugs.

Many malignant cancers overexpress a protein called P-cadherin, which is embedded in the cell membrane. Because cancer cells have a lot of P-cadherin sticking out of their surface, the protein has been targeted for drug development.

The Hunt Narrows for Ebolavirus Hosts

Katherine E Kerlin — January 15, 2025

Bats are widely recognized as the primary hosts of filoviruses, such as Ebola, yet the specific host species of ebolaviruses are not definitively known. In a study led by the ��Ƶ, Davis, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), scientists have developed a new tool to narrow down potential host species of filoviruses and better prioritize wildlife surveillance. The research is part of global efforts to prevent viral spillover between animals and humans.