Innovation & Research

Greg Delgoffe in a striped white shirt
A study led by immunology’s Greg Delgoffe and published in Nature shows how chemicals in the areas surrounding tumors subvert the immune system and enable cancer to evade attack. These findings suggest that an existing drug could boost cancer immunotherapy.
a sleek white device with four holes
Even a dollar-store toothbrush can be a smart toothbrush with a new invention from fourth-year dental student Sohail Rana and colleagues from the Swanson School of Engineering. Their toothbrush holder and app were developed through a number of Pitt innovation initiatives.
A park at sunrise, with light breaking through the trees
A multi-institutional team of researchers followed university students to identify factors linked to depression and anxiety during the pandemic.
an artist's depiction of the gut biome
Changing the bacteria in the gut can help patients with advanced melanoma respond to immunotherapy, according to a Pitt-UPMC study published in Science.
Alaina Roberts in a black top against a gray background
Pitt Professor of History Alaina E. Roberts says people are usually stunned to learn that five Native American tribes in what’s now Oklahoma owned Black slaves in the 1800s. In a forthcoming book, Roberts digs into her own ancestry with the tribes to upend the traditional story of Reconstruction.
Paul Duprex in a checkered shirt
A scientific detective story that unfolded in Pitt’s Center for Vaccine Research unearths how the virus that causes COVID-19 evolves new variants that evade antibodies. Director Paul Duprex says this evolution is why it’s important to develop multiple tools to fight the pandemic.
An interactive map showing disparities between communities in blue and red
A new School of Pharmacy analysis found that Black residents in 69 U.S. counties were far more likely than white residents to live more than a mile from a COVID-19 vaccination facility. Three-quarters of those counties also have high rates of new infections. See where they are.
Terence Dermody receiving an award
As labs have shifted attention to SARS-CoV-2, efforts have been duplicated and precious time and resources have been used ineffectively, writes Terence Dermody for The Conversation. This rapid scientific reorientation has implications far beyond the pandemic.
A person in gold earrings and a yellow top looks through an eyepiece
The University of Pittsburgh joins 21 other leading academic and research institutions in the Leap Breakthrough Network. Its charge? Spark breakthrough scientific and technological solutions in human physiology and bioengineering within a decade.
A bottle of medicine next to an orange-capped syringe
Early results of the trial, which is part of a three-trial platform consortium spanning more than 300 hospitals worldwide, found that full doses of heparin, a blood thinner, were not only safe but also reduced the need for vital organ support, such as ventilation.