Researchers at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute are evaluating a first-of-its-kind blood test for detecting colorectal cancer. Their findings may help propel the test toward inclusion in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations for colorectal cancer screening.
A novel way to treat weight gain may involve limiting our exposure to light at night—whether that light comes from our bedside lamps, the light pollution that sneaks through our windows or the electronic devices we use as we drift off to sleep.
West Virginia University researcher Jianhai Du is parsing how the retina hijacks an energy-producing chemical reaction to churn out molecular building blocks to renew photoreceptor membranes that keep our vision sharp. His findings are published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Valerie Galvan Turner, a gynecologic oncologist at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute, has opened a randomized clinical trial to assess whether a novel supplemental treatment can help chemotherapy and radiation fight dangerous cervical and vaginal cancer better.
The National Science Foundation has awarded a three-year, $219,263-grant to Amy Hessl, professor in the Department of Geology and Geography, to reconstruct the history of the Southern Annular Mode, over the last 2,000 years. Hessl and her research team will study the movement of a westerly wind belt circling Antarctica that influences Southern Hemisphere climate, carbon and heat uptake and Antarctic ice melt.
The West Virginia University Board of Governors today (Feb. 8) gave final approval to a trio of updated policies, and also sent out for comment the latest updated rule as it works to complete policy revisions in the wake of the adoption of laws permitting more independence from the state Higher Education Policy Commission. The three rules, unanimously approved, deal with conflicts of interest, outside consulting and ethics; identify theft detection and prevention; and a tobacco-free campus.
As West Virginia University works toward becoming the world’s first Blue Zones Certified university, a graduate-student researcher in the WVU School of Public Health is exploring how one of the Blue Zone Project’s tenets—eating an abundance of vegetables—can make individuals with diabetes, and those at-risk of developing the condition, healthier.
James Wood, interim director of the Energy Institute at West Virginia University, is part of a panel reporting on the outlook of U.S. energy innovation to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources tomorrow (Feb 7).
A field trip to Namibia to study volcanic rocks led to an unexpected discovery by West Virginia University geologists Graham Andrews and Sarah Brown. While exploring the desert country in southern Africa, they stumbled upon a peculiar land formation—flat desert scattered with hundreds of long, steep hills. They quickly realized the bumpy landscape was shaped by drumlins, a type of hill often found in places once covered in glaciers, an abnormal characteristic for desert landscapes.
Karissa Bjorkgren, a second-year student in the Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration programs at West Virginia University, is dedicated to addressing mental health in rural communities. A native of Franklin, Bjorkgren has experienced first-hand how infrequently rural communities in West Virginia address mental health concerns. She hopes her research will help overcome this disparity.