Not one but three UVA Health discoveries are competing for the title of 2022’s biggest biomedical advance as part of the STAT health news website’s annual “STAT Madness” bracket tournament.
It’s the fifth consecutive year that a UVA Health discovery has been recognized as one of the year’s most significant.
STAT Madness is like the scientific version of the NCAA basketball tournament. Voting is open to the public. New rounds will open weekly, with the week’s winners advancing until a final victor is determined. You may vote once per day.
UVA occupies three of the 64 slots in this year’s tournament. Here are the three UVA contenders, all of which come from UVA’s School of Medicine:
Fighting Alzheimer’s: UVA neuroscience researchers led by John Lukens discovered a molecule in the brain responsible for orchestrating immune system responses to Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, potentially allowing doctors to supercharge the body’s ability to fight those and other devasting neurological diseases.
The molecule directs immune cells called microglia to remove plaque buildup associated with Alzheimer’s and prevent the debris buildup that causes MS. The findings could let doctors augment the activity of microglia to treat or protect patients from the toxic buildup thought responsible for memory loss and impaired motor control in neurodegenerative diseases.
