University of Texas Southwestern Labs: Where Breakthroughs Happen

Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his discovery of the cGAS enzyme, which senses invading pathogens and triggers the body’s innate immune system.

A protein called torsinA plays a key role in the early development of neurons, determining where nuclear pores are placed in the membrane that encloses the nucleus of nerve cells, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

Cancer cells appear to hijack a genetic pathway involved in DNA repair to drive malignancy and overcome treatment, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. Their findings, published in Cell, explain how chromosomes in some tumors undergo massive rearrangements and could lead to new strategies to avoid cancer drug resistance.

A computer model developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers significantly enhances the ability of scientists to detect communication between cells according to a new study published in Nature Methods.

Metformin, a well-tolerated diabetes drug prescribed to as many as 150 million people worldwide, may also protect cells from radioactive damage, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.