Chemistry World: More Than a Mirror-Image: Left-Handed Nucleic Acids

Two double helixes of DNA, one appears normal and the other appears jagged and damaged.
February 20, 2024
The Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology's Karen Vasquez, Ph.D. talked to Chemistry World's Rachel Brazil on genetic instability in disease and evolution of course related to Z-DNA. Dr. Vasquez's research focuses on genome instability, DNA damage and mechanisms of repair.

Announcing the Winners of the 2022 UT Pharmacy Alumni Awards

Headshots of Dr. Jamie C. Barner, Dr. Emmaneul Enwere and Dr. M. Lynn Crismon.
November 2, 2022
The Texas Pharmacy Alumni Association has selected Emmanuel Enwere, Pharm.D., M.S., CPHIMS, Jamie C. Barner, Ph.D., FAACP, FAPhA and M. Lynn Crismon, Pharm.D., FCCP, DABCP, BCPP as the 2022 Alumni Award recipients. This year's winners will be honored on November 12, 2022 at the Texas Pharmacy Homecoming Tailgate, generously sponsored by H-E-B.

Vasquez Writes in Nature Reviews Genetics on Alternative DNA Structures

"Nature Reviews Genetics" written inside of a circle.
November 1, 2022
Division Head and Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology Karen Vasquez, Ph.D. published in the latest issues of Nature Reviews Genetics regarding repetitive elements in the human genome. Once considered "junk DNA," they are now known to adopt more than a dozen alternative DNA structures. These dynamic conformations can act as functional genomic elements involved in DNA replication and transcription, chromatin organization and genome stability.

Faculty Earn State Grants for Cancer Research

A person in a lab.
September 21, 2022
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has released its grant research funding awards for the upcoming year. All three awarded research projects at The University of Texas at Austin involve College of Pharmacy faculty.

Immunologic Resilience: A New Metric to Accurately Gauge COVID-19’s Path

The COVID-19 virus.
September 8, 2021
UT Pharmacy and UT Health Science Center San Antonio Assistant Professor Grace C. Lee, Pharm.D., Ph.D. is the first author of a recently published study that unveiled a novel concept, “immunologic resilience,” to accurately predict which COVID-19 patients will advance to severe disease and which will not.

Vasquez Appears on BBC World Service to Discuss Z-DNA

DNA.
June 16, 2021
Division Head and Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology Karen Vasquez, Ph.D. appeared on BBC World Service's Science in Action to talk about Z-DNA. Dr. Vasquez's research focuses on DNA damage and repair, genomic instability, gene targeting, DNA structure and cancer therapeutics.

Kompella Receives Fulbright Award for Postdoctoral Research

A woman smiling.
March 16, 2021
Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology researcher Pallavi Kompella, Ph.D. has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to research at the Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga in Spain.

Peppas to Receive Prestigious Oesper Award in Honor of Contributions to Chemistry

A smiling man standing in front of a bookshelf.
November 4, 2020
Nicholas A. Peppas, Sc.D. has been honored with the 2020 Oesper Award from the University of Cincinnati’s Chemistry Department and the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society for his outstanding accomplishments in and contributions to science. The award recognizes his work in biomaterials, drug delivery, bionanotechnology, and nanomaterials.

Vasquez collaborates on paper published in Nature

Karen Vasquez headshot
August 3, 2018
College of Pharmacy Professor Karen M. Vasquez, Ph.D. recently collaborated on a research paper exploring the mechanisms involved in DNA structure-induced genetic instability in human disease. “Mechanisms of genetic instability caused by (CGG)n repeats in an experimental mammalian system” recently published in Nature, and includes co-authors Artem V. Kononenko, Thomas Ebersole, and Sergei M. Mirkin from Tufts University.

Starving prostate cancer cells

John DiGiovanni Headshot march 2010
June 8, 2017
A new study identifies several natural compounds found in food, including numeric, apple peels and red grapes, as key ingredients that could thwart the growth of prostate cancer. Read more about starving cancer cells.