UT Austin Discoveries Related to Animal Research
In modern biomedical research, animal models are indispensable and studies with animals are almost always needed before testing can begin in humans. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are hard at work developing treatments for illnesses, gaining a better understanding of how living systems work and researching animals in their natural habitats to better understand and protect our wild neighbors. Below are just a few examples of ways that humans and animals benefit from discoveries made by UT Austin researchers.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible and highly progressive neurodegenerative disease. Alzheimer’s initially manifests as subtle but progressive impairments in episodic and spatial memory. Researchers discovered impairments in the hippocampus of mice that may result in spatial memory deficits seen in Alzheimer’s.
Cancer
The MasSpec Pen is a handheld instrument that gives surgeons precise diagnostic information about what tissue to cut or preserve during cancer surgery. Researchers at UT Austin worked with others around the country to develop this exciting medical device and initially tested it using animals. Currently being tested in pilot clinical studies in humans, it is projected to improve treatment and reduce the chances of cancer recurrence.
Diabetes
Researchers used animal models at UT Austin and collaborating institutions to develop the FreeStyle Libre, a glucose monitor for diabetic patients that allows them to monitor glucose levels without finger sticks. The FreeStyle Libre was used by two million diabetic people in 2019.
Embryonic Development
Using zebrafish, researchers are studying how genes interact with common chemicals that people encounter in their daily lives and how these interactions may affect developing embryos. There are more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals in our environment and 3,000 of them are found in measurable quantities in our bodies. What most of them do to human embryos is completely unknown. Researchers are working to identify those that might have the most harmful outcomes.
Mental Health Disorders
The hippocampus, a part of the brain essential for memory, generates memory traces of both fear and extinction. Competition between these hippocampal traces determines whether fear is expressed or suppressed. This work using mice has important implications for understanding the potential cause of disorders, like anxiety and PTSD, and they can also help us understand potential treatments.
Parkinson’s Disease
Manganese (Mn) is an essential metal required for life, but exposure to elevated Mn in the body leads to the development of Parkinson’s Disease. Researchers are studying mice to understand how exposure to Mn causes neurologic damage that leads to this disease. This research will aid in the ability to develop treatments for this currently incurable disease.