Search begins for new vice chancellor for research
Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin has appointed a 17-member search and screen committee to help identify a vice chancellor for research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Steve Ackerman, who served as vice chancellor for research and …
December 27, 2023UW researcher’s career inspired by his own spinal cord injury
Dan Hellenbrand grew up on a small farm near Lodi and by his 20s was on the path to his desired career in carpentry. Then, in an instant, that path vanished.In April 2003, he was …
December 27, 2023Mineral coatings could enable shelf-stable mRNA therapies
The rapid development of mRNA-based vaccines against COVID-19 was a gamechanger in the global pandemic. The vaccines employ messenger RNA to direct cells to produce a protein from the surface of the virus—triggering an immune …
December 13, 2023UW researchers will develop gene editing therapy to treat blindness
With new support from the National Institutes of Health, a team of researchers at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery will lead drug therapeutics testing for two diseases known to cause blindness. Over the next five …
July 25, 2023Clemson Award for Applied Research
“The impact of Dr. Murphy’s translational biomaterials research is huge; the products successfully translated from Dr. Murphy’s lab are of critical importance. For example, the TruMatch Graft Cage™ is a 3D-printed personalized resorbable implant for …
April 26, 2023mRNA therapy could break down treatment barriers for patients with chronic spinal cord injuries
“My hope is this opens up an opportunity to treat patients who have chronic spinal cord injuries,” says Professor Murphy, whose lab develops biologically inspired materials for regenerative medicine applications. “That’s a patient population that …
September 23, 2022Science and Serendipity: How Apples Are Laying the Foundation for Regenerating Bone
Researchers are using innovative plant-based biomaterials to grow new bone that could restore depleted bone mass after space travel. May 9, 2022
May 9, 2022William Murphy receives mid career Kellett award
Faculty receive WARF Named Professorships, Kellett Fellowships, and Romnes Awards May 25, 2021 By Natasha Kassulke Thirty-three members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty have been awarded fellowships for 2021-22. The awardees span the four divisions on …
July 27, 2021Quarterly Magazine by the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association
COVER STORY Over the past two decades, stem cell research at UW-Madison has grown from involving a handful of scientists to nearly 100 from more than 30 schools, colleges and departments.
July 27, 2021mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines now being tested to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases
The method used to make the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines could change the future of medicine as we know it. Researchers inside the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research have been studying the same mRNA technology …
July 27, 2021
Stem cells: How we got here, where we’re going
The first in a series of four videos about stem cell research here at UW–Madison: how it started, what it’s achieved, and where it’s headed. Catch up on what’s happened since James Thomson’s prescient prediction …
January 17, 2019
Murphy’s law: Make materials with biology in mind
As an undergraduate student majoring in physics at Illinois Wesleyan University, William Murphy took exactly one biology course: Biology 101. Two decades later, he’s built a career around creating what he calls “bio-inspired” materials such as …
December 11, 2018
Biomanufacturing projects stepping out at UW-Madison
A series of projects aimed at advancing the human-health and economic impact of biomanufacturing is already benefiting from a new University of Wisconsin–Madison institute aimed at making the state a Midwestern hub of the ongoing …
November 10, 2018
Manufacturing cells to regenerate tissues, build treatments and cures
Most people don’t think of manufacturing when it comes to biology. But new bioengineering technologies to regenerate human tissue on a commercial scale will be critical to the next phase in stem cell research. There …
November 1, 2018
Shining light on University- industry collaboration
Launch of the Forward BIO collaboration is a collaborative effort to make Wisconsin a recognized center of excellence for biomanufacturing. This initiative, between campus, a nonprofit lab facility at University Research Park and BioFoward Wisconsin, a …
September 10, 2018
A $750,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. announced today establishes the Forward BIO Initiative, a collaborative effort to make Wisconsin a recognized center of excellence for biomanufacturing.
“The Forward BIO Initiative will have everything it takes to amplify the impact of Wisconsin’s innovations in biomanufacturing,” said William Murphy, a professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a …
September 1, 2018
Big Idea: Using plant leaves as scaffolding to grow human cells
Murphy’s team found that leaf structures not only have an “incredible ability” for mass transport, moving and expelling fluids rapidly and efficiently from one end to the other, but that human cells pattern themselves in …
July 1, 2017Advance furthers stem cells for use in drug discovery, cell therapy
This week, a UW–Madison team reports in Nature Biomedical Engineering that they have jumped a major hurdle on the path toward wider use of stem cells. Using an automated screening test that they devised, William …
July 1, 2017
UW-Madison scientists, inspired by old bones, find new strategy for drug delivery
UW-Madison scientists, inspired by proteins found intact in centuries-old human bones, created a mineral coating that mimics bone and appears to keep proteins stable. “What’s needed is a delivery system that remains localized, releases the …
June 10, 2017
Synthetic alternatives to Matrigel for toxicity screening and stem cell expansion
Arrays of synthetic hydrogels outperforms Matrigel in the screening for vascular-disrupting compounds and in supporting the expansion of human embryonic stem cells. The paper is published in nature biomedical Engineering.
