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From the College of Natural Sciences
New Cancer Treatment Uses Enzymes to Boost Immune System and Fight Back

New Cancer Treatment Uses Enzymes to Boost Immune System and Fight Back

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new approach to treating cancer using enzyme therapy.

Cancer Agency Awards $2 Million to UT Austin to Recruit New Faculty Member

Cancer Agency Awards $2 Million to UT Austin to Recruit New Faculty Member

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has announced that Can Cenik has been awarded a $2 million Faculty Recruitment Grant. The program recruits emerging investigators pursuing their first faculty appointment who have the ability to make outstanding contributions to the field of cancer research.

Making Cancer’s Metabolism More Normal Blocks Drug Resistance

Making Cancer’s Metabolism More Normal Blocks Drug Resistance

Updated on August 31, 2018: This release was updated to correct mistakes in descriptions of the way cancer cells develop drug resistance and the way that anti-cancer drug DCA affects the metabolism of cancer cells.

The chemical structure of C1, a drug combining two active elements: Doxorubicin (Dox), a powerful cancer chemotherapy agent that's been used for decades; and a dichloroacetic acid (DCA) subunit, which reverses a cell's metabolism to aerobic. Credit: University of Texas at Austin

A new drug lead shows promise that it could reduce the size of cancerous tumors much more effectively than current treatments.

In Epidemic Intelligence Service, Alumna Tracks Down Clues About Outbreaks

In Epidemic Intelligence Service, Alumna Tracks Down Clues About Outbreaks

Sydney Jones (BSA, '10) has studied cardiovascular health and diabetes on the Texas border, researched improvements for stroke care in North Carolina, and promoted community health, working with a nonprofit organization. Now the University of Texas alumna is taking on a new role: disease detective for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Geodetic Observatory Coming to UT Austin’s McDonald Observatory

New Geodetic Observatory Coming to UT Austin’s McDonald Observatory

The site for the McDonald Geodetic Observatory’s 12-meter radio telescope dish is being prepared at the base of Mount Locke, near the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center. Credit: Frank Cianciolo/McDonald Observatory.

A new scientific facility is under construction on the grounds of The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory that will help scientists better understand Earth and could help minimize the effects of geohazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sea level changes and landslides.

Three Chemists’ Lifetime Achievement Celebrated this Summer

Three Chemists’ Lifetime Achievement Celebrated this Summer

Chemists Stephen Martin, Jonathan Sessler and Dave Thirumalai have won lifetime achievement awards.

Three UT Austin chemistry professors—Jonathan Sessler, Dave Thirumalai and Stephen Martin—were awarded lifetime achievement awards this summer.

Excavation Begins on Giant Magellan Telescope Site in Chile

Excavation Begins on Giant Magellan Telescope Site in Chile

Hard rock excavation has begun for the Giant Magellan Telescope's massive concrete pier and the foundations for the telescope's enclosure at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. More than 13,000 tons of rock will be removed. Credit: GMTO Corporation

The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory today shared in announcing the start of hard rock excavation for the Giant Magellan Telescope's (GMT's) massive concrete pier and the foundations for the telescope's enclosure on its site at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. McDonald Observatory is a founding partner of the international collaboration building the GMT, which will be the world's largest telescope when completed in the next decade.

Scientists Map a Complicated Ballet Performed in Our Cells

Scientists Map a Complicated Ballet Performed in Our Cells

For years, scientists have looked at human chromosomes, and the DNA they carried, poring over the genetic code that makes up every cell for clues about everything from our eye color to congenital diseases. In a new study, however, scientists have demonstrated the movement of chromosomes within cells also may play a role in human traits and health.

How to Make the Gene-Editing Tool CRISPR Work Even Better

How to Make the Gene-Editing Tool CRISPR Work Even Better

Among the most significant scientific advances in recent years are the discovery and development of new ways to genetically modify living things using a fast and affordable technology called CRISPR. Now scientists at The University of Texas at Austin say they've identified an easy upgrade for the technology that would lead to more accurate gene editing with increased safety that could open the door for gene editing safe enough for use in humans.

Fighting Hepatitis C Virus, Using Clues from What Killed Bevo XIV

Fighting Hepatitis C Virus, Using Clues from What Killed Bevo XIV

And other adventures in animal viruses teaching us about human disease.