Research


March 4, 2021

UAMS Researchers to Test Conway Wastewater, Patients for COVID-19 Variants of Concern

David Robinson

UAMS' David Ussery, Ph.D., hopes a pilot study of genomic testing for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and COVID-19 patients will lead to more substantial testing across Arkansas.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers are taking steps to identify genetic variants that make COVID-19 more contagious. Arkansas this week identified its first patient with the more infectious United Kingdom virus variant; it has yet to see other more contagious variants from South Africa and Brazil. “We previously had not found variants…


February 25, 2021

UAMS Researcher Cannon Awarded Nearly $1 Million to Study Vaccination Against Ovarian Cancer

Linda Haymes

“This award will support the development of an integrated and multi-faceted program to target immune suppression using blood cells in the ovarian tumor microenvironment,” said Cannon. “We hope our work will improve responses to immunotherapy, including dendritic cell vaccination.”

LITTLE ROCK —Martin J. Cannon, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has been awarded an Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) grant of $900,000 to study dendritic cell vaccination against ovarian cancer. A dendritic cell is a unique immune cell that boosts immune responses by displaying antigens such as toxins…


February 22, 2021

UAMS, Hendrix Partnership Gives Undergraduate Students Research ‘Immersion’ Opportunity

David Robinson

The UAMS-Hendrix partnership is teaching undergrads about translational research and involving them in an ongoing research project. Top row, l-r: Laura James, M.D., Andres Caro, Ph.D., and Clare Nesmith, M.D. Bottom row, students Emilie Cassar, Savannah Wiegel and Allison Long.

Through a partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Hendrix College students have a unique opportunity to address a critical human health issue in the new Clinical and Translational Research Immersion (CTRI) Program. Andres Caro, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at Hendrix, is leading the educational components of the program in collaboration…


February 9, 2021

UAMS’s Justin Leung, Ph.D., Receives $792,000 American Cancer Society Grant to Study DNA Repair Mechanisms

Spencer Watson

Justin Leung, PhD

LITTLE ROCK — A four-year, $792,000 American Cancer Society Research Scholar grant has been awarded to researcher Justin Leung, Ph.D., at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to study DNA repair mechanisms. “Understanding the molecular processes of DNA repair can help both better diagnose cancer and to progress treatment,” said Leung, an assistant…


February 1, 2021

‘Showcase’ Spotlights Digital Health using Digital Connection

Ben Boulden

Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., left, Shuk-Mei Ho, Ph.D., center, and Nalin Payakachat, Pharm.D.; Eswaran and Payakachat were presenters Jan. 21 at the Showcase of Medical Discoveries. Ho is UAMS vice chancellor for research.

Digital technology was both the method of connecting presenters and the focus of the UAMS College of Medicine’s “Showcase of Medical Discoveries: Digital Health & Innovation” on Jan. 21. Digital health uses interactive video, data and imaging devices as well as a patient’s computer, smart phone or tablet to deliver specialized medical services and expertise….


January 29, 2021

Four UAMS Researchers Receive Inaugural Provost’s Innovator Awards

David Robinson

Four UAMS Researchers Receive Inaugural Provost Innovator Awards

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) today announced four UAMS faculty as recipients of the inaugural Provost’s Innovator Awards. Established by the Office of the Provost and the Division of Research and Innovation, the grants of $25,000 each support groundbreaking, innovative, high-impact projects that are likely to establish new clinical approaches or achieve…


November 2, 2020

Five UAMS Researchers Receive Seed Funding for New Projects

Benjamin Waldrum

Five UAMS scientists each received $15,000 in seed funding for new research. Top row: Youssef Aachoui, Ph.D., Merideth Addicott, Ph.D., Alicia Byrd, Ph.D. Bottom row: Behjatolah "BJ" Karbassi, Ph.D., and Rupak Pathak, Ph.D.

Five UAMS scientists were awarded $15,000 each to fund research projects in the coming year, thanks to an endowment created by generous donors nearly four decades ago. The Medical Research Endowment Fund was one of the first major fundraising campaigns of the UAMS Board of Advisors. Established in 1982 to stimulate and support research programs…


October 27, 2020

UAMS Lincoln Project Aims to Reduce Prevalence of Heart Disease through Grassroots

News Staff

“Heart disease is about lifestyle – habits are more impactful than heredity,” said Irion “Chip” Pursell, M.P.H., RN, B.S.N., and director of Cardiology Research in the Department of Internal Medicine in the UAMS College of Medicine. Laura Bourdie is research operations manager for the UAMS Lincoln Project.

A million people in Arkansas are living with heart disease – that’s a third of the population – and it puts them at risk for health complications and early death. Exactly why this is the case and how it can be addressed in a holistic way long before these Arkansans end up in an emergency…


October 23, 2020

Early UAMS Study Results Show 3.5% of Arkansans Infected by Coronavirus

David Robinson

Josh Kennedy, M.D.

LITTLE ROCK – Early results from a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)-led COVID-19 antibody study show that 3.5% of Arkansans have been infected with the novel coronavirus. UAMS researcher Joshua Kennedy, M.D., revealed the initial findings of the Arkansas Coronavirus Antibodies Seroprevalence Survey during a presentation Oct. 21 with Laura James, M.D., director…


October 20, 2020

UAMS Researcher Receives $1.7 Million Grant to Study Bone Health, Exercise Connection

News Staff

"Scientists have long understood there is a connection between bone size and strength related to physical activity," said Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.

LITTLE ROCK — A researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how physical activity improves bone health, with possible implications for bone loss from osteoporosis and aging. Jinhu Xiong, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of…



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