June 1, 2017
UW-Madison scientists grow functional artery cells from stem cells, truly functional arterial cells reportedly created for the first time
In a step toward one of stem cell science’s chief goals, UW-Madison researchers have grown functional human artery cells that helped lab mice survive heart attacks. “This work provides valuable proof that we can eventually …
June 1, 2017UW-Madison research team at McPherson Eye Research Institute awarded NIH Grant to Reverse Blindness
Gamm’s team (includes scientist Joe Phillips; neuroscience professors Tim Gomez and Xinyu Zhao, and bioengineers Justin Williams and William Murphy) awarded NIH Grant to Reverse Blindness. Madison, Wisconsin – A UW-Madison research team has been …
September 1, 2016Steering Organoids Toward Discovery
SELF-DRIVING STEM CELLS ARE OPENING A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES, INCLUDING DRUG TESTING AND TISSUE SOURCING. Since the 1980s, stem cells’ shape-shifting abilities have wowed scientists. With proper handling, a few growth factors, and some time, …
July 10, 2016Stratatech will establish skin tissue inventory in case of natural or man-made emergency
Stratatech receives $247 million contract to develop skin product. Stratatech will use the contract money to fund a final phase clinical trial for its flagship StrataGraft product, which is delivered to users frozen, giving it …
February 10, 20163D brain-on-a-chip helps predict drug neurotoxicity
NIH-funded engineered brain tissue identifies toxins correctly 9 out of 10 times To help test the toxicity of new drugs, NIBIB researchers have engineered a 3D brain organoid—a miniature organ structure that attempts to mimic the …
February 1, 2016U.S. Senator Baldwin Pushes For New Standards In Regenerative Medicine Industry
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has introduced new legislation to create industry standards for regenerative medicine. The bill would create a public-private board to set guidelines for regenerative medical products, including those developed from stem cells. Dr. …
January 18, 2016New way of developing tissue mimics brain function, has potential to eventually replace animal testing
UW scientists develop brain-like structure to improve drug safety testing. University of Wisconsin scientists have created a structure that mimics brain function and may be used to determine the safety of pharmaceutical drugs and industrial …
October 10, 2015“Brain in a Dish” could replace toxic animal test
Scientific American and Francis Collins, NIH director, discuss the potential potential impacts of Michael Schwartz’s human brain models on hydrogels. These “Brain in a Dish” models may provide a fast, low cost way to screen …
September 1, 2015Stem cell-derived brain mimics predict chemical toxicity
Michael Schwartz tested the toxicity of 60 different chemicals on miniature model brains developed using neural progrenitor cells grown on hydrogels. Read Full Articles Here and Here
September 1, 2015Why drug companies need human tissue- especially liver
Bill Murphy talks to the Washington Post about the ethics and importance of human tissue in drug testing and development. Read Full Article
July 10, 2015The Canadian military wants to use stem cells to help its soldiers heal
Bill Murphy talks to Vice News about the use of stem cells in regenerative technologies capable of healing battlefield injuries Read Full Article
June 1, 2015Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center features collaboration with Tissue Regeneration Systems
Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center features collaboration with Tissue Regeneration Systems to develop bioresorbable, implantatable devices for skeletal reconstruction and bone regeneration Watch Video Here
April 10, 2015α/β-Peptides Could Offer Low-Cost Alternative To Antibody Drugs
Samuel H. Gellman, William L. Murphy, Katrina T. Forest, and coworkers have designed a two-helix α/β-peptide with afffinity for VEGF and demonstrated its use by inhibiting the growth of cells lining blood vessels, a process …
April 10, 2015Researchers aim to broaden understanding of how toxins affect the body
Bill Murphy is leading a diverse team of UW-Madison researchers who received $6 million from the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. The grant will create the Human Models for Analysis of Pathways (H-MAPs) …
March 10, 2015WPR: “Tissue Chips” could replace animal testing
Wisconsin Public Radio interviews Bill Murphy about how organotypic tissue models developed at UW-Madison would be used to advance drug screening Listen to the Interview Here
February 10, 2015UW-Madison lecture on Regenerative Medicine: from stem cells to new organs
UW-Madison’s “Mini Med School” course titled “Regenerative Medicine: from stem cells to new organs” features prominent UW stem cell and regenerative medicine researchers (Tim Kamp, Sean Palecek, Bill Murphy, Jamie Thomson, Sam Gubbels, Amish Raval) …
September 10, 2014- More News