Our Impact

U-M researchers have figured out how to solve a big problem in COVID-19 research: mice, unlike humans, are not susceptible to the disease. Phil King, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology, with the help of researchers in his lab and the U-M Transgenic Animal Model Core, is genetically engineering a new mouse that will allow scientists to study the effects of COVID-19 on various cell types. Once researchers know where the disease does most of its dirty work, they can begin to create targeted therapies.

Laboratory research involving mouse models paves the way for a clinical trial to see if an FDA-approved drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection can work against these aggressive brain tumors.

To better understand the relationship between oxygen and lung bacteria, researchers designed a series of experiments in mice. When comparing two groups of genetically identical mice—one with bacteria and one without—the mice without bacteria were protected from oxygen-induced lung injury. Ultimately, the study could have implications for the treatment of reduced oxygen levels in critically ill patients.

Researchers are comparing the way genes are expressed in thousands of sperm-forming cells in mice, macaques, and humans to look for similarities and differences. This comparison provides clues about how sperm has evolved in mammals.

A study conducted using U-M's germ-free mouse facility offers new clues about how the composition of the gut microbiome may contribute to the development of colorectal cancer.

U-M researchers have spent years developing mouse models that would allow for testing new therapies for rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathies resulting from a single genetic mutation. Their research now suggests that SCN8A encephalopathy could be improved with a treatment already approved for other uses.

A study in mice finds that a compound modelled on a protein found in bananas safely protects against multiple strains of the influenza virus.

An anti-cancer compound developed at the University of Michigan has shown “profound” activity in mouse models against two subtypes of leukemia — representing up to 40% of patients — a U-M research team reports in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. A Phase I clinical trial, using a structurally related analog of the compound, also began enrolling patients in the fall of 2019.

In a study involving germ-free mice, Michigan Medicine researchers have unlocked a mechanism behind how the body decides whether or not to absorb iron from the food–one that involves the trillions of bacteria in our guts known as the gut microbiome. What these intriguing findings suggest is an unconventional treatment for iron-related disorders, such as anemia.

A potent and selective degrader of the transcription factor STAT3 offers a new approach to a previously “undruggable” target. In a mouse model of leukemia, the degrader eliminated all of the tumors, with the mice remaining tumor-free for 60 days. In two mouse models of lymphoma, the drug eliminated all of the tumors for more than 100 days.